AIC Education Alumni Newsletter 8th Edition by AIC Education

AIC Newsletter 8th Edition

Table of Contents Featured Story

Staff Editor in Chief Kam Yan Editors Maggie Huang 黄山 Christopher Zou 邹其翰 Yun Huang 黄云 Leah House

1 “Chasing a Singing Dream” - Claire Wang

Admission News 6 Calling for Big Hearts, Sincere Voice - Maggie Huang

Summer Activities 9 Language and Culture Immersion in Berlin - Lynda Yang 12 Summer with the Supply in Kenya - Elaine Wang 17 Teachers’ Profiles Ryan Clapp (Chengdu): Tufts University Natalie Cote Munoz (Beijing): Swarthmore College Kevin Kwok (Xi’an): University of Chicago

21 AIC College Tour February 2014

Graphic Designer Effy Jiang 蒋子祺 Contributors Claire Wang 汪思佚 Lynda Yang 杨粤祺 Elaine Wen 闻雯

Featured Story

Chasing a Singing Dream 音乐追梦人 Claire Wang, Boston University 2015 汪思佚, 波士顿大学 2015 1

ailing from Shenzhen, China, I started my journey of “American Dream” back in 2008 when I enrolled in Wayland Academy in Wisconsin as a high school sophomore. Three years of boarding school were rewarding: learning about American culture through eating turkey with my American family on Thanksgiving; mastering tennis, swimming, and track; playing Nocturne Chopin on the Steinway in our decent-sized chapel; and hosting biweekly meetings of the International Club that I started with my best friend. These valuable experiences have made me a more competitive, knowledgeable, and well-rounded person.

Despite the pressure of rankings and reviews, I chose Boston University because I wanted to try something different. In contrast to my high school environment, BU on the East Coast offered a faster lifestyle, a large community located at the center of the city with various curricula and opportunities, and most importantly, a communication school with a very prestigious national reputation. I chose to major in communications and focus on public relations because this is an internationally budding industry, especially in China. Moreover, I like meeting and talking with people. This field requires creativity, multi-tasking skills, and strong writing and organizational abilities, all of which I am striving to build. Music has been an integral part of my childhood. I learned to sing and play piano when I was three and started singing professionally when I was 18. I have a production company which I cooperate with. In January 2013, I released my first album.

作为一个土生土长的深圳人，我的美国梦始于2008年。那一年，读高二的我被威斯康辛州的韦兰中学录取。三年的寄宿生活好处多多：感恩节时和美国寄宿家庭吃火鸡了解美国文化；学会了网球、游泳和跑步；在我们别致的教堂里弹奏肖邦的夜曲；每两周举办一次由我和我最好的朋友共同发起的国际俱乐部会议。这些可贵的经历将我塑造成了一个更加全面,更富有竞争力的人。尽管顶着成绩排名和高强度复习的压力，我选择了波士顿大学，因为我想要尝试不同的事物。相比于高中时期的校园环境，位于东海岸的波士顿大学生活节奏更快,拥有一个更大的社区，里面课程种类繁多，机会也多，最重要的是，它还有一个享誉盛名的传播学院。我选择主修传播专业和公共关系是因为这两个专业在国际上,特别是在中国，属于新兴产业,而且我喜欢与人打交道。这个领域要求创新、应变能力、专业过硬的写作能力和组织能力，这些都是我要努力培养的。音乐在我的童年生活中扮演了很重要的角色。我三岁时就开始学习唱歌、弹钢琴，18岁时就开始专业演唱了。我和一家制作公司有合作。2013年1月，我发布了自己的第一张专辑。

• As one of the best communications program in the US, in what ways is the program offering you the courses, skills and network to help foster your interest and build a future career? First of all, the communication program focuses on writing skills. We have to take at least three different writing classes before diving deeper into each professional field. This enhances my ability to write and helps me strengthen my foundation. Rich in resources and equipment, the school allows us to have hands-on experience in the field. Other opportunities help us to learn about the real -world experience: successful alumni to share their stories, job interview workshops, and many on-campus recruitments. Most importantly, the courses are highly relevant to the real world and assignments are very practical. • You began your professional singing career in 2011. What was it like to release your first album? It was one of the most unforgettable moments in my life. It took my team and me more than a year to make it happen. It’s quite hard because I am not doing it full-time in China, so we have to work very closely even when I am back in the U.S. During my release, many journalists were in attendance. With all my heart, effort, and dedication, my dream came true. I felt rewarded and grateful. Along the way, so many people lent their hands and helped me to achieve what I have today.

However, that is not the panorama of my life. Through this process, I’ve experienced the good and bad. Immediately after the performance in Guizhou, I departed with my assistant for the four-hour train ride to the Yesanpo Outdoors Music Festival. I was crammed into a train where I was no longer the celebrated one on a pedestal. Something had gone wrong with the ticket reservation, so I was stuck with a standing ticket for the four-hour journey. I had to go through a lot and no one tended to me. I wanted to lean over, but there was no wall. I wanted to bend my knees and stretch my legs, but the train was too tightly packed for me to move. I wanted to go to the bathroom, but I would have had to push through too many people to get there. This wasn’t the life I expected, but these experiences are what I find essential because they push me to grow even more. My experiences shed light on various aspects of a famed lifestyle that contradict how the media portrays most celebrities. • Were your parents supportive of your pursuit in becoming a singer? Yes. I would say that my parents are not as traditional, and they are open-minded. They listen to my opinion and support what I love to do. When the fortune knocked on my door, I thought I should seize the opportunity, aiming to have fun instead of going after fame or money. This way, my parents and I see interest as a great chance for me to learn and grow.

