Kenny's Story

NYU Shanghai's picture

I never expected to come to China for university. When I was growing up, my parents always emphasized how hard they had worked in order to give me better opportunities in the US. So we were all surprised when I started giving serious thought to going to NYU Shanghai, and returning to the country they brought me away from 13 years earlier, but the idea of this new university was compelling and exciting enough for me to take that risk.

There were several factors in my decision to attend NYU Shanghai, but it ultimately came down to a balance between risk and opportunity. I would be joining a startup university, which was a strange concept but also undeniably exciting. Being part of the inaugural class would grant students enormous influence over the direction of the school, and in many ways we would be building the foundation of this university and designing the culture and community for future years. I expected there to be problems and risks involved in the new venture, but ideally this would be outweighed by the incredible opportunities and unconstrained room to grow.

Another major factor was the other 294 students, who I met at the admitted students’ weekend. The student body is incomparably diverse and have been exposed to different facets of the world simply by going out the door. At NYU Shanghai, I don’t just get to interact with international students from time to time, I am one of them. Coming here has been an adventure and an incredible learning experience. The students who come to this school are incredibly motivated and ambitious, and I’m excited to work with them to overcome challenges.

In reality, there are challenges and obstacles that students face on a daily basis, struggles ranging from figuring out where and how to get food to navigating our fairly nascent curriculum. Yet as a result of this, you get to witness the grit, the heart, and the passion of the students who embrace these challenges. At the end of the day, it’s not what we get right that determines our success, but how we react to inevitable failures. There is not a single person here - student, professor, or staff - who does not want to see NYU Shanghai exceed all expectations. All of us have a sense of purpose and momentum. 

More Stories