Current role: Senior Program Officer, China Climate Hub and Fellow, Asia Society Policy Institute
Major: Social Sciences (self-designed track in Comparative Law), Minor in Mandarin
Hometown: Sydney, Australia
When, at 18, Taylah Lorraine Bland was accepted into NYU Shanghai, her parents decided to sell their house in order to finance her college education. With such fervent family support, Bland made it her goal to succeed. For her success means immersing herself in climate policy and acting as a bridge between the US and China, but she’s set her dreams for much higher. Taylah shares how her NYU Shanghai education prepared her for a career in public service and global affairs.
Taylah and her family remotely celebrating her graduation from NYU in Sydney, due to COVID-19 travel restrictions
Why did you choose NYU Shanghai?
I always say that NYU Shanghai found me. After I graduated high school, my parents had saved up money for my family to travel to New York City as a graduation gift. When we got there, we were walking downtown and we stumbled upon NYU’s campus and I fell in love. I loved how everyone there appreciated intellectual dialogue. It felt like there was a “no ceiling” approach to achievement. Everyone there believed that you could do anything, no matter how outrageous it might have seemed. I wanted to get my education in a place where that kind of mindset was being fostered.
I thought, “Let me just throw my application in and see what happens.” Well, it turns out, I got accepted to NYU Shanghai. I thought to myself, “There’s probably no better way to learn more about China than to go there and learn the language, history, culture, and politics.” So it kind of comes back to that point of I didn't really pick NYU Shanghai. It chose me.
Bland performing in the NYU Shanghai Thespian Society Musical Showcase, 2019.
What experiences at NYU Shanghai had the greatest impact on you?
The first would be my engagement with student government that started in the first semester of freshman year but continued throughout all four years. Being able to shape a relatively young institution was impactful to me. I got to work with some incredible people that were like-minded. We got to build up and leave a legacy through some of the committees that we made through the constitutional reform.
One of my good friends, Lauren Benedict, was the president of the Thespian Society, and it was great to take a break and show my creative side through acting and dance for a change, instead of having to be so on academics the entire time. I got to connect with people on a different level.
The third was learning Mandarin. I now work in Mandarin and I use the language on a day-to-day basis. It's given me a different perspective on many things and helped me realize how much can be lost in translation.
Who at NYU Shanghai had the greatest influence on you?
Yifei Li, who teaches nature and social thought, was phenomenal. He shaped the direction I went in post-grad to the Schwarzman Scholarship, and then to focus on the environment, which is what my career is based on.
And then in direct connection with that is Dr Anna Kendrick in Global Awards. I wouldn’t have received the Schwarzman Fellowship if it wasn't for her belief in me. Lastly, I couldn't speak more highly of Vice Chancellor Lehman and Provost Waley-Cohen. When I was student body president in my final year, which was during the pandemic, the three of us had weekly meetings where I would collect questions from the entire student body and we would answer the questions, which would be published weekly to the students via online platforms. There was a lot of trust between us. It was one of the toughest situations that we were presented with. And they both taught me what it means to be a leader, something that I still apply in my daily life.
Bland at the United Nations in New York, 2023
What do you do in your role at the Asia Society?
The China Climate Hub that I work with has a goal to advance the bilateral US-China relationship in climate. We are acting as the bridge between the two countries in order to ensure climate action continues. We work with interlocutors, both in China and the US, and with other countries, and look at the questions of how can we make a difference, where are the areas of conflict, and how can we bring everybody back on track? For my role, I have been highlighting what China does very well in climate, specifically in international environmental law. That could be through media conversation and written publication, or speaking directly to government departments. Every day is different, but we are working towards trying to make a difference, to see tangible action happen, right at the top level of both governments.
What did you learn at NYU Shanghai that led you to your current role at the Asia Society?
NYU Shanghai is such a diverse community. You walk down a hall and you can hear five or six different languages being spoken. You are constantly learning things about new people: how they were raised, what culture means to them, and how they identify. Working in the role that I do, this perspective helps when I'm relating to and engaging with people who come from all walks of life. The last lesson would be challenging generalizations. To be able to enter a community where I constantly had to have a growth mindset and challenge generalizations is something that’s helped me in my post-graduation life. It’s the ability to be open and not so quick to judge others based on my preconceived notions.
Bland back in her home city of Sydney, Australia, 2024
What advice do you have for students who want to get involved in global affairs?
We need more people in the field who have the diverse experience and attitudes that students at NYU Shanghai have. The students I met at NYU Shanghai are committed and challenge themselves. We were there to work towards a common goal, uplift one another, and better the world. It's very easy to sit back and do nothing, and to say, “We'll let politicians fix that. We won't advocate. Our voice means nothing.” It does [matter], whether you like it or not. At some stage in our life, our generation will be the people in power. We're going to be the people on the ballot. Why can't that be you? Why can't you have a role in shaping the international norms and laws, or even at the domestic level? For anyone at NYU Shanghai that is interested in getting involved, do it, seriously do it, and don't listen to anybody that tells you that you can't achieve that.
Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
This will be my second year in New York. The plan is to stay for another three to four years and then head back to Australia when I'm 30. Right now, I love the work I’m doing at the Asia Society. It's very impactful. Before returning to Australia, I would love to pivot to the United Nations and work within some of the UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change), especially for shaping international environmental law at COP (Conference of the Parties). That was a major life highlight for me to be in those negotiating rooms. I want to continue that or at least add value to those conversations. But the ultimate goal is to head back to Australia and put everything that I've learned to work.
When I was 8 years old, I said that I would become the Prime Minister of Australia. And that is still the dream that I have today. My first boss at the Asia Society was the honorable Kevin Rudd, who was Australia's former prime minister. I want to leverage the experience that I've had being exposed to different countries and political systems and return to my home country to advance Australia domestically and internationally for the benefit of all Australians.