Student Stories of Intercultural Experience

Over 80 students and faculty attended “Personal Stories of Intercultural Experiences,” a first-ever bilingual collaboration between English for Academic Purposes (EAP) and Chinese Programs on November 17.

Five EAP students - Yufan Wang, Siyan Gao, Yuxin Wu, Ruoyun Tan, and Lan Zheng - expressed themselves in English, while Oliver Barry, Luca Conti, Elizabeth Leclaire and Maike Prewett, from Chinese Programs, used Mandarin. The students fielded questions from the audience in their language of study.

“Even though we express our respect in different ways, we all share the same kind of care and concern for life. Language itself is like a magic stick that helps you find the shared ground in human nature deep inside those differences...I am now trying to practice this magic because I believe that once I realize this kind of connection I will never be lonely again,” said Azure Zheng '19.

Students spoke of differences in cultural expression of personality, parenting styles, ways of communicating and fitting in with groups. They addressed a conflicting need for accuracy versus the need to express oneself, challenges of forming intercultural friendships, and how strong bonds are formed from respecting and celebrating diversity.