Kedao Wang, originally from Wuxi, China, is now a junior in the U-M College of Engineering and is working on his degree in computer science. He recently served as president of the China Entrepreneur Network and remains actively involved in the group. Upon recognizing the lack of organization of student entrepreneurs, Kedao initiated the China Business Challenge to encourage students to tap into China’s growing business market. Learn more about this student’s involvement in the CBC and how it has enriched his time at U-M.

What is the China Entrepreneur Network?

Because Irene Wu was born in China, she had a unique perspective to offer when she traveled with the U-M Symphony Band to China in May. Learn more about this tenor trombone player who is seeking a master’s in music and teacher certification.

Where are you from, and how did you end up choosing to study at Michigan?

Ding Zhao arrives in Ann Arbor this month to study mechanical engineering. But he won’t be a stranger to the University. Before starting his academic career at U-M, he started a network of Chinese students to help ease the transition from China to Michigan. Read more about his network as well as his plans for the future.

Where are you originally from and what degree did you earn?

Qing Zheng, MHSA’10, starts a PhD program at U-M in the fall. He was drawn to the study of healthcare during a year as a volunteer English teacher in Aletai, a small remote rural town in Xinjiang, China. He began to wonder about the world trend of population aging and believed that gaining an international perspective on the issue would benefit him. He is currently working at U-M on an NIH research project focusing on measles in Tianjin, China—the place where he is from.

What are you up to right now?

Originally from Hangzhou, Yu Zhang obtained her bachelor’s degree in economics, majoring in international economics and trade in China. When it came time to pursue her master’s, she applied to other U.S. universities but decided on U-M’s Center for the Study of Higher and Postsecondary Education. She talks here about her program, her plans for the future, and her involvement in extracurricular activities.

What have you liked about studying at U-M?

Vicki Lau is the coordinator for rXn, a U-M student dance group under the Chinese Student Association that performs both traditional and modern forms of dance. Find out more about her interest in dance, what the dance group has planned, and why she decided to study at the University of Michigan.

What is rXn? How is the group related to China?

Originally from Nanjing, Gang Su left a promising career in television broadcasting with Nanjing Television to pursue a PhD in bioinformatics, which has provided the opportunity to travel and pursue academic challenges. Here, he discusses his studies, his plans for the future, and his work with U-M’s China Entrepreneur Forum. Read a Chinese version of the Student Spotlight.

What did you study in China?

With a bachelor’s degree from Shanghai Jiao Tong University complete, Fangwei Gu decided to apply to U-M, since he was interested by the projects in the Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology. He talks here about his studies, plans for the future and responsibilities as president of U-M’s Chinese Students and Scholars Association.

Where are you originally from?
I am from Shanghai, China. I graduated from Shanghai Jiao Tong University and applied to U-M one year after my graduation.

What are you studying at U-M?

Yuhua Wang is pursuing his PhD in political science with a focus on Chinese politics. But his activities at the University are not just academic. He is also a playwright and founder of a drama club at U-M. We recently asked him about his studies and activities, and his plans for the future.

Where are you originally from and what did you study there?
I was born and raised in Beijing, China. I got my bachelor’s and master’s in political science from Peking University.

Why did you want to come to U-M?

Xu Li is from Beijing and is in the doctoral program of the Center for the Studies of Higher and Postsecondary Education (CSHPE) at the School of Education. She came to the US in 1999 to study education administration in Teachers College, Columbia University, before coming to U-M. The Alumni Assoication asked her about the advice she’d give new students, her favorite part of Ann Arbor, her plans for the future and more in this student profile.

How did you hear about U-M and why did you decide to come here?

For more than 50 years, the Hong Kong Student Association has organized a wide variety of events and functions for U-M students looking for a break from the routine of classes and studying. Originally called the Chinese Student Association, the group has more than 250 student members from Hong Kong but also welcomes students from other countries as a way to enhance cultural understanding.

