Rachel Yu is a junior at Wharton, concentrating in Finance and OIDD, with a minor in Cinema and Media Studies. In Spring 2026, she will be studying abroad at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, where she hopes to explore the intersection of global business and media culture. Originally from Brooklyn, New York, her upbringing has inspired her curiosity about…
Chenyao Liu is a junior from Indiana studying Earth & Environmental Science and Cinema & Media Studies. Over winter break, she’ll travel to Taipei through a Penn Global Seminar to explore energy security and cross-straits relations in Taiwan. She also explores environmental issues closer to home as a Student Eco-Rep for Penn Sustainability. Outside the classroom, Chenyao is…
Mariama Njie is a junior from Douglasville, Georgia double majoring in Communications and Africana Studies. This semester, she’ll travel to the Gandhi Ashram in Gujarat, India through a Penn Global Seminar to examine non-violent social and political movements and the immense power of compassionate leadership. On campus, Mariama serves as the Political Chair for UMOJA,…
Contact 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…
Contact Ask Me About… As I’m already studying in a country that isn’t my own as an international student, people could ask why I’d choose to go abroad again. For me, each new environment pushes me to re-learn how I operate, from the way I approach assignments, to how I communicate in group settings, to…
Contact Ask Me About… I’d love for other students to ask me how I built real connections with local communities while studying abroad in Beijing, China, and Braga, Portugal. In Beijing, during the Penn Global Seminar program, I didn’t just stick to the classroom. I joined calligraphy workshops, savored traditional music, and explored vibrant food…
Contact Ask Me About… My Experience Abroad Although not directly related to my field of study, visiting the National Wildlife Institute of India helped me think of the way in which scientific research is conducted around the world. Due to the nature of the institute, researchers follow the guidelines and base their frameworks on UN…
Contact Ask Me About… My experience in Tamil Nadu, India was simultaneously the most challenging and rewarding time of my life. As my first time traveling abroad alone, I navigated adapting to a different cultural landscape, and working within a healthcare system fundamentally different from the U.S. The most immediate challenge was the language barrier;…
Contact Ask Me About… Within six months, I went from Tokyo to Dehradun, India—two places that could not be more different. Tokyo runs on precision: trains are on time to the second, schedules are followed exactly, and even rush-hour crowds move in quiet order. Dehradun is the opposite: life moves at its own pace, plans…
Contact Ask Me About… My Penn Abroad experience through the PGS, Policy Task Force on U.S.–China Relations, was unique because it reversed the typical study-abroad path. Instead of learning a language while abroad, I advanced my Mandarin beforehand in anticipation of the trip. Taking Chinese II that semester gave me structure, but the upcoming program pushed…