In part 2 of my interview with Kexin (aka Superwoman),
she gives invaluable insights into what it means to become a cultural diplomat. She began her journey to the US as an exchange student in Farmville, Virginia. In what follows, Kexin takes us on a journey through college applications, her experience as an undergraduate student, and her efforts to publish vital information for students.
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-How did you
decide which schools to apply to? Why did you decide to go to Syracuse?
Can you name a class or professor what was particularly inspiring?
After my exchange student year, I had my mind set on
studying international relations in college and becoming a cultural diplomat.
So I searched online for schools with the best international relations programs
and applied to about more than 20 schools. Rankings do mean a lot to Chinese
students, parents and employers. Most students would not get a chance to visit
the school before they apply; they probably know little about the academic
culture in the U.S. and would not write emails to professors or students, so
the resources are very limited to them. Many criticize us for putting too much
emphasis on school rankings, but for foreign students, they are sometimes the
most reliable indicators and do make a difference in terms of job prospects if
the students return to China.
I decided to go to Syracuse because it has a great
international relations program, and it was the best offer I had. I wasn’t very
happy about my application results at that time and debated about reapplying
again the next year. My mom convinced me to make the most out of the
opportunity I had in my hands. She turned out to the right again. I really fell
in love with Syracuse, and after four years and never regretted my decision. In
my sophomore year, I applied for a second major in magazine journalism because
the top journalism school Newhouse was right there and I just had to take
advantage of it.
I had two professors that are special to me. One was my
newswriting class professor in my first year at Newhouse, in which I received
my first B on an assignment. I learned about news writing, interviewing,
editing and all the basic skills as a journalist for the first time in his class.
It was one of the hardest classes for me because of the demand of language, but
I felt inspired every single class. Despite the difficulties, he really helped
me with my writing and somehow encouraged me to continue on the hard path and
gave me confidence that I could become “a star.” Unfortunately, he left the
staff before I graduated. For whatever reason that he left, it was a huge loss
for the school and the students.
The other mentor was my Chinese history professor, the
best history teacher I’ve ever had. It might sound a little strange that a
Chinese student studied Chinese history from an American professor, but he made
me look at China and its history from a totally new perspective. His class was
not biased towards either China or America. I firmly believe that especially
for journalists and politicians, they have to first know about the history of
the country they report and make policies on.
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| Cover for Red Rope magazine |
-Could you
describe the bilingual magazine you designed for Chinese students and do you
have a link for it? Are there stories or pieces you are particularly proud of
and if so would you be willing to share one or two?
For my senior capstone, I designed an online magazine
for Chinese students in the U.S. During my years in the U.S., I increasing feel
the need for a platform that will give voice to this growing population in
American schools and society. They are a special group of young people who are
often very hard working, very intelligent and ambitious, well educated and well
traveled. But they also need a lot of specialized service that range from
housing, grocery shopping, transportation, entertainment, relationships with
parents back home and American classmates, job search and networking, and
social issues such as violence, discrimination, and advocacy. We see more and
more Chinese students in the news as young talents that America fails to keep,
victims in the Boston Bombing, campus shooting and sexual harassment at unpaid
internships. I want to use the skills I learned to create a place where I could
help make these students’ lives easier, provide accurate reporting on events
important to them and share their stories that are worth reading to many.
I have designed the website for the magazine but have
not finished the coding to realize the design. I am also looking for
like-minded people to join me to help me sustain this model in the long run. I
am sure this project will be timely and relevant to many, but it’s harder than
I expected. Others have tried similar ideas on different scales, but I have a
specific vision that the magazine could eventually grow into something that
really connects Chinese students together. I really hope I can publish this
magazine.
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| Table of Contests for Red Rope Magazine |
Different Americans certainly have different images of Chinese
students, just like students from China are also different from each other.
Stereotypes certainly exist everywhere for everyone, but I think stereotypes
are not something that I need to overcome. By just being myself, I already
defeated the stereotypes. When I came here for high school, my American friends
in Farmville often asked me questions like if we really eat cats and dogs in
China. In college, my classmates in international relations often asked me if I
think China and America will go to war one day. In journalism classes, people
often asked me how I could become a journalist in China without freedom of
speech. I would say it’s not really stereotypes of Chinese students, but
stereotypes of China that sometime bothers me and other Chinese students. I
think one thing that many Chinese students would agree on is that we know much
more about America than American students know about China. I am not sure if
that’s our advantage or an obstacle.
Some stereotypes of Chinese students that I have encountered
include that we don’t like to speak in class, we come from wealthy families, we
don’t like to party or are not very sociable, we are good at math and science
subjects but are not very creative, we are not good at teamwork… there are
probably more.
