Avia Weber

Ask Me About…

Students should ask me about navigating study abroad as an adoptee returning to my birth country while still learning the language. My semester at Fudan University in Shanghai was not just about classes, but it was a personal journey. As a Chinese adoptee raised in the US, I looked like many people around me but felt the difference in language and culture immediately. Learning Mandarin in real time while trying to connect with people taught me to be resourceful and open to new ways of communicating.

I was also intentional about traveling within the country. I visited regions far beyond Shanghai to see China’s cultural and geographic diversity. I learned how to budget so I could travel often—finding affordable trains and buses, using local recommendations, and prioritizing experiences that gave the most value.

I can share what it’s like to study abroad when the language is still a work in progress, how to adapt quickly, and how to make the most of a student budget while still exploring as much as possible. I also have many experiences in solo traveling too! My experience shows that challenges abroad can be the best opportunities to learn, connect, and grow.

My Experience Abroad

My two Penn Global Seminars and semester abroad fit directly into my majors in International Relations and Psychology. Each program gave me a different way to connect what I was learning in class to the real world. The PGS courses let me take ideas from lectures and see them play out during site visits and conversations abroad, which made the material feel more concrete.

At Fudan University, I was deliberate in choosing classes that matched my academic plan. I did the entire process of strategizing around XCAT to make sure credits would transfer and that the courses would build on what I had already studied at Penn. Classes on Chinese politics and society gave me a non-Western perspective on international relations, and psychology electives showed me how cultural context shapes mental health and human behavior.

These experiences also pushed my professional goals forward. I want to work where global governance meets humanitarian issues, especially for displaced populations. Studying in different countries taught me how to adapt to new systems, communicate across cultures, and look at problems from more than one perspective.

PGS gave me short but transformative experiences, and my semester abroad gave me depth and independence. Together, they shaped how I approach my studies and my future work.