Stepping off a plane in a strange airport in a foreign country can be an intimidating experience for any Chinese student attending U-M. Fortunately, for many new students, members of the Chinese Students and Scholars Association are there to provide a warm welcome. It was this type of service to fellow students that attracted Jing Huang to the association. Initially working on fundraising for the group, she currently serves as its president.

When Tingting Liu came to the University of Michigan to study, she originally planned to get one or two years of experience working in the US between graduation and her return to China. However, due to the struggling US economy, she noticed a lot of her friends couldn’t get jobs and were going back to China. She now plans to do the same.

The Asia Business Conference at U-M is the longest-running student-organized business conference focusing on Asia. The purpose of the conference, held last January, is to provide students and local professionals with a glimpse into the challenges and opportunities of doing business in Asia. In its 19th year, the Asia Business Conference has brought leaders of Asia and multinational companies together in Ann Arbor to discuss and debate shifting trends in the region.

When Liansu Meng arrived in Ann Arbor in 2002 to pursue her PhD in comparative literature, the beautiful surroundings resonated with her and contributed to her studies. In her work, she aims to integrate methods from different disciplines to complete a new study of modern Chinese poetry.

Although he came to U-M to pursue his PhD in biology, Yan Liu discovered a passion for history that eventually led him to study the history of Chinese science and technology. He hopes these studies will result in a career that combines both interests.

“The University of Michigan is a perfect place for me to pursue such a direction thanks to her strength in both disciplines and her encouraging environment of interdisciplinary communication and cooperation between various subjects,” Liu said.

What started as a fascination with science fiction—the works of Isaac Asimov in particular—led Chao (Leon) Liu on the road to his current doctoral research on cognitive and brain science.

Wenyan Ji, known in Ann Arbor as Grace, began learning to draw when she was 5 years old. After starting school in Beijing, where she was born and grew up, she discovered a talent for geometry. Her supportive parents provided her with educational tools that helped these interests flourish. When combined, art and math led her to architecture.

Tau Zhang walks or bikes to classes at the UM School of Natural Resources (SNR). When he drives around Ann Arbor, he doesn’t favor a gas-guzzling vehicle but a motorcycle, and not a typical motorcycle either. “I am driving a vintage Chinese army motorcycle in Ann Arbor, with a sidecar” he says. “It is from 1968, and older than I am.”

In August of 2005, Zhang enrolled in the SNR to pursue two degrees, a Master of Landscape Architecture and a Master of Science in Sustainable Systems, programs he expects to complete this spring.

Yuanqing You came to U-M after some of his professors recommended the school, and he decided “it is the top School of Information branch. I can learn what I like in U Mich.” You—known as YoYo—is studying human computer interaction and information economics, management and policy. “I used to be interested in information and economics,” he says, explaining that when he came here, he discovered that “HCI is interesting also. Then I took both.”

Doris J. Lu grew up in Beijing and did her undergraduate work at the University of Hong Kong. She is working on master’s degrees at the U-M School of Information.

Grace Suen, who has just completed her first year at U-M, is accustomed to taking on challenges and meeting them. As president of the Hong Kong Student Association, she spends almost five hours a week helping to plan events—some for the Hong Kong student community, and others that share Hong Kong culture with other students. She hopes to work in an investment back or business consulting firm when she graduates, and she has been pursuing internships in both.

When Liang Zhang was growing up in Beijing, he watched an American cartoon about transformers. He was so fascinated that he began to dream about making robots. After graduating from Tsinghua University where he studied electronics and automation, he came to U-M’s College of Engineering to learn how to build them. Even though he misses his family and friends and authentic Chinese cooking, he’s enjoying his experience at U-M. Aside from studying, Zhang spends time playing his electric guitar, and playing and watching basketball and soccer.

Algebraic geometry fascinated Qian Yin, who decided to do her graduate work at U-M because of the fine reputation of its mathematics department. By participating in events organized by the University’s International Center, the Chinese Association, Rackham Graduate School, the U-M Women in Science and Engineering program and the math department, she has made friends, learned about American culture and overcome homesickness.