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| Job and resume advice from Red Rope magazine |
In freshman year, many Chinese students just arrived in
the U.S. for the first time and they are still trying hard to adapt to the
language and cultural environment. I have seen many Chinese students raise
their hands in class once they feel confident about their English. It largely
depends on their personality. I have met someone who was always trying to
answer questions in class with his broken English. On the other hand, some
professors and students always looked at the only Chinese student in class whenever
the word China was mentioned. This can be slightly annoying too. Generally from
my own experience, Chinese students will often contribute valuable opinions in
class discussions. Sometimes they might be a little timid to speak up when the
discussion was heated and the opinion was heavily towards a certain
perspective. In Chinese culture, disputing someone’s strongly held belief can
be regarded as very rude. So it is always good to ask that one Chinese student
in the group “so what do you think?” It might be hard for American students to
understand, but raising my hand during a class discussion was something I had
to teach myself to do. My comfort level to speak in class grew when professors
and students often said, “That’s interesting, I’ve never thought of it that
way,” after they heard my thoughts. I believe that is also the reason why
American schools want international students, because their backgrounds and
perspectives are invaluable educational assets. Give us time and patience and a
little push, our answers would be worth the efforts.
I wish American students could be more understanding during the first year and maybe reach out first to make friends with Chinese students. They often face more difficulties in settling in. Unlike many Americans students whose parents could send them to their dorms and bring furniture in their cars, Chinese students have to take a 13-hour flight with only two suitcases to start their four years of college. When American students already started forming their friend circles, Chinese students might still be struggling to get the right textbooks, trying to figure out where to get supplies and how to get there, and maybe having a big adjustment for food they are not used to. Trust me, Chinese students are dying to make some American friends. They might not know how to respond to your greeting “hey man, what’s up?” but if you give them the chance, they can be the best friends you will make in college.
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| Kexin at Syracuse U. Halloween party |
-I read comments
almost every day from people in education who say that Chinese students are
good at taking tests but do not have the ‘soft skills” necessary to contribute
to classes or care about much except grades. How would you respond to this
blanket statement made by an educator recently on a public forum: “China
is behind the curve when it comes to innovation in education. They promote only
rote memory, no critical thinking, and no creative thinking. The next
politician that says American education needs to be more like China needs to
have brain surgery. The test scores are all eschewed because of the competition
system and the cheating. Yes I said cheating. When a public Chinese school
hands out copies of the tests and instruct the students to learn (memorize) the
answers that is cheating. I know this because I have seen it with my own eyes.
I have lived in Beijing now for four years and the system is not better in the
time I have observed.”
I need to thank the Chinese education system everyday
for the person I am today. The Chinese education laid out a good foundation of
studying habits, while American education taught me to go beyond the knowledge.
I don’t dare to say what would be the best education system. Just like the law
is also a cultural product, different education systems are products of
the social realities. If I have a child of my own, I would like to send him or
her to spend part of his or her childhood in Europe, finish elementary to high
school in China, and then attend college and graduate school in the U.S.
I disagree with the statement that Chinese students are
good at taking tests. Yes, in China, we like to use a lot of tests to prove
things, no matter if it’s for schooling, driving, jobs or skills. In a country
with a large population and limited resources, testing is the easiest way for
selection. Therefore, I would say that Chinese students regard tests as more
important than American students do. In essence, a test is designed to indicate
someone’s knowledge about something, and we always need to learn more than what
the test includes. When Chinese students prepare for the SAT or GRE, I don’t
think they are simply learning the best way to take the test, they are also
learning the same things that American students need to learn: reading skills,
vocabulary, composition, and logic. I have taken prep classes in the U.S. as
well, and they teach similar things as Chinese prep classes: how to manage your
time better, how to approach a question, how to structure an essay… Granted,
the Chinese education system is very test heavy, but that doesn’t mean students
do not learn anything. Memorization is also a very useful skill. Learning about
the Chinese characters require lots of memorization! Since elementary school,
we learned to memorize classic poems, literature, and
mathematic theorems… In journalism school, I was quizzed on current events
everyday, and I thank my Chinese training on memorization for passing those
quizzes.
When I studied for the LSAT
for law schools (many Chinese regard the LSAT as the hardest test in the
world), I found that doing previous tests to be the best way to practice and
learn. Most students preparing for the LSAT and instructors in the U.S. would
agree with me. I can tell you that I did ALL the past LSAT tests from 1991 to
2013 twice, that’s more than 70 tests times two. I do not think that I am
purely learning about “how” to take the test—although that is a very important
skill in LSAT—as much as the skills tested in the test: how to read fast but
still obtain all the important details, what are the logical fallacies and how
to identify them fast, and how to solve a logical game within minutes. I was
not memorizing the answers, as no question will be the same. Practice and repetition
sometimes are the only ways to improve.
