Daniel Peng, a 2008 graduate of Skyline High School, will be taking off in September to lead a health education initiative in China through the Fulbright U.S. Student Program.

Peng is one of over 1,800 U.S. citizens who will travel abroad for the 2014-2015 academic year through the program. Recipients of Fulbright grants are selected on the basis of academic and professional achievement, as well as demonstrated leadership potential.

“The purpose of the grant is really people to people diplomacy,” Peng said.

The Fulbright program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government and is designed to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries.

Peng said that while diplomacy is a large piece of it, the other is for him to go to China, learn about the Chinese culture and how their healthcare system works and bring that insight back to the U.S. He said that it’s important to give the Chinese a better idea of who Americans are, otherwise their portrayal is what they see in the movies.

Peng, who graduated in 2012 from Santa Clara University, had to apply for the program by writing a research grant, outlining what he intended to do throughout the year. His application was reviewed over the winter and spring months before his acceptance in June.

Peng will be stationed at Zheijiang University where his speciality will be medicine and healthcare, analyzing large databases of Chinese patients to try and find a pattern. He previously worked as a research analyst at Stanford University studying type 1 diabetes and the effect on the brain. He also was a health educator for more than four years and is currently working at a healthcare start-up company in San Francisco.

Peng said he’s using the Fulbright program as a way to take a step back from his career and studies and explore what exactly he wants to accomplish in his life and in his career.

“The biggest thing is just how much can I grow in this year,” Peng said. “In approaching any decision in terms of job or education, I’m thinking how much can I grow as a person, not just academically, but holistically.”

Peng visited China multiple times growing up and is fluent in Chinese. In the summer of 2008, he taught conversational English to high school-aged students in China and in 2010 received a sponsored year of study at Oxford University, focusing on philosophy and ethics.

“I’m a pretty multi-dimensional person,” he said.

And Peng attests his early success to all of his various life experiences thus far.

“I had fantastic teachers growing up,” Peng said. “All of my Skyline teachers were very supportive of me and gave me the confidence to kind of break out of the mold and take steps off the beaten path. All my influences growing up…my parents, my friends, my high school teachers, my college professors, my experience at Stanford…this entire thing (the Fulbright program) is a culmination of everything I’ve done prior to this.”

Peng said he wish he would have been more aware of all the opportunities available to him when he was in high school. He said it would be valuable for more people to hear about them.

“These programs were fully funded for me,” he said. “These are opportunities you can seize no matter how much money you have in the bank. You just have to work hard and know they’re there for you to take.”

As far as future plans, Peng said he hopes to live a life where he can help people but still reserve time for his relationships and the people who really care about him. He’s still looking into medicine and may apply to medical school, but said he has very little confidence on what he will decide to do after this year.

“My doors are open,” Peng said. “I’m hoping to soak in the experience and keep my eyes peeled for opportunities.”

Kelly Montgomery: 425-391-0363; kmontgomery@issaquahreporter.com