“ Always follow your heart and believe in yourself.”

• What lessons/skills did you learn that can be applied to life in general? This past summer, I have been flying all over, from fastpaced Beijing, where my production team and record company is located, to the rural farmlands of China to promote my upcoming album with the few singles that have been released. In Guizhou province, I performed in a politically related concert that applauded people who quit using drugs. Since I was cordially invited to this formal event and was the youngest performer there, I was treated like a princess. The staff members’ jobs were basically to make me feel comfortable and tend to my needs, and that was exactly what they did. I was living the luxurious superstar lifestyle, wearing fabulous clothing and having first-class service at the snap of my fingers.

• Why are you involved in the arts, despite the cultural expectation for Chinese students to do something “stable”? How is it valuable to you? I’ve always been seeking something different and unordinary. My decisions in life have never been following the flow or looking for a stable experience. I want to explore, to experience, and to understand differences in culture, language, art, astronomy, history, etc. At age of fifteen, I sailed off to the States to attend Wayland Academy when I was in the best class in Shenzhen Senior High school, and my piano and voice mentors were elites in their fields. People say I missed out on a very good, stable life in China when I went to the U.S. But ,with my parents’ support, I decided to explore the new world. This may sound a bit over-used, but I do what I love and truly follow my heart. • What are your future goals? How has majoring in commu-

--作为美国最好的传播项目之一，这个项目通过什么样的方式给你提供了课程、技巧和网络来培养你的兴趣并帮助你建立自己的职业规划？首先传播学侧重写作技巧。我们在深入专业领域前至少要上三种不同的写作课。这些课程提高了我的写作能力，而且帮我巩固了基础。学校资源丰富，设施齐全，允许我们在这个领域内有实地经验。一些其他的机会，比如，成功的校友们会分享他们的故事、求职面试研讨会，以及很多校内招聘会会帮助我们增加社会经验。最重要的是，所学课程与现实世界密切相关，而且作业的实践性很强。 --你在2011年开始了你的职业歌唱生涯。发表第一张专辑你有什么感想？那是我人生中最难忘的时刻之一。我和我的团队花了一年多的时间来准备这张专辑。因为我在中国的时间不多，所以准备起来很困难，而且我在回到美国后，我和我的团队都必须密切合作。在专辑发行过程中，很多记者都出席了。我费尽心力过后，终于实现了我的梦想。我心怀感激而且觉得这一切都很值得。这一路上，如果没有很多人的帮助，我不可能有今天。

这点，我父母和我的想法一致，我们都将兴趣视为学习与成长的一个很好的机会。 --中国的学生都倾向于寻求“稳定”，你为什么会选择艺术呢？它对你来说有什么特别的意义？我总是在寻求不同寻常的东西。在生活中，我从不跟随大流或者渴望稳定的经历。我想要探险、经历并了解文化、语言、艺术、天文学及历史等的不同。我十五岁的时候，在深圳高中最好的班级读书，教我钢琴和声乐老师都是行业内的精英，当时我还是选择了前往美国韦兰学院就读。很多人都说，我去美国意味着在中国失去了一个过上稳定且优质的生活的机会。但是，在我父母的支持下，我决定探险新的世界。这话听起来可能有点过，但是我只做我喜欢做的事情而且跟着感觉走。 --你未来的目标是什么？主修通信并且选择艺术生涯将会是你未来的目标吗？或者说这两者对你未来的目标有帮助吗？

--你所熟悉的课程或者技巧中，什么能应用到生活中？这个夏天，我一直都坐飞机飞来飞去，从快节奏的北京（我的制作团队和唱片公司所在地），到中国的农村地区来宣传已发布的只有几首单曲的专辑。在贵州省，我参加了一场政治性的演出，以此鼓励那些戒毒者。因为我是那儿最年轻的表演者，而且主办方盛情邀请我参加这个正式活动，所以我享受到了极好的待遇。工作人员的工作基本上就是照顾好我，而且他们的确照顾的很周到。我那时候就被视若珍宝，穿着华丽，而且享受一级待遇和服务。然而，这并不是我生活中的一个小缩影。这次经历中，我也遭遇了糟糕的事。贵州的演出一结束，我就和我助理开始四个小时的火车旅程，前往野山坡户外音乐节。我是被挤进火车的，在火车里我不再是受人崇拜的明星。订票的时候出了一点小状况，所以这四个小时的行程我只能站在火车里。我必须承受很多事情，而且没有人照顾我。我想在火车上靠一会儿，但没有墙。我想弯一下膝盖舒展一下腿，但是火车人潮拥挤，根本没有移动的空间。我想去洗手间，但是我必须穿过拥挤的人群才可以。这不是我想要的生活，但是这些经历确实很重要，因为他们能让我成长。我的经历更清晰地说明了一个问题：一个名人生活的不同侧面并不完全是与媒体所曝光的大多数名人的生活方式一致。 --你父母支持你对音乐的热爱吗？是的。我父母不像其他父母那样传统，他们很开明。他们倾听我的观点并支持我的喜好。当幸运来敲门时，我会抓住机会，秉承快乐第一的理念，而不是追逐名利。

