Back from China Trip, Students Talk Up East-West Links

More than 60 students and faculty from Brooklyn College, CUNY and private colleges visited China this summer with the Study Abroad in China program—the largest group since the program started in 2003. By all accounts, participants were awestruck by what they saw and learned during the month long trip that took them to six cities across the Asian nation.

"Many things are remarkably efficient in today’s China," says Ebony Turner, a sophomore in the Speech and Language Pathology program, who adds that she was particularly impressed with the train system. "The trip helped me realize how much more receptive to learning about another culture I am."

While nearly half the students were from Brooklyn College, this year’s delegation included students from Columbia and Rutgers universities as well as from other CUNY schools.

"It’s very important that students can experience the history, language and culture of a place on-site and in real-life situations," states Professor of Speech Communication Arts and Sciences Shuming Lu, founder and director of the study-abroad program in China.

Worth nine academic credits, the program offers six optional courses taught by Brooklyn College faculty, including history (Silk Road and revolutionary China), intercultural communication, business and professional communication, and elementary and intermediate Chinese. 

"I took Chinese for Beginners, and, considering that it is a tonal language with at least four inflections, Professor Lu did a great job," says sophomore Nina Lukina. According to Nina, China’s growth is so impressive that they could actually see it expanding right before their eyes.

"As a business management and finance major, I know the American and Chinese economies have become interdependent," explains Tyenne Sillekens, a senior who celebrated her birthday during the trip. In her final report about the development of the Silk Road, she posited that the famed trade route connecting East and West for about 4,000 years was the earliest form of globalization.

"The trip was worth more than what you pay for it," Tyenne emphasizes, adding that she had to reach out to the College’s loan department to afford the trip.

At under $3,000 for basic expenses, including airfare and stay, the trip is reasonably priced for students who want to see up close the advances taking place in what some consider the economic engine of the 21st century. But while some students like Tyenne applied for, and obtained, loans or fellowships to help them with tuition and expenses, others had to pay out of their own pocket.

"I had to use my savings," says Marko Macanovak, a transfer student from Macedonia who is majoring in business management and finance. "My bank account is now empty, but you’ll get nary a complaint from me," he says.

 "Students did excellent work during the program, including class discussions, presentations and papers," reports Lu, proud that the twice-a-year program continues to bring East and West together.