As recipients of the scholarship they will each receive a stipend and an internship opportunity that will enable them to live, work and learn in Asia for one year. The Luce Scholars program is unique among American-Asian exchanges in that it is intended for young leaders who have had no prior experience in Asia and who might not otherwise have an opportunity to come to know Asia or their Asian counterparts.

Morales, a special major in environmental science and a dance minor, plans to study landscape design in Asia. "I am interested in how Asian landscape designers use public spaces such as waterfronts, parks, plazas, wildlife preserves, to reconcile the tradition of landscapes, such as Buddhist Zen gardens, with the ecological and social pressures of urban life" said Morales. Morales' experiences at Swarthmore helped shape his interest in this topic. Morales founded a student-run organic garden on the Swarthmore campus, and his senior thesis is focused on urban environmental restoration. "In an age of environmental degradation, my aim is to plan and install projects that rectify destructive activities, and Japanese landscape design is the perfect extension of the work I have begun at Swarthmore," said Morales.

With his scholarship, Metheny plans to study the legal issues that the HIV/AIDS communities are facing in Southeast Asia. Metheny has a long history of studying HIV/AIDS as a public health and human rights issue. While at Swarthmore he had the opportunity to conduct independent research on how non-governmental organizations shape drug availability for South Africans infected with HIV/AIDS. That experience solidified his decision to go to law school to become a public interest attorney working on legal issues faced by people living with HIV/AIDS. Metheny continued doing HIV/AIDS legal work while in law school at Berkeley. He currently serves as a staff attorney at the Whitman-Walker Clinic, Legal Services Program, providing legal services for people with HIV/AIDS.