nications and your artistic career will it factor into or help your future? During my singing career, I have met many professionals in the entertainment industry. As for my public relations major, I want to focus on entertainment and fashion public relations (PR). Hence, on a practical level, my singing career and my public relations major supplement each other. Meanwhile, I also believe that the experience I have gained in both fields and my skills have shaped me into who I am today. All of these will better prepare me for the opportunities in the future. As the old proverb says, “Opportunities awaits the ready.” • What advice do you have for Chinese youth who do not know themselves or feel like they have to hide a bit of themselves--such as their inner artist--from society and discouraging family/friends?

在歌唱生涯中，我在娱乐圈见过很多专业人士。至于公关专业，我想侧重于娱乐和时尚公关。也就是说，我的歌唱生涯和公关专业其实是相辅相成的。同时，我也相信正是我在各自领域里获得的经验和技巧才塑造了今天的我。所有的这些都会更好地让我为未来的机会做好准备。常言道：“机会都是留给有准备的人。” --在中国，有些年轻人容易迷失自己或者不愿意将自己的想法与亲朋好友分享，觉得他们总是不理解自己。对于这些人，你有什么建议呢？努力寻找与家庭的平衡点。将自己的想法说出来，与父母多沟通。如果跟他们交流无效，就直接用行动表示。我非常庆幸我的父母非常开明，而且愿意接受我想做的一切，尽管一开始他们很难接受。起初，我父亲不赞同我选择公关作为我的专业。但是，通过计划我的高中毕业旅行，我向他们展现了我热爱并擅长规划事情的优势。我父母发现半个月的旅途非常开心。除此之外，我同样完成了很多需要提前规划的暑期实习。我不仅证明了自己在这方面的能力，而且展现了我对公关的浓厚兴趣。 “跟着自己的感觉走，相信自己。”

Try to find the balance between you and your family. Always talk it out and communicate with your parents. If talking to them doesn’t work, show them through your actions. I have to say that my parents are very open-minded and are willing to accept what I want to do even though it was very difficult for them in the beginning. At first, my dad disapproved of me majoring in PR. But, through planning my high school graduation trip, I showed them that I love event planning and am pretty good at it. My parents found the half-month trip pleasant. Besides this, I also completed many summer internships that required event planning. I demonstrated not only my ability to excel in this field but also my strong interest in PR.

Calling for Big Hearts, Sincere Voices: An Amherst Ode to Applicants 阿姆赫斯特学院：期待真诚、具有宽大胸怀的你

Interview with Caitlin Brome, Assistant Dean of Admission at Amherst College Interview by Maggie Huang, Amherst College

met some of the most interesting people in college: one of my best friends from college is a blonde, blue-eyed ex-Jehovah’s Witness who became independent at the age of 18; my freshman year roommate was a Chinese American from Guam with a passion for veterinary medicine and over-sized sweatshirts; in my senior year, I became close friends with an international student from Korea who majored in studio art and held Bible studies on Fridays.

The reason I have had the opportunity to meet such memorable individuals is that we strive to be inclusive. Gaining admission into Amherst is deceptively simple and subtly complicated: like most other schools, the College looks for students with incredible intellectual appetite and academic viability as well as engagement with and passion for contributing to one’s community. However, what sets my alma mater apart is that it seeks, above all, students with big hearts and sincere voices. It is the place for young adults who are willing to fall into the process of becoming themselves. I recently interviewed with Caitlin Brome, Assistant Dean of Admissions at the College, to talk about how students are selected. In particular, we discussed the criteria for admission, the “typical” Amherst student, and the challenges facing Chinese applicants.

What is Amherst looking for in its applicants? Part of what makes selective admissions in the U.S. so difficult is that we are not looking for one particular thing. We’re looking for whatever rises to the top of a particular applicant. The u.s. has an individualistic culture. We are looking for that individualism. So, we are asking students to be very introspective and take a self-inventory. But, overall, we are looking for students with intellectual promise and who have challenged themselves. The ones who are the most successful are the ones who take initiative and break the mold. Because the American classroom is more interactive, we are looking for students who can thrive in a liberal arts settings, who are looking to make connections. What defines an Amherst student? Students are engaged. The baseline is that they are all intelligent. They all have really interesting interests. We are not necessarily looking for perfection; we’re looking for potential. Not everyone has tapped into all their interests, but they are open-minded. In the classroom, students are excited to learn, not just from listening to a professor or reading a book but from different sources—going to a lecture, realizing, “oh, I can learn from my next door neighbor,” and that might affect their trajectory just as much as the classes they choose. We have 250-350 kids apply who have Chinese citizenship.

