A TBC THANKSGIVING
So this past Thursday was actual Thanksgiving Day, and to be honest with you all, it didn’t really feel like Thanksgiving. In the days leading up to Turkey Day, I was feeling less homesick than I thought, most likely because I wasn’t being bombarded with the fact that Thanksgiving was quickly coming up (I made it a point not to check social media for awhile, knowing full well that seeing Thanksgiving food videos and ads would make the homesickness worse).
STUDENT INTERVIEW: LOREN CARILLO
Can you briefly introduce yourself?
My name is Loren Carillo, I am from Gonzaga University. My major is Political Science, and my minors are Sociology and Economics and my interest is Journalism and Multimedia. So right now, I’m working on graphic designing, photography, and videography while working at Project Pengyou here in Beijing.
STUDENT INTERVIEW: WHAT IT’S LIKE TO COMPETE ON CHINESE NATIONAL TELEVISION
Student Interviews: Christina Conroy, Loyola University Chicago, TBC Summer 2018
Transcription of an interview with TBC student, Christina Conroy
Can you briefly introduce yourself?
I’m Christina Conroy, from Loyola University Chicago. This year I’m going to be a senior and I’m studying Chemistry.
INTERNSHIP SHOWCASE – SUMMER 2018
It has been almost two months since the students of TBC’s Global Leaders Internship Program arrived in Beijing. As their time in China comes to a close, TBC, along with Project Pengyou on July 19th, organized and hosted The Beijing Summer Internship Showcase as a platform for students to highlight the great work they’ve been doing, brought together friends and professionals from the expats and returnees community and held a panel discussion to talk about career building in the China market.
STUDENT INTERVIEWS: LIAM WOODLAND
tudent Interviews: Liam Woodland, Gonzaga University, TBC Fall 2017 and Summer 2018
Transcription of an interview with TBC student, Liam Woodland
Can you briefly introduce yourself?
My name is Liam Woodland, I go to school at Gonzaga University, I’m from Greenwich Connecticut and I am studying Economics and Asian Studies.
DISCUSSION WITH PRZEMEK MAKA, JESUIT SCHOLASTIC
Background: My name is Przemek Maka. I’m a student from Poland and a Scholastic who graduated from a Jesuit University in Krakow, in the philosophical department.
INTERVIEW WITH BRENDAN GOTTSCHALL, JESUIT SCHOLASTIC
My name is Brendan Gottschall. I’m a Jesuit scholastic of the current Maryland province of the Society of Jesus, soon to be the East Coast Province of the US Jesuits. I am currently a graduate student of Philosophy at Fordham University working on a master’s degree as part of my first studies. I entered the Society in 2014 and took vows in 2016.
INTERNSHIP SHOWCASE – SPRING 2018
On April 17, 2018, TBC held it’s Spring semester Internship Showcase event. Joined by nearly 50 fellow professionals & peers, TBC students presented on their experiences interning in Beijing this semester. We had students working in different organizations including the US Embassy, Colombian Embassy, United Family Hospital, Edelman, Project Pengyou, Branditat, Bankorus JiTu Studios, JingJobs, and Beijing Field Studies. Take a look at their wonderful poster displays and photos from the event below.
DIGITALIZING RARE BOOKS AT ANTON LIBRARY
“The Anton Library rare manuscripts are an extraordinary source to analyze the economy and society and further understand the relations between China and Europe for the early modern period.”
COLOMBIAN EMBASSY PARTNERSHIP TO BRING INTERNS TO BEIJING
The Beijing Center (TBC) has finalized a cooperation agreement with the Colombian Embassy in Beijing, approved by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Colombia, for TBC students who hold a Colombian passport to have the opportunity to intern during their study abroad in China with TBC.
A JOURNEY IN THE TEA MOUNTAINS OF YUNNAN
TBC invites leading scholars, thinkers and experts to address an eclectic range of topics related to China in an one-hour format as part of TBC’s Lecture Series. On Wednesday, March 14, 2018, Dr. Francis T. Hannafey S.J. gave a lecture on Pu’er tea to students.
