Stories of Success: Alysia — New Mind Education

“Alysia” Xinru Yan came to the United States unsure about her ability to thrive. Now, she finds herself working on her second internship with AstraZeneca, a major pharmaceutical company. She credits the University Performance Program (UPP) and specifically her advisor, Mina, for helping her navigate university life, become more confident, and take advantage of all the opportunities available to her while living in the United States.

As a senior at North Carolina State University majoring in statistics with plans to graduate in December, Alysia has had many memorable experiences on campus. One of her favorites was volunteering with Second Chance Adoptions, an animal adoption organization, where she was able to help cats find their forever homes. To learn valuable skills and support her future career, Alysia also held an on-campus job and several internships. Her first job was at Chik-Fil-A, a chicken fast-food restaurant. She did this to obtain a social security number for future employment and enjoyed a nice perk, “I could get a free lunch when I went to work!” she laughed.

Her strong relationship with one of her professors and connection to the large NC State alumni network in the region helped Alysia secure a prestigious internship at AstraZeneca where she is able to combine the academic and leadership skills taught by the university and UPP, “the manager who hired me is also a graduate from NC State. She emailed one of my professors and I got a chance to have an interview and then work at AstraZeneca. The work I do now is automating SAS code to say if product A is bioequivalent to product B. The one is really expensive and the company wants to lessen the cost so we want to find another thing that can be exactly equal to the first one but also cost less,” she explained. Alysia was excited to intern there because AstraZeneca was one of the creators of the COVID-19 vaccines.

Originally from Dalian, China, Alysia was eager to attend NC State due to its beautiful weather, “There are a lot of beautiful rivers, lakes, and mountains here, and I really like outdoor activities.” The small number of Chinese students attending NC State was also a draw for Alysia and her family, as it was important for her to push beyond her comfort zone. “Well, my mom wants me to speak more English, but I still made a lot of Chinese friends here,” she laughed.

Alysia recommends that international students join UPP for support in adjusting and integrating into American culture and university life. She also credits the assistance she received from her UPP advisor, Mina, as being an essential part of her first-year experience, “We had meetings once a week, and I could ask all the questions I was afraid to ask during the office hours of professors. She also helped me a lot with the culture and how to get connections with the US culture and the Chinese culture.”

UPP Advisor, Mina, during an ethnic food experience with her mentees!

Despite Alysia’s confidence, life wasn’t easy during her first year in the US as she experienced many challenges, both academic and social. She recalls being nervous about how best to improve her English writing skills. Fortunately, her advisor was there to provide needed support, “[I thought] Maybe I’ll just get a B+ in the end, but actually I got an A+ on my freshman English paper!” Traveling was also a significant interest of hers, but she was unsure how to arrange for travel in the US. Again, her advisor was there to lend a hand showing her how to find inexpensive flights and hotels. Not only did UPP provide travel support, but they also arranged for unique trips where students were able to immerse themselves in the local culture.

While the university provides a number of important services for students, Alysia was quick to point out the advantages of joining a program like UPP, “The first point is that UPP is a program that is really focused on the international students, so they know that we are not really familiar with the American culture; we are not good at English or we’re shy to ask questions and maybe we don’t have the way to communicate. We are not familiar with the email ways or the WhatsApp way. All the teachers in the UPP can use WeChat, but they won’t use Chinese because they really want to help us use more English and communicate more.” To Alysia, UPP provided the critical support that allowed her to flourish and achieve her American dreams.