我在大学期间遇到过很多有趣的人：我最好的一个朋友是一个金发碧眼的美女，前耶和华见证人教会的一员，并且在18岁独立；我大一的室友是一个来自关岛的美籍华人，对兽医学特别狂热而且偏爱大码的长袖运动衫；大四的时候，我有一个闺蜜：一个来自韩国的留学生，主修美术并且每周五研究圣经。我之所以能认识这么多让我记忆深刻的人是因为我们相互包容。被阿姆赫斯特所垂青看似简单，却又复杂：和大多数其他学校一样，这所大学寻找的是智力过人、学术能力强并且有志于贡献社会的学生。然而，它与我母校不同的是，它寻找的是胸怀博大，坦诚真挚的学生。对于那些享受做自己的学生来说，这所学校是他们的圣地。最近我采访了阿姆赫斯特学院招生办公室的副主任Caitlin Brome,主要讨论阿姆赫斯特学院是如何选拔学生的。值得一提的是，我们讨论了录取的标准，“具有一定特点的”阿姆赫斯特学生以及中国申请者面临的挑战。

Hopes for what Chinese students will contribute: Int’l students: the reason I love my job is that it contributes so much to the global climate on campus. We are able to offer an Amherst education to smart, talented students around the world. It’s important to have an int’l voice on campus. In social life, its important to encourage students to interact with students who are different. It can really encourage study abroad, encourage students to take an internship abroad, eventually a job abroad. Conversations might make travel a little less intimidating. The Chinese students are so hand-picked that we have been able to pick really dynamic individuals. But “dynamic” doesn’t have to mean extroverted, but we will want students who will be involved and be excited about their work.

阿默斯特学院对申请者有什么要求？阿默斯特学院之所以在美国的申请难度如此之大，很大程度上是因为我们没有统一的衡量标准。我们会考虑申请者们所有的最突出的特质。美国尊崇个人主义文化。我们寻找的是个人主义。所以，我们要求学生能够自我反省和自我发现。但是，总体上我们要求学生智力过人，而且能够挑战自我。最成功的人往往很主动，而且敢于打破常规。由于美国的课堂交流性很强，所以我们寻找的是能够快速融入人文学科环境，并且茁壮成长的学生。阿默斯特的学生有何特点？学生做事情都很投入。最基本的特点就是他们都很聪明。他们有自己真正的兴趣爱好。我们不要求你完美无缺，而是希望你有巨大的潜力。并不是每一个学生都能挖掘出自己的兴趣，不过他们思想豁达，比较乐观。课堂上的学生们乐于学习，他们不仅仅是纯粹地听教授讲课或者阅读书本，而是通过不同的渠道学习：参加讲座，或者意识到自己甚至能从同学邻居身上学到东西。这种想法可能跟他们的选课一下会影响他们的人生轨迹。已经有 250-350个中国学生申请了阿默斯特学院。希望中国学生能做出怎样的贡献：留学生：我之所以喜欢我的工作是因为这份工作大大有助于增强校园内的国际化氛围。我们能给世界各地天资聪颖的学生提供在阿默斯特学院学习的机会。不同国家的声音在校园里也很重要。在社会生活中，我们鼓励学生与来自不同文化背景的学生交流，这样能促进学生出国留学，鼓励学生在国外实习并最终在国外找到工作。另外，多与人交谈能使人变得自信善谈。中国的学生大都出类拔萃，所以我们能很快地挑选出真正有活力的人。但是活力并不是指性格外向，而是指学生能够很快地融入集体并且享受他们的生活。

Language and Cultural Immersion

in Berlin Lynda Yang 杨粤祺 University of Pennsylvania - Wharton 2016

hen it comes to studying a second foreign language, there are many that I tempted to choose. My dream life is to travel around the world and talk to local people, and speaking their languages is perhaps the most effective way to gain trust and establish relationships. I chose German because I wish to read authentic German news, poetry and anthropology text. And, as a business major, Germany is also a place where I can imagine myself living in and working at for a longer period of time in future. For me, learning a new language is both a refreshing and arduous experience. I can never write a biography of my father in only 100 words – either in Mandarin or English, but in my

first week in Berlin, I easily wrote one in German, since there wasn’t much vocabulary I knew anyway. This piece of work, however, taught me to use the simplest language to convey complicated ideas and emotions. Learning languages also requires long-term dedication. My motivation for going to a summer program in Germany in summer of freshman year, besides enjoying dark beer along Spree River with friends and not having to worrying about internships yet, is to figure out how much I love the language and the culture, so that I can keep learning the language with full determination. I did one semester of German study at Penn before coming to Berlin. My professor at Penn recommended the FUBIS program at Free University in Berlin to me. In fact, she is one of the designers of the summer language program, so the program adopts an

American style of teaching, meaning small class size, step-by-step evaluations, and frequent assignments and feedbacks. The program is not a Penn-affiliated one, but the German department at Penn accepts its credits. Usually, study-abroad programs organized by your home school in the U.S are more expensive. So, keep your eyes open on other non-affiliated programs, but always make sure that you will be able to transfer back the credit to your home school before you take off. The program did improve my German a lot. We also had weekly excursions in Berlin, where we needed to complete a scavenger hunt in German. After my first week, I could carry on daily conversation with my host family. Later when I travelled, I was also able to introduce myself to German travellers, talk about my journey, and understand their stories.

