Life at Ripon — Chuchen Tan ’16

Chapter 1: The Start of an Eventful Summer

[Editor’s Note: Chuchen Tan ’16, Sara Driebel ’16, and Jacob Sahr ’16 are writing rotating monthly entries for the Ripon College Newsletter chronicling their senior year experiences. We hope you enjoy their perspectives on Life At Ripon!]

Dear Ripon College Alumni and Friends,

A big “Hello” from the Midwest! My name is Chuchen Tan, and I am an international student at the College. I will be a senior this coming year, and right now I am working closely with Professor Joseph Scanlon on a research project in the Chemistry Department. I am a Global Studies and English major, with French and Chemistry minors.

Having lived in Shanghai for most of my life, it took me a while to adjust to a small town like Ripon. Fortunately, Ripon is a great college! Everyone is very kind, and I have so many friends in this wonderful place I call home. The adventure goes on as I have challenged myself to a 10K race this past spring. The half-marathon/10K class was one of the most inspiring courses I have ever taken, and having to run that distance at the end of the semester as finals drew near was an exhilarating experience. Here is a picture of a reenergized me after the race. Our instructor, Professor Joe Hatcher, was with us as we ran, and it felt amazing to be able to conquer the hard race together.

In addition to academics, I try to stay busy, which is not hard since Ripon offers many opportunities for its students. As the Vice President of the Cultural Diversity Club, I was lucky to be a part of a group that cares deeply about race and diversity issues. We organized a number of events across campus including a Native American showcase by Dirty Kettle, and as always, the international dinner draws a bigger and bigger crowd every year.

During spring break, a group of 13 students was able to go to Washington D.C. as part of the Career Discovery Tour to visit alumni and get first-hand advice from those who have gone through what we are experiencing now. We even got to have a little chat with Senator Tammy Baldwin! A picture speaks a thousand words, so here you go…

And here is the Library of Congress…

This is the first summer I was able to spend here at the College, and it has been quite eventful so far, with Badger Boys staying for one week in mid-June and Alumni Weekend with reunions for alumni who graduated in years ending in 0 and 5. There is always something going on in a town like Ripon!

Posted July 15, 2015 in Alumni, Student.

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