Jerome Fisher Program in Management & Technology
Jerome Fisher Program in Management & Technology
Jerome Fisher Program in Management & Technology
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that has cascaded throughout Hong<br />
Kong, Ch<strong>in</strong>a, and the rest of the East. In<br />
addition to these two eng<strong>in</strong>eer<strong>in</strong>g<br />
courses, I treated myself to a psychology<br />
elective, while also tak<strong>in</strong>g a very<br />
<strong>in</strong>terest<strong>in</strong>g and relevant course on<br />
population development <strong>in</strong> Ch<strong>in</strong>a and<br />
its economic and sociopolitical effects on<br />
the country.<br />
One of my major objectives <strong>in</strong> go<strong>in</strong>g<br />
abroad was to create a network of<br />
<strong>in</strong>ternational friendships, especially<br />
Europeans. The cultural differences<br />
between the West and East, both at the<br />
university and <strong>in</strong> the city, provided for a<br />
very unique social sett<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> which<br />
exchange students easily bonded. As a<br />
result, I can now trace friendships all<br />
across the world. Of course, I have<br />
notable friendships back <strong>in</strong> Hong Kong,<br />
<strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g my roommate who was a<br />
local student.<br />
In addition, go<strong>in</strong>g abroad has given me<br />
several opportunities already, especially<br />
as I can attribute my current summer<br />
<strong>in</strong>ternship to go<strong>in</strong>g abroad. I will be<br />
work<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> Europe, though my ma<strong>in</strong><br />
focus will be on the company’s market<br />
presence <strong>in</strong> Ch<strong>in</strong>a. And while I am <strong>in</strong><br />
Europe, I now have several friends I<br />
hope to visit to relive those memorable<br />
experiences we had together <strong>in</strong> Hong<br />
Kong.<br />
Lastly, but perhaps most importantly,<br />
the abroad experience allows for an<br />
unbelievable ability to travel and to<br />
truly ga<strong>in</strong> a new perspective on the<br />
world. While abroad, I was able to<br />
travel to Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam,<br />
S<strong>in</strong>gapore, and to an overwhelm<strong>in</strong>g<br />
amount of locations <strong>in</strong> Ch<strong>in</strong>a <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g<br />
near-by Macau, Beij<strong>in</strong>g, Shanghai,<br />
Guil<strong>in</strong>, and Nann<strong>in</strong>g. Travel<strong>in</strong>g through<br />
Asia was perhaps as valuable to my<br />
experience as liv<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> Hong Kong itself.<br />
My range of experiences <strong>in</strong>cluded<br />
stay<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> the rebuilt town <strong>in</strong> Thailand<br />
that was completely razed dur<strong>in</strong>g the<br />
Box<strong>in</strong>g Day Tsunami, tak<strong>in</strong>g a 24 hour<br />
sleeper bus by myself to cross the<br />
border <strong>in</strong>to Vietnam, visit<strong>in</strong>g the tallest<br />
build<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> the world <strong>in</strong> Shanghai,<br />
see<strong>in</strong>g one of the most beautiful<br />
sceneries <strong>in</strong> the world <strong>in</strong> Guil<strong>in</strong>; this list<br />
does not do it justice. In addition,<br />
travel<strong>in</strong>g through Ch<strong>in</strong>a was truly one<br />
of the most eye open<strong>in</strong>g experiences – it<br />
was the only way to actually get a real<br />
glimpse of the country’s past, while<br />
provid<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>sight as to where it may be<br />
headed <strong>in</strong> the future. After see<strong>in</strong>g it first<br />
hand, all I can say is to hold on tight!<br />
Zuri Michan is a junior <strong>in</strong> the <strong>Jerome</strong> <strong>Fisher</strong><br />
<strong>Program</strong> (M&T’12) from San Diego, CA.<br />
He is concentrat<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> Operation and<br />
Information <strong>Management</strong> and an<br />
Individualized concentration <strong>in</strong> Strategic<br />
Behavior <strong>in</strong> Wharton and major<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong><br />
Infrastructure Systems Eng<strong>in</strong>eer<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> the<br />
School of Eng<strong>in</strong>eer<strong>in</strong>g and Applied Science.<br />
Outside of academics, Zuri is a member of<br />
Pennchants (All-Male A Cappella group),<br />
Sigma Alpha Mu Fraternity and the M&T<br />
Club.<br />
Vol. 3 M&T 6