Alumni Interview with Jennifer Conner

What inspired you to travel abroad? 

Learning Mandarin has been a lifelong goal of mine that I only recently began to seriously work on. I am half Taiwanese, but growing up Mandarin was not spoken in the house since my father is not fluent in it. This never bothered me as a child, but as I grew older I realized how detached I was from that half of my heritage, and I was unhappy with the passivity I had assumed up until then.

I am proud to be half Taiwanese and wanted to learn more about what that meant, both to myself and on the grander scale. I began with studying Mandarin, but this was only scratching the surface. I knew that studying abroad, immersing myself in the culture, venturing out of my comfort zone, was the way to learn about Chinese culture, and ultimately learn about myself. With this in mind, I knew I wanted to participate in a study abroad program in China or Taiwan. 

Why did you choose CAPA The Global Education Network? 

After I decided to study abroad it fell to logistics. My school offered a handful of programs to my desired region so I weighed different programs based on price, location, and course offerings. I was intrigued by the prospects the booming metropolis of Shanghai would offer me, especially since I had not grown up in a big city. It offered a wildly exciting experience, with countless things to do and see.

I was also inspired by the opportunity for internships that CAPA offered. I enjoy hands-on work being an engineering major, and saw an internship as the perfect way to learn a new topic while avoiding a dry lecture hall. Finally, the CAPA program offering through ASU was incredibly cost-effective, with spectacular inclusions. In fact, the CAPA tuition fee was less expensive than the out-of-state tuition I would have had to pay ASU in the first place! 

What was your favorite part about Shanghai? 

My favorite part of Shanghai was its unexpected juxtaposition. As a city of almost 25 million, it, of course, boasts a booming metropolis, tall buildings cutting the expanse in a gorgeous skyline. But there were unexpected gems everywhere, pockets of serenity, traditional and modern unexpectedly melding and dissipating once more. There were peaceful gardens everywhere in Shanghai. It was wild to turn the corner from a line of skyscrapers and walk into a grassy park. There were tiny markets lining the streets as Teslas whizzed by. There were cobblestone roads that lead to modern art museums with fantastical visual projections. Nothing fell flat and I learned quickly to never have any expectations but rather approach things with an open mind. I took nothing for granted. I was there for four months and only just scratched the surface of what that city had to offer. 

What made your experience abroad extraordinary? 

As cheesy as it might sound, it is truly the people that I made memories with that made my experience extraordinary. I, of course, knew I was going to meet many people during my time abroad. However, I really did not expect how amazing and how lasting these friendships would be. Epiphany struck as I was waving goodbye. And it was shattering. Ultimately, it wasn’t what I did or saw that had made my study abroad experience so memorable and fulfilling. It was the people I met, the people I explored with, the people I grew with, the people I loved. 

How did the local program staff support you throughout your program? 

The on-site staff was incredibly helpful, especially since there was a language barrier present. Not being fluent in Mandarin, they were a helpful resource to navigate the post office, doctors office visits if needed, buying things online, and showing us the ropes of the public transportation. A great offering that CAPA provides are guided excursions. The on-site staff would take us on tours of different locations in China. There were several during the semester and I had an amazing time at every single one of them.

The excursions were pre-planned for us. The transportation, accommodations, and tickets to special activities and destinations were taken care of. This was especially convenient since the logistics would have been difficult to navigate by myself, especially due to the language barrier. The on-site staff would give us general tours of the area and often accompany us to the destinations. However, they always left breathing room which I greatly appreciated. There was always time set aside at each destination for us to choose what we wanted to do.

They were there to give recommendations or accompany us but we were not forced into doing things all day to a set, rigid schedule. Truly the best part of the on-site staff was how friendly they were. Undoubtedly, it did not seem like a faceless company; the employees were people. And those people quickly became friends. We would spend time together, go out and have fun together. They were a perfect resource for recommendations of fun things to do or good things to eat in the city we were in, and it didn't stop there. They would come with us to those places and we would have such a great time! 

What's one thing you wish you would have done differently during your time abroad? 

I wish I had been a bit braver upon my initial arrival in Shanghai. Of course, I know hindsight is always 20/20, and I can see objectively how overwhelming it is to go to a new city, a new country, so very far from home. It's a lot all at once, and so I know it's a lot to ask to be brave all at once. But studying abroad is all about venturing outside of your comfort zone. You can't grow as a person if you are content with how things are right now with yourself, and so I wish I had thought about that a bit more when I first went to Shanghai, about the large-scale goals of my semester.

I think that would have given me the important perspective needed to be able to push myself, be brave, right off the bat. And if I were a bit braver I think I could have seen more things. Initially, I spent too much time on my campus and on the adjacent streets. I had this huge city around me that I didn't take advantage of for a couple of weeks because I was scared. There are so many things I missed in Shanghai and in the rest of China. Of course, I know a four month trip is short and I'm not going to see everything, but I know I could have seen a bit more if I had adventured more places, and if I had not waited until a group made a plan but rather made that plan myself. What was there to be scared of? 

Describe what a typical day in your life abroad looked like. 

The coolest thing about my study abroad experience was all the variety I experienced! No day was typical—they were all unique and exciting. I tried to go somewhere new every week! New restaurants, new parks, new destinations. Of course, there was some routine with classes. I had classes and an internship which I would go to every week, but I luckily had a lot of free time in my schedule so I had plenty of time to explore places during the week and plan larger-scale attractions during weekends. 

What did you enjoy doing in your free time abroad? 

