US Participants

Jaquasia Barrett

CUNY Medgar Evers

English Literature

Hello US peers, Chinese peers and program coordinators!

My name is Jaquasia or Asia for short and I am an English Literature major. I chose this major because I aspire to be an educator to our youth. Not only that, but I have also been writing almost every day since the age of eleven. For me, writing is therapeutic. Aside from writing, I also find pleasure in reading in my free time. Moreover, I have been to the Dominican Republic, but otherwise I have only traveled within the United States to Virginia, the Carolinas, Jersey and Pennsylvania. While I only speak English, I would like to acquire another language. From this experience, I hope to learn how to become more culturally inclusive within an academic environment. Thus, I am more than intrigued to learn about the societal norms in China.

See you soon!

Bethany Patterson

SUNY Empire State

Cultural Studies

Hello everyone!

I hope everyone is getting just as excited as I am about the upcoming trip to China. This is my first time venturing to Asia. I am ready to embrace the culture shock I am anticipating, as I am sure all of you are as well. I am glad everyone is feeling just as brave as I am to dive into an entirely different culture. To give you all just a brief background in regards to who I am, I am currently majoring in cultural studies online at Empire State University and plan for this upcoming fall to be my last semester. While being a full time student takes up a majority of my time, I have also been blessed with a two year old son named Matteo who is currently my little mini me. There is never a dull moment in my morning routine between keeping a watchful eye on my son and making sure my 125 lb puppy, if you really want to still consider him a puppy, does not nibble at any food lingering on the counter top. I was born and raised in western New York my entire life and left the area for a brief eight months to enjoy the amazing weather in South Carolina. As far as my future plans go once I graduate, I hope to use this experience on my resume of course because I already know the great opportunity it will be, but I would love to see myself working in some type of nonprofit work preferably with refugees or helping women who have experienced domestic violence get back on their feet.

With that being said I enjoy meeting all of you.

Devin Touchet

University of Louisiana at Lafayette

Nursing

My name is Devin Touchet and I am from Lafayette, Louisiana. I currently attend the University of Louisiana at Lafayette where I will graduate in December of 2019 in Nursing. My passion to help and interact with people has led me to pursue a career in the healthcare industry as well as this program! After graduation I plan on seeking job opportunities in the Emergency Room or ICU departments in the hospital here in Lafayette. Outside of school, I love watching movies, hanging out with friends, and basically anything sports related. I cannot wait for this opportunity and to finally meet everyone!

Ku Xiong

Sacramento State University, California

Kinesiology (Exercise Science)

My name is Ku Xiong. Some interesting facts about me, I’m also from one of the 56 ethnic group in China call Hmong (苗族). I speak three languages, Hmong, English and a little bit of Mandarin. Outside of school, I love the outdoor and traveling/exploring new places. Some of my favorite hobbies are playing basketball, football, biking, hiking, swimming, and fishing.

Some of my interests are learning about other people and their culture, trying new foods, and learning new languages. This is also why I enjoy traveling so much. It’s a great way to meet new people and learn new things about other people. What I’m most excited about on this trip is, everything! Looking at the itinerary, there are so many fun places we’re going to be visiting. But what actually I’m most excited about is, the food. ^^

Crystal Zettl

SUNY Oswego

MSEd. Agricultural Education

Hi everyone! My name is Crystal and I am really looking forward to this trip and meeting all of you! One thing I do not believe I’ve shared about myself yet is that I developed a passion for horses and horseback riding while I was in middle school. Since then, I’ve pursued Equine Science in my undergrad career, and became a horse owner and rode competitively. I also have a passion for travelling and seeing the world, particularly Asia. I have been to China twice before and know an elementary level of Mandarin. My last trip to China was to Beijing where I lived for one semester to teach English. I would still like to visit Japan, Australia, and Germany – although I may have to wait until retirement! At home, I have two cats, a dog, and a guinea pig. Life wouldn’t be complete without animals. I can’t wait to meet all of you!