I’m Lu, a sophomore at Smith College, MA. My intended major is economics and I would like to pursue an international relations certificate of the five college consortium. I am from Nanjing, China. For many of you who don’t know about Nanjing, it’s a city quite close to Shanghai. I am now taking three economics courses, one of which focuses on the world food system and the relationship between poverty and hunger. So I’ll probably write about this issue in the coming days based on what I’ve learned in class. I’m also taking high intermediate French. I wish to study abroad in either the University of Geneva or LSE in my junior year.

I still remember the day when I visited an orphanage. I saw a little baby girl crawling on the floor and reaching out her arms in order to touch me. She burst into tears since she realized what she touched was just a cold, inanimate window which was used to protect children from being scared by outsiders. This scene tug at my heartstrings and offered me an incentive to contribute to the wider community. So this summer I went on a trip to Qinghai Province in western China as a course coordinator of a summer institute. I saw the need to improve education to students in under-developed areas.

I really enjoy the experience of working with others, reaching for an ultimate goal altogether, in this case helping young service scholars gain an in-depth of global issues. I hope to make friends with other interns who hold the similar belief to do something meaningful for the society.