One of my favorite things that I did in Shanghai was going to a new park every week. I had my Wednesday mornings free and it somehow worked out that everyone else in my study abroad group was in class. I admit my first couple weeks in Shanghai I wasted those Wednesday mornings. I was intimidated to go out and explore by myself, not knowing the language that well, and really not wanting to do things alone. But then I decided to just man up and not get in my own way. What good was going to a new country if I was gonna sit in my normal boring dorm room all day?

Something spectacular about Shanghai is the crazy juxtaposition the city is composed of. It is, of course, a whirlwind metropolis, but mixed in are pockets of peace, gardens, and parks everywhere. I'm from a smaller city in Oregon, so of course I am awestruck by the spectacle of the skyscrapers, but sometimes I just missed me a tree, you know? And luckily Shanghai was perfect for that, truly the best of both worlds. So I made it a point to visit a new park every Wednesday morning.

I would go alone, walk around the peacefulness, and maybe hit up a new restaurant afterwards. And Shanghai being so big, I was able to see a new park or garden basically every week for three months and I still hadn't covered all of them. I am so glad I overcame my own dumb reservations and went out and explored. Those solo adventures were amazing, and I found some hidden gems, some of my favorite places in Shanghai that I never would have discovered otherwise. Furthermore, my independence and confidence skyrocketed, which I know will prove important in my future, no matter where it leads.

What type of accommodation did you have? What did you like best about it? 

While in Shanghai I was in an international dormitory on the campus. I had one female roommate who was in the CAPA program as well. I was on an all-girls floor and the other CAPA girls were all on the same floor. The men were in a different area of the dorm but were in rooms in the same hallway of their men's floor. There were communal bathrooms on each floor with showers. The showers were each separate cubicles with locking doors. The bathroom areas were cleaned regularly.

I personally liked the dorm building we were housed in. The dorm was next to the dining hall which made quick meal trips very convenient. The dorm was at most a ten-minute walk from any classroom we needed to go to which was also nice. There was laundry present within the dorm building which I really liked since it was so convenient. 

What is one thing every future participant should know about your program before their program begins? 

If you choose to do an internship with CAPA during the semester, know that they will not start until around a month into your program, or at least this is what happened during my program. This is because there was an interview process and then it took some time to transfer to a work visa. I was totally fine with this because I had an incredible internship experience nonetheless; however, I wish I had known about this because I would have planned larger-scale trips at the beginning of the semester had I known I would have more free time.

When you first get to Shanghai, you might be tempted to just stay in Shanghai. I mean, there's so much to do in this big city, but this is when you will have the most flexible schedule because your internship hasn't started. So if you're planning to take a trip to a different Chinese town via train I would do it towards the beginning of the trip. Who knows how busy you'll be later. 

Would you recommend CAPA The Global Education Network to others? Why? 

CAPA is an attractive program to study abroad with, as it provides planned excursions, but also gives you an incredible amount of independence otherwise. If members are not comfortable being independent just yet, CAPA can provide suggestions of what to do on weekends, and can set them up with students from the host university to accompany them on excursions or errands! 

CAPA allows its members to be as independent as they want to be, and this adaptability really allowed me to make the most of my study abroad. It was comforting for me to know I had a resource that could help me, but also had the freedom to choose for myself what I wanted to do. Study abroad is all about stepping out of your comfort zone, but it is important to not stretch too far, to be scared rather than compelled. You absorb the most when you are uninhibited by your own reservations.

CAPA is also a great opportunity because it offers internships for credit. Internships are an amazing way to get real-world experience that will help you both with soft and hard skills. Not only can you put that internship on your resume, but that internship also offers an incredible opportunity to view the culture of your host country through a different lens. I know I learned a lot about China through interacting with my co-workers and that was really rewarding for me because I went abroad one, for language acquisition and two, to learn about the Chinese culture. I was really able to do this at my internship.

I learned things I never would have otherwise learned about Chinese culture had I not had the opportunity to work at a Chinese company. Not a lot of other study abroad programs offer internships, so I think this really sets CAPA apart. 

What do you feel the biggest benefit of traveling abroad is? 

Boy, I basically see no drawbacks from study abroad! You will benefit in all aspects of life, both in places you expected to and completely unexpected ways as well. I would say the biggest benefit I gained through traveling abroad were transferable soft skills. All the time I see students hesitant to study abroad because it is unrelated to their major. “Oh, I’m not a global health major, I’m not sure if study abroad is right for me.” But no matter your major, I think study abroad is wildly beneficial to your future career (as well as just personal growth in general, outside of employment). Through study abroad, you will gain communication skills, independence, and adaptability to name a few. These are important skills to have no matter what job you go into, because you will always need to communicate ideas and adapt to changing situations. Heck, that’s all life is made up of. 

Now that you're home, how has your time abroad impacted your life? 

Now that I’m back I really understand why the stereotype of people who have studied abroad is that they always talk about their time in their foreign country. I am that girl. I shoehorn my time in China into any conversation I can. But of course, there is a reason for that. I learned so much during my semester abroad. So much about how I view the world around me and how I view myself as a part of that world. My Chinese excursions are relevant because it is not just a school experience, but a life experience that I had. I am more confident in myself, and now strive to live outside of the comforts of familiarity. Plus, the friendships I made abroad are immeasurably amazing. 

What does meaningful travel mean to you? 

Meaningful travel is exploration with an open mind. Be open to unexpected adventures, new experiences, different points of view. If you cannot look around to see the beauty of the different landscapes, your walk through life will be a dull one for sure. Live a little. Keep your heart open, and the rest will come.