Miffy Yuan
When Miffy Yuan came to the U.S. five years ago, she never imagined working for San Diego State University (SDSU). She traveled to the U.S. to work in Maryland. “I worked at the Marriott hotel in my hometown of Guangzhou and then came to the states to work at the Marriott in Baltimore,” says Yuan. After about a year and a half in the U.S., she decided to apply to the American Language Institute at SDSU.
“I did one semester as a pre-MBA student and then two semesters in the Semester at SDSU Hospitality, Tourism, and Recreation Management certificate program. It never crossed my mind that I would get a job here.”
Today, Miffy is a recruitment assistant where the bulk of her work is engaging with Chinese students. “I spend about one to two hours per day talking with people in China via QQ [a Chinese IM service]. I also spend time each day communicating via email with students from many countries. I like working with students from different countries since cultures are different and everyone can learn from each other,” says Yuan.
With experience as a student at SDSU behind her, Miffy shares insight on student life in the U.S. and what she enjoys about San Diego, “Be prepared that there is a lot of independence here. Try to be expressive – don’t hesitate to say ‘Thanks.’ Being more communicative with everyday experience is something that I needed to get used to. And, what I like best about San Diego is the weather and friendly people.”
The learning environment is definitely important; however, Yuan stresses that students need to look at other areas when choosing a school. Yuan says, “Studying and learning English are important, but students should review the school’s other services. For me, the ALI provided detailed service, advising me on things like housing. It’s really beneficial to students since they need these things but don’t think about them. The ALI helps students go through the entire application process. They care about students and it shows.”
