After getting your Masters from Boston College, what inspired you to join The Beijing Center (TBC)?
After I graduated with my Masters in Higher Education Administration, I had three main goals for my next step: 1) Adventure/A Challenge – continue to learn and grow as a person & as a professional, 2) An opportunity to work with college students in an international context, and 3) To work at a higher educational institution that lived out the Jesuit mission. TBC met these criteria and so much more. I initially learned about TBC through the Jesuit network, and I saw that TBC looked like an incredible program. I think what captured my attention when looking at TBC was seeing how intentional the program was with not just teaching students about Chinese culture but actually helping students to become immersed in the culture. Because I am not easily convinced with just seeing photos and videos on a website, I phoned a friend who I had gone to undergrad with and who was also an alum of TBC. Hearing him positively speak about the program and to hear the excitement in his voice made it clear to me that TBC was a special place. TBC sounded like a transformative experience that was challenging and enriching, and this reminded me of my own experiences abroad and what I enjoyed most about learning new cultures. The possibility of being able to walk with students during one of the most transformative experiences during their college career definitely sounded like a dream…and my journey at TBC has been just that!
Commemorating after a successful weekend retreat with TBC students
What motivated you to want to work abroad?
I think this question pairs well with the question, “where did I want to go abroad?” and the answer to this question was: Anywhere I had never been before! I am always seeking my next challenge, and moving to a place where I did not know the language or a deep knowledge of the culture was exciting and motivating to me. I think that placing myself in these new locations also gives me the opportunity to have a deeper understanding of our shared humanity – to further see how we are all interconnected in this global community. For myself, it has also been a goal of mine to not just work abroad but to work in a context where I could help students better process their experiences in another country. There is an immense amount of transformative learning that can happen abroad for a college student, and this can be overwhelming and a lot to take in. For these students, my hope was to not “have all the answers” for them (there is a lot I do not know!), but my hope was to be a conversation partner and a positive, compassionate presence for them during their time abroad.
Can you elaborate on your experience in international higher education?
During my time at Boston College as an undergrad, I had the great privilege and opportunity to travel to countries throughout Central America and the Caribbean (Guatemala, El Salvador, Haiti). Each of these travels were educational immersion experiences where the purpose was to listen, learn, and encounter the lives of those who live in poverty and who are marginalized in these countries. My first experience as a participant on a trip to Guatemala completely rocked my world. My journey in Guatemala had unearthed a renewed concept of looking at my college education as a way to serve the world and as a way to give back to society. These experiences also got me to understand the importance of being uncomfortable, and not through just adjusting to a new culture but by wrestling with the big questions of injustices that exist in other countries, and how these injustices intertwine with my life, actions, and decisions. Ultimately, my international immersion experiences have inspired me to continually encounter the lives of others and to live out a “faith that does justice.”
How do you use your international experiences to relate to international students that you work with?
A goal behind the work that I do is to get students to think about their time abroad to mean more than just as an experience, and instead get them to thoughtfully integrate their time abroad into their daily lives and hopefully into their future professions, goals, and aspirations
Wearing a traditional Uyghur hat during a visit to Xinjiang
What does a typical day at work look like for you?
There is no such thing as a typical day in my work, which is one of the reasons why I love my job! A lot of the day-to-day varies depending on the time in the semester. In the beginning, I am coordinating student’s arrival to Beijing and overseeing orientation. During the semester, I am planning weekend cultural activities such as visits to historic sites like the Summer Palace or Temple of Heaven, or more hands-on experiences like a Traditional Chinese Tea Ceremony or a day of service with the Migrant Children Foundation. My job is to also help students with their adjustment to Beijing, and this looks different for every student. Whether it’s helping a student navigate the city of Beijing, or listening to stories about their day, and what they learned and what they plan to do next in China. Students come through my office to talk about everything under the sun – the good and the bad, and my door is always open for them.
Why do you think early international experience is valuable in the world today?
It is so crucial for students to get outside their “bubble” and to experience the world outside of their comfort zone. While I think there are ways to have transformative learning experiences on a local scale, placing yourself in another country gives you a completely fresh perspective on life, community, and culture. Being challenged abroad can lead to a plethora of skills that can relate to anyone’s future profession. The ability to adapt, global awareness, problem solving & quick thinking, language skill – the list goes on! Early international experience will better prepare you to be a global citizen and be able to engage with world rather than learn about it.
From my own journey abroad, my first experience in another country was to Honduras. I traveled with my Aunt, a doctor, who led a medical mission trip to provide care to families living in the mountains of Valle de Angeles. I will always remember being deeply moved and impacted by the people we encountered, the stories we heard, and the thrill of gazing upon endless green mountains in the Central American rainforest. Being in Honduras opened my eyes and inspired me to continue to discover, engage with the world, and this initial experience inspired my other travels abroad and provided a backbone behind why I travel.
Group selfie after hiking the mountain in Xia’he
How have your previous jobs prepared you for the position you are currently in?
Prior to TBC, I worked in residential life at Boston College where I was placed in a residence hall of 550 first year students and a building of 800 second year students. My task was to care, support, and build community amongst all of the students in my building. Ultimately, I wanted my community to feel like “home” for my students, and connects to a lot with what I do here in Beijing. When you study abroad, you are naturally away from your home and your support system. I help to fill this role for students while they are in China by making myself accessible, approachable, maintaining positive energy.
In addition to my work in residence life, I also worked as a program coordinator for a course at Boston College on Global Citizenship where I designed a short-term immersion experience to Haiti and the Dominican Republic for a class of twenty graduate students and three faculty. This experience gave me the skills to be able to manage groups abroad and to also quickly problem solve during more difficult moments. It was a joy to be able to walk with students and to have deeper conversations around issues of injustice, discrimination, and oppression. This relates directly to my work with students on TBC’s academic excursions to Yunnan and the Silk Road where I help students to process and make meaning out of their experiences engaging with China.
Posing with the camels after watching the sunset over the sand dunes
What is your best piece of advice for students interested in studying abroad in Beijing?
My advice to students as they think about journeying abroad to Beijing is to come to China with an open mind, and to enter the country saying, “I have a lot to learn, and I’m ready to listen and engage.” China is beautiful, mysterious, and inspiring. Being attentive and present to your experience in Beijing will allow you to make the most of your time in Beijing and to allow the experience to transform your life. Come with courage to get uncomfortable, to listen, to receive, to fall in love, to encounter, and the courage to make a friend.
What do you love most about your job?
The TBC excursions! I love the excursions because it gives me the opportunity to really get to know students. The excursion gives me a lot of time just to learn and laugh along with students, and to hear their life journeys thus far, to learn what they are passionate about, and what they hope to do in the future. Talking with students whether it’s on a bus ride to our next destination or laying on the sand dunes looking up at the stars on the Silk Road, these trips provide unique ways to have meaningful conversations.
Other than exploring Beijing, if you could travel anywhere in the world, domestic or international, where would it be? Why?
If I could travel anywhere in the world right now, I would travel to Spain so I could walk the El Camino de Santiago! It has always been a dream of mine to travel along this famous route as a way to give myself time for reflection and discernment, and to slow down and take a step away from the fast-paced world. The walk takes approximately thirty days – a challenge that I would love to meet one day!