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| Kexin working for Habitat for Humaity |
Contrary to the
stereotypes, I find many Chinese students to be very creative. I studied
photography and graphic design in college and received the best grades in both
classes. Almost all my Chinese friends in college were involved in some forms
of school activities: Chinese students associations, fraternities and sororities,
on-campus employment, group projects, clubs and community services.
We tend to look at others
cultures and explain phenomenon through the filter of our own culture and
understanding. However, the best way to understand something new is to first
abandon what we think we know and start from zero. Some Americans believe that
Chinese students and people in general are “brainwashed” by either the education
system or the government. I just hate that expression. I believe that Chinese
students possess the same ability to think critically as American students.
They might not need to come up with creative answers for the tests, but it
doesn’t mean they don’t have their own interpretations of things. Just like the
fact that Chinese journalists cannot write as freely as American journalists
doesn’t mean Chinese people do not have knowledge about the problems in the
society or the government. As I indicated earlier, Chinese students have a lot
of, if not more, soft skills to contribute to classes. There are many great
Chinese artists and entrepreneurs in China, but American people might not have
heard about them because the American media is busy covering pollution and
human rights violations in China. I am not saying those problems don’t exist.
We are keenly aware of the deep problems in China and the unfortunates in the
education system, but there are always things we can learn from others.
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| Chinese Modern Art Exhibition |
For anyone in education today, the words that Kexin has shared here should be read again and again/ Her experience and insights into how to become a part of culture should be used in training those who work with student, international or domestic.
She’s given us a template
to perceive Chinese students as they are. I say this having talked with
thousands over the years. The ones I have been lucky enough to get to know are
like Kexin, passionate about learning and finding out answers to fife’s big
questions. They contribute to discussions in and out of class and love it when
other students reach out to them.
We all, whether we know it
or not, carry around stereotypes in our brains. That’s what we wired for, and
it takes effort to think slow rather than fast a Daniel Kahneman puts it.
Learning to think critically is a skill. It is sad to know that according to
the research in the book "Academically Adrift", that over 45% of college
students gradating today have not improved these skills one bit. Kexin leaned
from mentors how to become a better journalist and how to view her own country’s
history. Mentors are key—they inspire and help challenge a person’s views.
Kexin has done just that with her words here.
Clearly, Kexin isn’t just a
typical student. She came to the US and immersed herself in the culture and in
her school. She’s also fought for students and I hope her magazine will be
published so it can help others, who want to learn invaluable information. I
also have to say that I’ve have never heard of anyone who studied so hard for
the LSAT. In the last part of her interview you will fid out why this level of commitment
opened up many opportunities for her.
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| Syracuse University |
EDUCATION
Syracuse University, 3.9 gpa, summa cum laude
EXPERIENCE
Maxwell School of Citizenship| International Relations (international security and diplomacy)
Newhouse School of Public Communications | Magazine Journalism
Off-Campus Programs: Beijing, China | Madrid, Spain | Maxwell-in-Washington
Renée Crown Honors Program: Fulfilled requirements in public presentation, collaboration,
honor courses across disciplinary, and 54 hours of volunteer activities.
Independent Study with SU Law Emerita Hilary Josephs: Weekly readings and discussions
on Confucianism, current events, Chinese culture and legal traditions.
National Model United Nations Conference 2013: Represented the Czech Republic in
General Assembly Second Committee, won Distinguished Delegation.
Research Projects:
Honors Capstone: "Red Rope Magazine: A Sustainable and Creative Model for a Magazine
for Chinese Students in the U.S." (50 pages).
IR Thesis: "China in Africa: History, Challenges, and Misconceptions" (20 pages).
Simulated NSC Memo: "U.S.-India Relations in the Context of the Pivot" (20 pages).
Honors:
Dean’s list 2009-2013: GPA above 3.4 in all majors.
Harlan Cleveland Global Policy Award: an IR senior award given annually to a graduating
senior for academic achievement and enthusiastic involvement in international policy issues.
Chancellor’s Awards for Public Engagement: for leading and editing the student-run
magazine Healthy You, which covers health-related issues concerning college students.
Phi Beta Kappa | Sigma Iota Rho | Kappa Tau Alpha.
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For those who think that students from China simply study and get good grades and test scores, I would simply point to Kexin's words and the above list of activities, honors, research and service and ask: Do you know of other students who do this much and this well in and out of the classroom? Do you know of others who equally embody the definition of global citizen and cultural diplomat? If you do, please sent their contact information to me as I would love to interview them.
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| Kexin with Chancellor and Provost of Syracuse University |
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