THE YUNNAN EXPERIENCE
After only being in Beijing 3 weeks, it was time for the Yunnan excursion. I wasn’t too familiar with Beijing yet, so how was I supposed to adjust to different villages and cities where locals speak their local dialects?! Nonetheless, I was excited for the upcoming challenges and experiences. The Yunnan excursion is a two week trip planned by The Beijing Center every Spring semester around Chinese New Year break. The itinerary is packed and filled from start to finish! We were on a tight schedule to visit and learn about a few of the 56 minority groups in China. We were in Yunnan to learn, explore, and make friends we’d never forget.
CLASSROOMS UPGRADED WITH SMART INTERACTIVE WHITE BOARDS
Prior to Spring 2018’s arrival, TBC upgraded its classrooms with new smart interactive white boards. See the before and after photos below.
VOLUNTEER TEACHING. TOPIC: CULTURE SHOCK!
A couple weeks ago, The Beijing Center worked with its host university, the University of International Business and Economics, to give us the opportunity to volunteer teach first year students about culture shock – giving these students a free, supplementary class to help them practice their English listening and speaking with native speakers. Without giving it much thought I took it, along with two students in my cohort. I signed up thinking about how I could transmit my own experience with culture shock in a way that students from the culture I’m still learning about could understand.
EMBASSY INTERNS TAKE PART IN US COMMERCIAL SERVICE DELEGATION EVENT
Last Wednesday, three of our students who intern at the US Embassy Commercial Service, Vivian K. (University of San Francisco), Jamie C. (Fairfield University), and Reed P. (Boston College), took part in the Welcome Reception hosted by U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross’ in honor of the 2017 U.S. CEO Delegation to China. The students helped coordinate the guest lists and helped register guests during the event. They had the chance to learn from the experience of assisting a high-level trade delegation and interacting with U.S. and Chinese senior government officials, CEOs of U.S. and Chinese companies and trade associations. Not only that, but they had the opportunity to network with officials at the Embassy and CEOs.
VOLUNTEERING AT MIGRANT CHILDREN’S FOUNDATION
Jesuit education is all about giving back, and The Beijing Center is no exception. A few weeks ago, a few of my classmates and I had the wonderful opportunity to volunteer at a school run by Migrant Children’s Foundation, in a less touristy neighborhood in Beijing.
US AMBASSADOR TO CHINA, TERRY BRANSTAD HOSTS AMERICAN STUDENTS AND EDUCATORS IN BEIJING WITH PROJECT PENGYOU AND THE US-CHINA STRONG FOUNDATION
Beijing, Oct. 20, 2017 – Last Friday, U.S. Ambassador to China, Terry Branstad, welcomed nearly 100 guests into his new Beijing home for a welcome reception with Project Pengyou, the flagship program of the Golden Bridges Foundation, and the U.S.-China Strong Foundation, to stress the importance of people-to-people exchange for the future of U.S.-China relations.
POST-STUDY ABROAD SURVEY & REPORT – 2017
A spring 2017 survey completed by TBC alumni shows that participants are overwhelmingly happy with their academic adventure abroad!
A big area alumni say is working for them is: Work. Ninety-five percent of respondents say they’re currently employed. Their specialties are diverse: They’re working in the popular fields of finance, education, law, government, and marketing — but also aviation, non-profits, technology, and journalism.
CHINA, YOUCHANGE’D ME – INTERNSHIP REFLECTION
I remember my first day arriving on the 18th floor of the Capital Mansion building in Beijing the same way I remember my very first day of school: eager, apprehensive, but also a strong intuition that I was out of place. Prior to the start of my internship at YouChange, I had already been living in China for about four months. Despite taking an intensive Chinese course, I felt that my progression/improvement was not nearly adequate enough to hold a meaningful conversation with my new colleagues.
ABOUT MY INTERNSHIP AT MIGRANT CHILDREN’S FOUNDATION
Migrant Children’s Foundation (MCF) is a UK-registered charity based in Beijing, China. In order to thrive in China’s growing economy, many people from rural areas migrate to the city and bring their families along. Their children, who do not have the Beijing hukou, are denied the benefits of welfare: crucially, healthcare and education. MCF’s role in these children’s lives is as comprehensive as possible. Partnerships with hospitals and healthcare systems allow for periodic health checks as well as dental and optometric care.