Mark West: Through the Eyes of a Globetrotter

The “inner voice” that propelled Mark West ‘17 to move across the Pacific to Shanghai in 2013,  that also motivated him to explore Africa two years later, is now heralding him to further pursue his dreams in Europe.

The 22-year-old American, born in Baltimore, Maryland, has been accepted to the London School of Economics and Political Science’s very selective China Comparative program. Fluent in Chinese and French, West will move to London this fall to complete the one-year master’s program, in the hopes of acquiring deeper insight into China.

It would not be West’s first visit to Europe, as he studied in Paris during fall semester of 2015. He chose Accra, Ghana  the following spring semester. In fact, West has managed to travel to some 20 countries during his study at NYU Shanghai.

“In most universities, your campus life will be centered around a quad, while in NYU Shanghai, your campus is literally the world,” West said. “What separates NYU Shanghai from other universities is that it encourages students to mobilize around the world and forge meaningful connections rather than being bound by a campus.”

However, moving from Paris to Accra was not a pleasant change for West in the beginning. “The first few weeks in Ghana was ‘a slap in the face’ for me. The harsh reality taught me to appreciate the life I have rather than taking everything for granted,” he said. 

When in Accra, West was also working for the Ghanaian government’s Microfinance and Small Loans Center (MASLOC), a perfect opportunity for him to engage with the local business community and to closely observe African culture. Inspired by this experience, West devised his senior year capstone project into a comparative study over the roles of friendship-based relationships in Chinese and African business activities.

In addition to globe-trotting, West has also been enthusiastic in promoting diversity and dialogue in the community. In 2015, he managed to set up the NYU Shanghai Forum on Racism.

“Some 100 faculty members and students gathered together and examined various aspects of racism. It was also a chance for people with painful experiences to get their sorrow off of their chests,” West said.

Looking into the future, West said he would like to embark on his career in development-related fields of a multinational enterprise, putting into practice his expertise on China and Africa, as well as what he learned from humanities studies at NYU Shanghai.

“Business is something that you learn best at work through practice, not in the classroom. For me, I benefit substantially from the humanities courses at NYU Shanghai, which teach us the ways different people think,” he said.