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Alumni Focus: How Did Chinese Impact Your Life and Worldview?

Editorial Staff
We asked six alumni to tell us how studying Chinese at Ensworth opened up their worldview or led to further study.

Erica Gray '12

INSERT
“Studying Chinese has given me opportunities to develop and nurture an adventurous spirit and has allowed me to learn from others in a more understanding, open, and compassionate way.”

“My class was the very first to be offered Chinese at Ensworth (7th grade in 2006!). After that, I took Chinese every year until I graduated. In college, I took Chinese every semester (I majored in East Asian Studies with a concentration in Chinese), and spent my summers interning in Shanghai. After I graduated, I moved to China where I did some work in education consulting before switching to working for a stem cell research company. After three years there, I moved back to the U.S. to start law school at Notre Dame.”


Sara Pickrell ’20

INSERT “By studying another country, especially one whose recent (and historic) relations with the United States have been relatively fraught with tension, from the perspective of the other country, I have learned to recognize biases growing up in the United States has given me, and evaluate both China and the US from a more neutral standpoint. Additionally, language and culture are intertwined and by learning Mandarin, I am better able to understand the history and culture of China. This further enables me to look at other countries, the world, and the United States from a more all-encompassing and compassionate view.”


William Seitz ’19

INSERT “Studying Chinese at Ensworth opened me up to a whole new world of educational and professional opportunities. I now go to Duke Kunshan University, so studying Chinese affected my education and educational choices quite a bit.”


Camille Bryan ’16

INSERT “Studying Chinese definitely gave me a more comparative view of international relations and inspired me to work in US-China economic and trade relations!”


Serena Howard ’19

INSERT “Studying Chinese broadened my view on other societies and cultures, which I am forever thankful for.”


Chloe Rollins ’21

INSERT “I so enjoyed studying Chinese at Ensworth that I decided to minor in it in college! I visited China with my family my freshman year of high school, which only furthered my desire to study Chinese.” “Studying Chinese has given me a window into an entirely different culture, making the world seem just a little bit smaller. I have also had so many joyful moments studying Chinese, whether it was learning to recite Chinese poetry, incorporating Chinese into my conversations with friends, or writing my own version of Chinese legends. When I got to college, I realized how few people have the opportunity to study Chinese in high school, and I am so grateful that Ensworth gave me that chance.”
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