“Hearing her say her own experience through her own words is pretty enlightening.”

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Transcript for Point A to Point B

A couple of years ago, we had—my class and I had a homework assignment of being able to interview an exchange student.  It forced many of us, I suppose, and that are not really accustomed to speaking to exchange students because there’s like, this, ‘Oh my goodness you’re coming from a different country.’  There’s always this… It’s besides the language barrier, it’s also the culture.  I mean, they’re coming from a different country and they’re probably feeling a bit shy, and then you have that coming in too, and so, it’s mutual shyness, I guess.

I picked this graduate student from China, and my interview was really interesting because I would ask her, ‘Ok, well, what brought you to Valpo?  What’s your education experience here compared to the education experience in China?’  And then she would just tell me her stories of her going through school and how it was pretty rough having to go from high school to college.  Everyone has to take this exam and so forth, and the ones with the highest grades are the ones that are able to attend.  And since there’s so many people that want to, it’s like — it’s like, one-in-a-million chance sort of thing.  And it’s a lot different from your experience if you were to be here in the U.S.

Most of the time when you’re graduating from high school, you’re looking at many colleges, and you’re the one that picks, and you have this possibility, this opportunity of choosing the one that you like for whatever reason.  And you have a pretty good chance of entering it.  And having the money to be able to be educated in it.  And just hearing her say her own experience through her own words is pretty enlightening for someone like me that has never been to China, for example.

I find it more or less an enriching experience.  But I mean, you’re making connections to be able to make your — you’re growing yourself.  You’re getting from Point A to Point B in your personal growth.