I'm an American who studied abroad at a college in China. My time there inspired the rest of my career.

• I have always been fascinated by China and have wanted to visit.
• The opportunity presented itself through my study abroad semester in China.
• My time in Shanghai proved to be foundational for my career in international higher education.

It all started when I first watched Disney's "Mulan."

As a child of the 1990s, Disney played an important role in my upbringing, especially in shaping my curiosity and future interests. I remember the thrill of putting in that VHS cassette gifted to me by my Papa and Dodo over and over again.

Something was calling out to me: China.

Little did I know at the time that "Mulan" would lead me to study in Asia and to where I am today, working in higher education.

I always loved Asian culture

As a little girl, I had plenty of aspirations. One day, I wanted to be a journalist, then a lawyer, maybe a doctor, perhaps a professional soccer player.

Yet my constant throughout all this time was my desire to go to China. In my teens, I became fascinated with an album by Canto-pop singer Kay Tse. I attempted to learn Chinese on my own. I finally took my very first Mandarin Chinese class at Mount Holyoke College, and realized how different Cantonese and Mandarin sounded.

At first, it was confusing, but that only made my excitement grow tenfold. By the time my college teacher gave me a Chinese name, 马妙龄 (Mǎ Miàolíng), I was hooked. I felt invigorated by this world that welcomed me so, and I swore to myself that I would work hard to fulfill my childhood dream.

Over the next semesters, aside from my required economics courses, I made sure to continue my passion for Chinese language and culture, taking advanced courses in Chinese language, history, and literature.

My study abroad in Shanghai

In the Spring of 2017, I finally went to Shanghai, China, for my semester abroad. That 14-hour flight seemed to last an eternity, and I was packed with enthusiasm and trepidation. When we finally landed, I had to pinch myself. I did it!

I got to experience academic and student life at the Shanghai University of Finance and Economics (SUFE), and lived in an apartment complex within walking distance to campus.

There were three of us in the flat: two from MHC studying abroad and one from SUFE. Despite our differences, we got into a very fun, sisterly routine. We would do our homework together, talk about life in the States and China, and prepare international meals.

Learning moments aside, I decided to test myself further by taking an internship at a wealth management company in Shanghai, working with locals and communicating entirely in Chinese. I'm not sure this was intentional, but looking back, I realized I heeded the advice of my program coordinators to put myself out there, get out of my comfort zone, and to discover who I could become in this new territory.

Life after study abroad

People often talk about experiencing culture shock when studying abroad, but what I felt was a sense of being at home. The deeper I immersed myself in Chinese culture, the better I understood how transformative my semester abroad had become.

I didn't waste any time: once my semester in Shanghai ended, I earned an internship in Rome with the Italian headquarters for CIS Abroad, a leader in study abroad programs for US college students. After graduation, I moved on to various other higher education institutions, both in the American and Italian systems. I earned a M.Ed. in International Higher Education at Loyola University Chicago. Currently, I work in the admissions office of John Cabot University, an American liberal arts university in the heart of Rome, where I open the door for hundreds of international students to foster their global citizenship by earning their degree in an international environment.

My time in China made me a proponent for international educational experiences, and I could not fathom myself anywhere but in this field. To think that all this is thanks to "Mulan."