Hi! My name is Cindy Peng, and I am 19 years old. I live in Columbus, Georgia. I am a rising freshman at Wellesley College, potentially majoring in International Relations, Middle Eastern Studies, and Sociology.
Joining TOU, my particular interests are Interfaith Education and Migration. The reasons that urge me to participate are closely related to my personal development.
Growing up as both Chinese and Korean in Guangzhou City, China, with a large Middle Eastern and African community, I have been passionate about exploring and contemplating various cultures, religions, and ethnicities. After moving to the US and experiencing life in a relatively rural southern area, I confirmed my determination in working on cross-cultural communication.
Later, as I was able to attain more opportunities and further insights—partaking in field research in Kenya focusing on youth education and women empowerment; travelling to Jordan, Palestine and Israel on regional conflict, conducting a report on Syrian refugees’ impact on the Jordanian society; initiating Chinese left-behind children program on providing academic and extracurricular enrichments to this population—I perceived the significance of mutual understanding and the power of educating and informing the society.
To learn more about the related topics, as well as the methods of addressing issues in the current days and introducing the appreciation and respect of different perspectives, reasonings and backgrounds, I believe there is no better place than TOU for me to foster these ideas and achieve my goals.