我在选择一门二外的时候，其实有很多选择。我的梦想是环游世界，然后与当地人交流，说当地的语言可能是获取他们信任并且建立关系的最好方式。我选择德语是因为我希望自己能读懂真正的德语新闻、诗歌以及人类学的文章。除此之外，作为一个商业专业的学生，我能想象自己在未来很长的一段时间内会在德国居住并生活。对我来说，学习一门新的语言既让人兴奋又让人害怕。我连用200字写一篇关于我父亲的自传都困难重重不论是用中文还是英文。但是，在我词汇有限的条件下，我在柏林的第一个星期却能很轻而易举地用德语写出一篇父亲的传记来。这个经历让我学会用最简单的语言来表达复杂的想法和情感。

学习语言同样需要持之以恒。我选择在大一的那个暑期去德国参加暑期项目，暂时放下对找实习的担忧，和朋友坐在施普耐河河边喝黑啤，目的是为了弄清楚我到底有多爱这门语言和德国的文化，所以我能满怀决心地继续学习这门语言。在来柏林之前，我上过一学期的德语课。我在宾西法利亚大学的一个教授向我推荐了柏林的FUBIS这个项目。实际上，他是这个暑期语言项目的策划人之一，所以这个项目运用了美式教学法，意味着小班教学，逐步评估和大量的作业以及反馈。这个项目有近400多的学生。他们中的很多人都来自美国，但是我也见过少数来自西班牙、意大利、印

度、中国大陆和台湾的学生。除了语言课，这个项目还提供如《德国建筑学》和《国际商务》等课程。我上了一门高强度德语课，它确实让我的德语进步不少。我每个工作日的上午9点到下午的3点去上课，通常上午学习语法，下午练习德语口语。我们在柏林每周也有短途旅行，去那些我们需要用德语完成寻宝游戏的地方。一周以后，我能与我的寄宿家庭进行日常的对话。后来在我旅行的时候，我也能向德国游客自我介绍，谈论我的旅程并听懂他们的故事。在柏林我玩的很开心-至少在那儿待的四个星期里，我喝的啤酒比我一生中喝的还要多！我想或许是那儿的酒精比水要便宜的多的缘故。柏林拥有我在大都市所需要的一切—

I definitely enjoyed my time in Berlin – at least I drank more beer in my four-week in Berlin than in my entire life! But I guess that’s what happens naturally when alcohol can be cheaper than water. Berlin has everything I expect from a metropolis – numerous museums, galleries, night bars, music festivals, flee-markets. etc. But at the same time, it is a safe city with low living-cost. There is no “dangerous neighborhood” that I was advised against to visit, and I had no problem walking back home alone after midnight for several times. After finishing the program, I did a solo trip in northern Europe for ten days. I went to Amsterdam, Copenhagen, and Reykjavik – the capital of Island. I wanted to experience the local neighborhood in these cities as much as possible. So I established two rules for myself – no shopping malls and no museums. The ban on museums is a hard decision – how can one not visit the Van Gogh Museum when one is in Amsterdam? But eventually, I decided to accept the fact that I am not a museum person, and that having a tasty meal and talking to strangers gives me more satisfaction, which became what I did mostly throughout my journey. There are many highlights of my trip: being locked in a bookstore in Amsterdam, researching the Red Light District, helping a Chinese lady to move home in Copenhagen, getting lost and not finding my hostel at late night, contemplating in the spa of Blue Lagoon, and taking a glacier boat trip in Iceland. Indeed, there are moments with dread and trepidation, but all of them are absolutely amazing and exciting. The biggest lesson I learned, as a girl travelling alone, is not to hesitate to chat with strangers. After all, it is always the people that I met on a trip that make the experience unique and unforgettable.

各种各样的图书馆、美术馆、酒吧、音乐节以及跳蚤市场等。同时，这个城市的消费水平低，治安好。柏林没有臭名昭著的不安社区，所以午夜之后我也可以放心地一个人步行回家。这个项目结束以后，我一个人去了北欧游玩了十天。我去了阿姆斯特丹、哥本哈根还有冰岛首都雷克雅维克。我为了尽可能多地了解当地居民，给自己设定了两条规定—不逛街，不去博物馆。不去博物馆的决定对我来说太艰难了，因为在阿姆斯特丹怎么能不去梵高博物馆呢？但最终我还是要面对了一个事实—我不是来逛博物馆的。我应该走进当地人的家里，享用一顿丰盛的美食，然后与新认识的朋友交谈，这些看似不起眼的小事能让我在旅途中特别有成就感。我在旅途中经历过很多有趣的事情，比如，被锁在阿姆斯特丹的书店里、研究红灯区、帮助哥本哈根的一个中国女孩搬家、大晚上迷路然后找不到回酒店的路、在蓝色珊瑚泳池里一边泡温泉一边思考、在冰岛乘坐冰川船。坦白来说，在旅途中，我有时候会感到惶恐和无助，但是这些经历却会让你欲罢不能。我最大的感触就是，一个独自旅行的女孩应该不要害怕与陌生人聊天，因为正是那些我在旅途中所遇到的人给了我不一样的经历，让我难以忘怀。无论你尝试实习、想拍纪录片还是在熊猫动物园里做义工，亦或者是阅读你一直没时间读的书，大一暑假是一个让你尝试你最想做的事情的一个绝佳机会。记得要提早规划好，因为你会发现这三个月的暑假时间流逝地比你想象中的要快得多。

