A blog post from SOLES MA in Higher Education Leadership Studies Ambassador, Bianca Chau:
I was not involved on campus as an undergraduate student back home in Hong Kong. There were a couple of reasons to that. First, being involved was not emphasized like it is here in America. Second, even though I wanted to get involved, there was no such thing as intramurals, clubs, or student orgs. There was no middle ground for students like me who just wanted to play sports or music for fun or for self-development. So, I stopped looking for opportunities and resources that would enrich my college life until I heard about the opportunity to study abroad. I chose to study abroad in America and ended up at the University of California, Davis (UC Davis) where I spent three months being the college student that I truly wanted to be. Involved, proactive, and most of all, happy!
Being at UC Davis made me realize that I do not ever want a student to graduate from college feeling unfulfilled and unready to face society. That was when I realized that I wanted to work in the education sector, preferably with high school students/emerging adults. So, I first entered this field when I was offered a position as an admissions officer at an K-12 international school in Beijing, China. There, I met my first, who I now know to call, mentor. She was the Director of Enrollment Management and the University Counselor at the school. I worked directly for her and caught more than a glimpse of the joy that such jobs can bring to not only the students served but to the server himself/herself. After a year in the position, I started looking for graduate programs that would prepare me to work primarily in the higher education setting. So here I am!
I am privileged to be able to work with the International Student Organization Executive Board who I learn so much from. This is a group who I will have a professional relationship with for a year and I am so excited to not only watch them grow but also grow with them! I am looking forward to all the ups and downs that may come our way because no matter what, I know that this is my community that I can rely on and trust.