Shirley Xiao, Shenzhen College of International Education

I was entrenched in an “imposter syndrome” when I first met my fellow Cherubs. Compared with their exuberant experiences, my background as a student columnist felt feeble. Yet I asked myself, “Wasn’t this your dream? Surrounded by talented people, you will have plenty of opportunities to learn and improve.”

With every new assignment at Medill, Northwestern University, there was a new comfort zone I left behind.

I wrote seven breaking news stories in a day, rewrote my ledes into the night until my instructor was satisfied, walked up to strangers for their opinions on the presidential election, quickly moved on to the next interviewee after being rejected by my first option, trekked an hour in the Fourth of July parade for both interviewing and photography assignments, and crammed interviews in different time zones into time fragments between lectures.

As I completed my ultimate story, I looked back and thought even interviewing panhandlers — our instructor’s prank on the first day — wasn’t that challenging after all.

Of course, classes at Medill contained much more than interviewing or writing basics. My earliest and haunting memory was the “All Day Story,” an eventful day with seven breaking news stories “directed” by our instructors. I had to hurry from one location to the next, using my phone to jot down key quotes and information, and complete each report within half an hour. This sharpened my ability to grasp the most important facts and write under time pressure. I also enjoyed the lectures by Pulitzer Prize winners such as Jonathan Eig and John H. White. It occurred to me that they were just like us, though perhaps with more compassion for other people so that they can capture glimmers of humanity in their stories and photos.

Medill also taught me, through ethics lessons, how to be a good journalist — to “maximize the truth and minimize the harm.”

While interviewing for the presidential election and Fourth of July parade, I had little idea what to ask, due to a lack of knowledge and experience.

However, my interviewees were willing and daring to share their views with a Chinese student and began to lecture me about America’s social and political events. My attitude of being an attentive listener helped them produce some of their best quotes.

This experience also opened my eyes to how deep each of us is rooted in our own culture.

As one of five international students, I often failed to join discussions about American reality shows, TikTok videos, or pop songs. As fellow Cherubs complained about the sounds of cicadas, my bittersweet memories rested on how cicadas were romanticized as a symbolism of summer in classical Chinese poems. It’s never easy to break through the “bamboo ceiling.”

Nevertheless, with this experience tapping into my daring and potentials, there is an invincible summer within me now.