走到你想去的地方 Summer with The Supply in

Kenya Elaine Wen 闻雯 The Hills High School

“N

a-ku-pen-da, sa-na” (“I love you so much”) 是我在肯尼亚学会的第一句斯瓦西里语，也是我在离开时最想对朝夕相伴了两周，教会我这句话的孩子们说的。选择参加The Supply 的 High School Immersion Program 应该是我这个夏天做的最正确的决定，连我自己都没有想到这短暂的经历会带来这么多的惊喜和发现。HSIP项目是由美国一个非政府机构

生，一共三十多人，全部都来自Lenana 贫民窟。学校以 Youtube名人Kev Jumba命名因为Kev Jumba为The Supply 做了一定的网络宣传。作为内罗毕众多贫民窟之一，Lenana 缺乏很多方面的资源，水，固定的居所，卫生的条件。每天上午我们都会驱车半个小时从住的地方来到Lenana跟当地的学生交流，玩耍，以及重中之重做STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) 实验。因为条件不允许，Kev Jumba的学生往往没办法通过动手做实验来加深对物理，化学，以及生物等课程的理解，而我们的小组活动就提供了让学生自我探索和发现的机会，希望他们在这样的实践中获取

The Supply组织的，为期两周，参与人员有来自美国，英国，还有中国的高中生。The Supply的目标是通过教育改变内罗毕市里贫民窟的现状，因此我们的活动主要是在学校里与当地学生交流。

灵感及自信一点一滴地通过科学改变自己的生活环境。在两周的相处中，可以感觉到当地的学生是非常真诚和热情的，他们大多数跟我们一样有着很强的求知欲，认识到了自己国家的问题并有着远大的梦想去改变现状。虽然刚认识的时候大家都非常腼腆羞涩，但是一起踢足球，完成小组项目的经历拉近了彼此间的距离，而我也在其中学会了如何用正确的方式去鼓励并引导他人。

这场美妙的经历源于今年三月Charlene (AIC Teacher in Shenzhen Office)给我看的一个的宣传册,我立马就被宣传册上The Supply的口号 “Education is a call to action” 所吸引，对教育的关注以及对东非大陆的好奇因而促成了这段旅程。而在后续项目的申请，准备，还有跟进上另一位佳桥老师William Wu(AIC Teacher)则给予了很大的帮助。很感谢古怪而率真的William让我和其他5个佳桥的小伙伴们可以在肯尼亚创造这么美好的回忆！在肯尼亚首都内罗毕的两周里，我们大部分时间是在 Lenana 贫民窟的Kev Jumba High School度过的，这是一所 Supply修建的社区高中，今年暑假才刚刚招收了第一批学

The Supply Immersion Program的另外一个亮点是每个人都要完成自己的Capstone Project。我们不光是被动地参与项目安排的STEM活动，也在这过程中主动去探索理解这全新的环境。每个人都可以根据自己感兴趣的方面进行调查采访，比如人权，环境，教育等，并在项目结束以后以任何形式（可以是文章，报告，影片，剪贴画）来总结自己的发现。到了内罗毕的头几天，我们就会在指导下开始头脑风暴自己可能感兴趣的话题。在与当地学生的交流中，我意识到了上学的花费其实对他们每个人的家庭来说都是一个很大的

负担。教育是改变当地贫困和环境最便捷也有效的一条道路，但是很多孩子在小学后没办法继续学业。与此同时，没有任何机构和个人可以提供贷款给学生，这样的现状让我觉得像一个死胡同一般没有出路。在这样的感触和Janet（Staff，一个可爱的MIT姑娘）的帮助下，我选择了 Microfinance in the Slums 作为自己Capstone Project的主题。这两周里，我们团队分成了不同的小组进行了反思和讨论，怎样把这样强烈的触动转化成实际的行动去改变这个社区，这样普遍存在的问题？作为一个高中生，除了募捐和让更多的人知道这样的现状，有什么是我可以做到的？越是认真得思考，产生的困惑就越多，对自我价值的迷茫。所幸的是我身边还有一群跟我同样困惑的小伙伴们和Supply负责而热心的Staff，他们让我在项目结束之前明白了不要一味想着未来可以做出什么惊天动地的改变，而是从身边做起，呵护与当地学生们建立起来的关系，并通过这种关系来带给对方一点点积极的影响。最后，我给大家的小小建议是不要错过任何你觉得感兴趣的东西和去探索实践的机会！如果我在三月份看到宣传册的时候犹豫了或者没敢跨住这一步，就不可能有这么多意想不到的收获。那就以 Supply Staff, Kate 在聊天时跟我说的一句话结尾吧，这也是我此行感触最深的一句话， “Start by doing what you can at where you are with what you have.”

