Ying Zhang (2011)

Graduate Program in Agricultural Economics

"My name is Ying Zhang, and I come from Dalian, China. In Spring 2011, I graduated from The Ohio State University with a Bachelor's degree in International Studies. To continue with my studies of applied economics, I will be pursuing a MS degree in Agricultural Economics this coming fall. Being born and raised in a country which is representative of the Eastern culture, I became curious to learn what people are like on another side of the world and flew to the U.S. at the age of 18.

To me, study is an experience that sharpens my mind so that I can tell what I really want. In the past I was undecided on my major but then I thought I would be an International Studies major because it has a specialization in World Economy and Business, and it also allows me to take interdisciplinary courses to fulfill my knowledge.

My major interest is the global economy, and in the future I wish to become a conference Chinese-English interpreter. It took some time for me to decide on my career goal since I became a college student, but now everything has fallen into place.

In summer, I visited my hometown city in China and was quite amazed at the rate of growth of this medium-sized city. China is now changing vigorously in many sectors, especially the urban areas.

In the near future, many more collaborations between China and other countries will be needed because of China's further openness to the world. Through my overseas learning experience, I hope to contribute to the improvement of understanding between China and other places in the world. Having lived in foreign countries, I have realized the importance of knowledge of one's own country, so it will be something I will concentrate on much more from now moving forward."