/li-ka-shing-arts-initiative/ en /li-ka-shing-arts-initiative/%3Ca%20href%3D%22https%3A//www.mcgill.ca/li-ka-shing-arts-initiative/article/victoria-dong-advanced-research-cohort-2025%22%20hreflang%3D%22en%22%3Eview%3C/a%3E About me My name is Victoria Dong, and I am a U2 Honors student majoring in East Asian Studies with a minor in Drama and Theatre. My research focuses on media and culture in China and Korea, which led me to explore traditional Chaoshan weddings. I’m particularly interested in how the representation of traditional wedding practices reflects local nostalgia and pride in the past, and how women navigate their roles within a cultural framework that both idealizes and restricts them. As a Chinese international student who grew up in China but now studies in Canada, I approach my own culture with a Tue, 28 Jul 2026 18:09:57 -0400 Victoria Dong 656 /li-ka-shing-arts-initiative/%3Ca%20href%3D%22https%3A//www.mcgill.ca/li-ka-shing-arts-initiative/article/yunung-lee-advanced-research-cohort-2025%22%20hreflang%3D%22en%22%3Eview%3C/a%3E Background I am a international PhD candidate in the School of Social Work at 91Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵ, walking into my fourth year of study. My research focuses on the factors and processes that shape educational upward mobility among socioeconomically disadvantaged emerging adults. My 2025 LKS-STU research project builds on my 2024 study by further exploring the psychosocial experiences and career imagination of first-generation college students. Specifically, my aim for this year's project was to interview at least 15 students whose parents had not received a college education, had worked in Tue, 28 Jul 2026 18:09:27 -0400 Yunung Lee 657 /li-ka-shing-arts-initiative/%3Ca%20href%3D%22https%3A//www.mcgill.ca/li-ka-shing-arts-initiative/article/esther-forbes-icl-cohort-may-2025%22%20hreflang%3D%22en%22%3Eview%3C/a%3E From the moment I arrived in Shantou, the fact that I was a part of the last cohort this exchange program would have weighed heavy on me. Despite constant reassurance from the program’s supervisors that I ought to just enjoy my time in Shantou, I couldn’t escape this remarkable feeling of pressure. While settling into life in China I did not quite understand what this program was going to truly mean for me, however I wasted no time trying to make the most out of this trip. Throughout my exchange, I took it upon myself to keep a journal with me everywhere I went. Despite the minor inconvenience Wed, 22 Jul 2026 14:38:01 -0400 Esther Forbes 655 /li-ka-shing-arts-initiative/%3Ca%20href%3D%22https%3A//www.mcgill.ca/li-ka-shing-arts-initiative/article/erica-zhang-icl-cohort-may-2025%22%20hreflang%3D%22en%22%3Eview%3C/a%3E Before entering my fourth and last year in the Joint Honours in East Asian Studies and Sociology, I decided to participate in the Li Ka Shing Arts Initiative Chinese Intensive Language Program to expand my understanding of Chinese social customs and beliefs. As a child of southern Chinese immigrants, I also believed this program would help me understand some of my cultural roots and a great opportunity to immerse myself in the culture while practicing Mandarin. I was interested in how the Chinese language shapes social norms and beliefs, its relation to the diaspora communities, and how these Wed, 22 Jul 2026 14:31:23 -0400 Erica Zhang 654 /li-ka-shing-arts-initiative/%3Ca%20href%3D%22https%3A//www.mcgill.ca/li-ka-shing-arts-initiative/article/defne-suyabatmaz-icl-cohort-may-2025%22%20hreflang%3D%22en%22%3Eview%3C/a%3E My name is Defne. I am a second-year student at 91Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵ studying Political Science and East Asian Studies. I have a particular interest in learning about different cultures, learning new languages, and travelling. Since I started learning Mandarin four years ago, China has been at the top of my travel destinations list. When I heard about the Li Ka Shing initiative program, I knew it would be an amazing opportunity for me to not only improve my Mandarin skills but also to learn about Chinese culture. This trip proved to me that no matter how much we read about the history or culture of a Wed, 22 Jul 2026 14:17:14 -0400 Defne Suyabatmaz 653 /li-ka-shing-arts-initiative/%3Ca%20href%3D%22https%3A//www.mcgill.ca/li-ka-shing-arts-initiative/article/claire-missoum-icl-cohort-may-2025%22%20hreflang%3D%22en%22%3Eview%3C/a%3E As a U2 Linguistics major, the idea of language acquisition through immersion is fascinating to me. During my time at Shantou University, I had the privilege of experiencing this phenomenon first hand. Prior to the trip, I decided my goal for this program was to make my brain a constant Mandarin classroom. Every single day, whether we had classes or not, I was forced to speak, read, or at the very least, comprehend Mandarin. This big change was frustrating at first, as I had just finished the Elementary Chinese class at 91Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵ, and my Mandarin was not very strong. I noticed though, that over Wed, 22 Jul 2026 14:03:03 -0400 Claire Missoum 651 /li-ka-shing-arts-initiative/%3Ca%20href%3D%22https%3A//www.mcgill.ca/li-ka-shing-arts-initiative/article/akassia-molina-icl-cohort-2025%22%20hreflang%3D%22en%22%3Eview%3C/a%3E My name is Akassia Molina, and I am an international student at 91Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵ, double majoring in Urban Studies and Economics with a minor in Mandarin. I am passionate about economic development, urban planning, and language acquisition. This year, I was honoured to return to the immersive Mandarin program at Shantou University in Guangdong, China. My primary goals for the trip were to strengthen my fluency—especially in spoken conversation—and to build meaningful connections with my peers and tutors. Compared to last year, another year of Mandarin coursework under my belt allowed me to Wed, 22 Jul 2026 14:02:04 -0400 Akassia Molina 652 /li-ka-shing-arts-initiative/%3Ca%20href%3D%22https%3A//www.mcgill.ca/li-ka-shing-arts-initiative/article/jake-lang-icl-cohort-may-2025%22%20hreflang%3D%22en%22%3Eview%3C/a%3E Hi! My name is Jake, and I am an undergraduate student studying religion and East Asian studies. Throughout my humanities education here at 91Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵ (and by Prof. Buckley at the welcoming ceremony), I’ve been taught a certain lesson that encountering any other culture—or individual—with sincerity and good faith requires a certain openness. An openness not only to new people, places, and experiences, but also to new and different ideas and ways of being. However, this openness also comes with vulnerability. Vulnerability in encountering the unfamiliar, in making mistakes and cultural faux-pas Wed, 17 Jun 2026 11:58:18 -0400 Jake Lang 650 /li-ka-shing-arts-initiative/%3Ca%20href%3D%22https%3A//www.mcgill.ca/li-ka-shing-arts-initiative/article/paloma-hesry-icl-cohort-may-2025%22%20hreflang%3D%22en%22%3Eview%3C/a%3E As a student majoring in Liberal Arts and minoring in Chinese supplementary language, this program felt tailor made for me. Indeed, the morning classes helped me improve my Chinese proficiency, and the colloquial exchanges with the friendly tutors allowed me to boost my conversational skills. What is exceptional about this program is that the learning curve is not limited to Chinese fluency and language competency. While some people in the cohort were discovering Chinese culture and customs, for my own account (as a French/Chinese person), the program felt like digging deeper into my roots Wed, 17 Jun 2026 11:37:55 -0400 Paloma Hesry 649 /li-ka-shing-arts-initiative/%3Ca%20href%3D%22https%3A//www.mcgill.ca/li-ka-shing-arts-initiative/article/ella-paul-chowdhury-icl-cohort-may-2025%22%20hreflang%3D%22en%22%3Eview%3C/a%3E My name is Ella, and I’m a third-year Art History major at 91Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵ. In May 2025, I had the immense privilege of participating in the Li Ka Shing Arts Initiative Intensive Chinese Language Program for a second time. As a repeat participant, I was in the unique position of being already familiar with a place so far from home and getting to experience it through new eyes. Though my improved Mandarin level after another year of studying at 91Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵ made a huge difference in my ability to engage with a new culture and environment, it was ultimately the people who made this month so memorable. The Wed, 17 Jun 2026 11:11:26 -0400 Ella Paul-Chowdhury 648