The Supply Presents THE 1 BILLION AND RISING STUDENT CHALLENGE The 1 Billion and Rising Student Challenge is a first-of-its-kind student summit, bringing together the top global HS scholars around the urban slums issue and offering seed-funding to help advance innovative ideas for this pressing global issue. This year’s nine (9) day summit will be in Nairobi, Kenya in July 2014. WHY: 1.5 billion people live in slums today. This number is projected to double by 2050. The urban slums crisis is one of today’s most complex and pressing issues of our society. We believe the time is now for young scholars to tackle the issue first hand and become the next generation of problem solvers. WHAT: The 1 Billion and Rising Student Challenge is an immersive 9-day intensive summer program. Over workshops from thought leaders in the urban slum development/international development space, roundtables with school directors, and visits to The Supply’s partnered communities, participants will discuss the challenges to global development and begin creating project proposals for a chance to win a $10,000 scholarship. LIFETIME NETWORK: Students who participate in the Student Challenge will have exclusive access to a network of peers as well as access to our college and young professional Impact Network, in which one can seek mentorship opportunities. WHO IT’S FOR: A limited number of students (20 AIC students) will be accepted into the 1 Billion and Rising Student Challenge for Summer 2014. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, and as such, early applications receive preference in the selection process.

• Opportunity to win a $10,000 grant • For 20 HS innovators and changemakers

What is Offered • Workshops from the thought leaders in the urban slum/international development space • A lifetime network of peers as well as access to our college and young professional Impact Network • A hands-on core team to guide you in creating a project proposal for our Supply School Network in the Nairobi slums • $10,000* grant for the best project proposal • Collaboration with students from all over the world Details: • • • • •

Program Fees: $5000; flights not included 20 AIC students (waitlist will be available. *we can create a waitlist in case more spots open up) Highly competitive and selective 8 nights, 9 days Dates: July 15 – July 24; July 28 – August 6 (2 program dates, 10 AIC students per program date)

Teacher’s Profiles Ryan Clapp • Natalie Cote-Muñoz • Kevin Kwok

Name: Ryan Clapp Nickname: Ryan Chinese Name: 博行客 Hometown: West Hartford, Connecticut School/Graduation year: Tufts University/2012 Major(s): Sociology Favorite food: I’ve found one in all the places I’ve travelled or lived in (except for Chile, where everything is salty and/or covered in mayonnaise. Yuck). In Israel it was the shawarma, in Peru the pescado frito (fried fish), in Spain it was the tortilla (Spanish omelet), and here in China I’m leaning towards any dish that has eggplant. Different languages you speak: English, Spanish, enough French to hitchhike, and I’m making my slow, plodding way into the world of Mandarin. Books/Television shows/Movies you enjoyed most: It’s hard for me to sit still for the 2 or 3 hours a movie would require (I’m writing this from a giant bouncy ball chair), but books are portable and easy on the eyes. I tend to think more in terms of authors than books. Malcolm Gladwell is great for clear prose and entertaining stories explaining new concepts. Tobias Wolff writes masterful American short stories about the everyday stuffed full of detail. Isaac Asimov makes me wish I had any engineering talent what-so-ever, and Dr. Seuss reminds me not to take myself too seriously. The book I’ve been recommending to all my new students is that graduation classic, “Oh the Places You’ll Go” Favorite/most memorable academic class: Negotiations and Conflict Resolution, most practically useful and enjoyable course I took in college. Source of inspirations: You, dear reader.

Ideas of a perfect day: Mind, body, soul all deliciously tired by the end. A day where you meet someone new, learn something new. This might explain why children are so happy all the time. Identify yourself in 3 words: “Don’t shoot, officer!” Where have you travelled to before: I’ve been fortunate enough to travel to a good few places over the past 4 or 5 years. I studied for one year in Valparaiso, Chile during my junior year of college, and I spent the past year teaching in a tiny town outside of Madrid, Spain. Using those as a base of operations, I’ve travelled to Morocco, Peru, Argentina, Jamaica, Honduras, Israel and France. Ask me if I’d rather have a plane ticket or a new pair of jeans/nicer phone/bigger apartment and I’ll give you the same answer every time! Something about you that others might not know: Though I very rarely watch TV, I have always been and always will be a rabid Star Trek fan.

Name: Natalie Cote-Muñoz Nickname: N/A Chinese Name: 柯曼雅 Hometown: Mexico City, Mexico / New York City / Bogotá, Colombia / The World / Third Culture Kid School/Graduation year: Swarthmore College ‘12 Major(s): Honors Political Science Major, Film and Media Studies minor Favorite food: Unagi, Dim Sum, Tacos al Pastor, Empanadas, Anything with Matcha. Different languages you speak: English, Spanish, French, Mandarin, and beginner’s Portuguese and German. Books/Television shows/Movies you enjoyed most: Books: Anything by Gabriel García Márquez, Mario Vargas Llosa, Julio Cortázar, Haruki Murakami. I also love “Dangerous Liaisons” by Choderlos de Laclos. TV Shows: Breaking Bad, Twin Peaks, Daria, The Simpsons, How I Met Your Mother, RuPaul’s Drag Race, Death Note Movies: A Clockwork Orange, Amélie, Nine Queens, Rashomon, Blade Runner, Akira, La Jetée, and many more... Games: Pokémon!!! 18

