By Devon Wilkinson//News Editor

For the first 15 years of her life, Yulin Pan called Beijing, China home. Chinese is her first language and she grew up according to the Chinese culture; however, all of this changed when Pan decided to relocate to the United States six years ago.

Learning English as a second language and attending an American university was no easy task.

“Some days are tougher than others when you are so far from home,” Pan said.

Pan’s family lives back in China and although they communicate regularly, Pan misses seeing her family in person.

“I have three dogs at home and I just wish they could be here in America with me,” Pan said.

Although the distance is far, Pan is able to stay connected to her Chinese heritage even though she is more than 11,000 miles away.

“Some of my best friends here at HPU are exchange students from China too,” Pan said. “They help me stay connected to my roots. We celebrate holidays together and we share the same traditions as each other. I am very grateful for them, and it makes being so far from home just a bit more bearable. It is almost like they are part of my family now.”

Pan does not regret her decision to come to America even on her hardest days.

“America is so fun and the culture is so exciting and fascinating to me,” Pan said.

Pan explained how Chinese universities don’t celebrate sporting events like American universities do, and they also don’t have Greek life.

“In China, academics are considered so important that there really isn’t time for anything else,” Pan said.

Pan plans on staying in the United States after graduating from HPU in 2018.