Exchange at Penn, Alumni Positive Outcomes

Spring break was supposed to be a time for Wing Sze Michelle Fung to take a break from her exchange studies, enjoy the Cancun sun, and meet up with old and new friends. Instead, she found herself thousands of miles from Penn, seeking ways to return to Philadelphia, then to Hong Kong. “I did not experience much shock with the COVID evacuation, but other peers did. It was a shame for most of us, who worked very hard for the opportunity,” she recalled. “I had to come back, pack my stuff, and book the plane ticket quickly. Everyone had lots of plans canceled, but I tried not to panic.”

Instead, Fung said she made the most of her time on Exchange at Penn during the 7 weeks she spent in Philadelphia during the Spring 2020 semester, and her biggest regret was simply not having as much time to experience everything the university had to offer: “I got the max out of the experience, and tried to join a variety of extra-curriculars,” including the Wharton Management Club and Penn Band, where she joined the drumline despite having no prior experience in music. “I did extra homework and tutorials [for drums], and my learning curve was steep. It was stressful, but I learned a lot and got to meet a lot of people. I even got to play at the Palestra… It’s good to experience things that your home country doesn’t have.”

Hailing from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Fung studies business and law, where she is now in her third year of classes. At Penn, she felt engaged in her courses when they were delivered both in-person and pivoted online due to the pandemic response. “The technical skills I learned in classes were really beneficial,” Fung said. “The lecturers teach in-depth and have a passion to teach.”

Fung is considering returning to the United States to pursue a master’s degree, so she was happy to get a taste of U.S. culture and academics, even if her time was unexpectedly cut short. Nonetheless, she said her experience has already had an impact on her career. “During this summer, I had two opportunities – I worked at an insurance company in wealth management and at a law firm. One course I took – Negotiations – benefitted me a lot. There were a large amount of problems and discussion in class that forced me to negotiate with classmates,” she said. “The course really helped me feel more comfortable and keep an open mind when communicating with others. Since I had a client-facing role at the law firm, the class helped me to advocate, as well.”

In spite of the Covid-related evacuation, Fung said she had a “memorable experience” and encouraged future exchange students to get involved early and reach out to fellow Quakers from the start of their program.