Favorite/most memorable academic class: My honors seminar in Latin American politics. We would meet up once a week, from 7pm onwards. Although at the beginning many students had no connection to/interest in Latin America, in the end, our conversations would last until 1 or 2am and continue outside of the classroom. Our seminar became so close to each other, even though we all came from different friend groups, that we would go together to pub nites and dinner outings, often including our awesome professor who made this experience possible. Source of inspirations: The absurdities that are part of our every day life that we tend to overlook. Ideas of a perfect day: A day where you unexpectedly end up doing awesome things with friends, like going to New York City for a day-trip and end up playing drums at a Japanese protest against nuclear weapons outside the UN (true story). Identify yourself in 3 words: Understanding, Quirky, Curious Where have you travelled to before? America: Canada, US, Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Panama, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Cuba Europe: Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Slovakia, Hungary Asia: China, Japan, Korea, Thailand, Cambodia, Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia Something about you that others might not know: I descend from the real Pirates of the Caribbean. I’m not kidding.

Name: Kevin Kwok Nickname: “Cakewalk” (From college, homonym for “K Kwok”) Chinese Name: 郭永佳 Hometown: Hong Kong School/Graduation year: University of Chicago Class of 2013 Major(s): Public Policy

Favorite food: Can I cheat and use a beverage? Right now there’s this brand of cheap plum wine (梅酒) from Vanguard that I’m particularly enjoying. It tastes like Snapple, but less sugary, and with a real kick. Different languages you speak: English, Cantonese, some Mandarin Books/Television shows/Movies you enjoyed most: Of Human Bondage by W. Somerset Maugham, A Scanner Darkly by Philip K. Dick, When A Billion Chinese Jump by Jonathan Watts. I like most Wong Kar-wai stuff and I really like L’Avventura and Red Desert by Michelangelo Antonioni. As a child my parents taught me how to laugh at old Hong Kong comedy flicks and also The Odd Couple starring Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau. Favorite/most memorable academic class: Chinese independent documentary filmmaking, during spring quarter of third year. Source of inspirations: Everyone I met at UChicago. Exceptional individuals who never took their intelligence for granted and instead worked tirelessly to hone their talents. Everyday I do my best to follow their example. Also, my students, who keep me committed to AIC’s mission even when I’m dead tired on a Sunday with a pile of essays to confront. Ideas of a perfect day: A day of serenity and clean air. Identify yourself in 3 words: Curious, nomadic, enthusiast Where have you travelled to before? China and the US aside, I’ve been to (in decreasing order of frequency): Canada, the UK, Japan, Australia, Thailand, New Zealand, Malaysia, Singapore, Germany, and Spain. My most recent “vacation” was to Munich and Barcelona. Something about you that others might not know:v I’m severely allergic to mango.

AIC College Tour

Februray 2014

Schools Visited: Stanford University, University of California-Berkeley, University of Southern California, Univeristy of CaliforniaLos Angeles, Northwestern University, University of Chicago, MIT, Harvard University, Mount Holyoke College, Smith College, New York University, Columbia University, University of Pennsylvania, Haverford College 23

Many thanks to: Stanford:王思凡 UCB: 耿昕扬, 徐雨潇, 张心怡, 黄适宇, 罗翊菲, 吴俊豪 USC: 林海静, 杨逸飞, 刘兆琪, 徐芷蘅, 付通, 吴旖倪, 马可, 杨子浩, 蔡燕文 UCLA: 吴逸章, 吴定逸 NU: 陈思宇, 肖雯心, 洪苏杰, 赵晓天, 朱泽南, 陈拓飞, 查晶晶 U Chicago: 邱潆萱, 陈子凌 MIT: 何欣 Harvard: Sandy Liang Mount Holyoke College: 赵思琦 Smith College: 赖一凡 NYU: 王超逸, 王玉澄, 丁扬, 蒋子祺, 李若琳, 闫尧中 UPenn: 张雨琪, 杨粤祺, 袁媛 Haverford: 罗知雨, 杨钦, 胡娅茜

学生感想：

“读万卷书，不如行万里路。”从中国到美国，也确实可以算得上“行万里路”了。这次的旅行收获是极大的。待在另一个国家中，首先便可以感受到文化的差异，这是值得去对比，去获得感悟的。一行中走访了许多学校，加上学长学姐们的耐心陪伴，精心讲解，对美国校园生活有了直观的感受，这对自己的未来是极有益处的。而且有机会参观博物馆，一次逛完下来甚至会觉得给博物馆安排的时间太少了。不过众口难调，这样倒也不错了。大概便是这样了，感谢与同学们的相遇，感谢老师们的陪伴。 ——王博这几日的名校游让我们受益匪浅。在每一所学校都能见到热情的 AIC学长学姐们来为我们介绍学校、美国生活和他们的申请经验。感受到 AIC是一个大家庭，在这个家庭里的每一个人都很热情地为后来者引路，让我们对于美国大学和申请更加了解。当然，还有团队里的老师们，不管是美方老师Kam、申请女神史鑫姐姐，还是中方老师谢老师、高老师、严老师和余老师，都非常耐心地解答了我们对于申请的种种疑惑，让我对于未来的申请不再迷茫，反之有一种期待的兴奋感。 ——张璐丹