typJo

This morning, at an ungodly hour, I woke up, took a shower, and biked off to a talk hosted by the Baker Institute of Public Policy titled, Through the Sallyport to China. Jo Ling Kent is an associate producer and web journalist at CNN, Beijing Bureau. I’ll admit I mostly decided to go because she has the same name as me, and she is half-Chinese, but I think I needed a pep talk during this time of the year when I am on the brink of starting summer and ending my third year at Rice.

She graduated from Rice in 2007 and received the US Fulbright Fellowship to China. You can probably read more at the link through the Baker Institute, but what I learned from her talk is that being a student is an incredible opportunity. 

Sure, Rice is not that well-known in other countries, especially in China, but surprisingly, there are a lot of connections through Rice in China. There are alumni everywhere, you just need to find them. I think she was really inspiring because she did so much while she was at Rice. I really believe that she took full advantage of her education at Rice by talking with professors and participating in the best programs/opportunities that Rice provides. 

Sure, she’s not an architect and doesn’t have anything to do with my current field, but even though she is really young, she already has a number of experiences in her life that were so meaningful and has lead to where she is today. I only hope to get to a respected place as she is today. 

What she emphasized is: do what you really like because then you will do everything to succeed. Take a leap, use your connections, and GO JO! 

P.S.: She learned traditional Chinese at a Taiwanese Chinese school in Minnesota. She also did Chinese traditional dancing when she was younger. AND she has a food blog through CNN. How much more similar can we get? 

(Source: bakerinstitute.org)