By: Danielle Kennedy
 | |
| Thomas Zhou |
As he waits at
the bus stop in the morning wearing a gray AC/DC shirt and blue jeans, Zhou excitedly
sparks up conversation with the stranger sitting next to him. The 23-year-old is inquisitive,
friendly, and thoroughly enjoys listening to others.
He’s also a long
way from home.
Thomas graduated
from Shanghai Maritime University in China with a degree in transportation and
communication. While at Shanghai
Maritime, Zhou took journalism classes at Fundan University every Sunday for
six months. It was here that he
realized his passion for writing and storytelling rather than science.
Dissatisfied
with his undergraduate studies and eager to learn more about news and American
culture, Zhou enrolled in the Magazine, Newspaper, and Online Journalism Master’s
program at Syracuse University.
Now, he’s doing
what he loves.
“I just think
that it’s a good opportunity if I can have a job that enables me to see the
world with my own eyes as well as to know other people and to see the world
from their perspective,” Zhou said.
As a former
college soccer player and Manchester United fan, Zhou’s passion for sport led him
to study sports communication at Syracuse. On his free time, he enjoys shooting hoops with his
friends. He says he isn’t very
good, but if he is as good at basketball as he is at making friends, Zhou will
emulate Carmelo Anthony in no time.
“I have the
chance to meet with new people with different backgrounds and they are very
kind to me so that’s a new experience for me,” Zhou said.
Everyday he
challenges himself to step outside of his comfort zone. In the classroom especially, Zhou is
making sure he’s paving the way for a bright future.
“I don’t care if
it’s print or an online institution, as long as I have the opportunity to work
with the news," Zhou said. "I just want to
learn here because the environment is different and the way of the teaching is
different so I just want to capture the opportunity in the university to be
prepared for the future.”
Whether he is
waiting at the bus stop or in the field covering a story, taking advantage of
every opportunity to learn something new is exactly what Zhou will continue to
do. He may be far from home, but
he’s not far from the top.
___________________________________________________________________________________
Q: Thomas, can you start by telling me a
little bit about yourself?
A: I’m a student from China, I’m from
Shanghai and my bachelor’s degree is from Shanghai Maritime University. After that I sort of had a gap year and
then I came to Syracuse because I really wanted to learn something about news
and the university offered a great combination of the fields that interest me
so that’s why I came here and I am looking forward to it.
Q: Why did you change from a science major
to journalism and how did that happen?
A: Well I was always fond of the magic of
the words and I did not like what I learned at college very much. I don’t think I can do it very well if
I’m not interested in it and I just want to be in a field that I like so I
changed my mind and want to learn the specific knowledge of news.
Q: What is it about news that has made you
want to learn about it?
A: I just think that it’s a good
opportunity if I can have a job that enables me to see the world with my own
eyes as well as to know other people and to see the world from their
perspective.
Q: Why did you want to incorporate the
sports concentration into your studies?
A: Actually, I’m a sports fan and I think
that it’s a good approach for me to learn sports and be familiar with the
American culture and so that’s why I chose the sports journalism class.
Q: Do you have a favorite team?
A: My favorite team is the Manchester
United in soccer and in premiere, I think the English soccer teams.
Q: Do you play soccer or basketball?
A: I was enrolled in our university
college soccer team back in China and I play basketball with my friends. Not that I’m saying I’m good, but I
try.
Q: What do you do on the weekends? Do you
have any hobbies?
A: If I have the chance to meet with
friends then we play sports together but if I’m alone then I do some reading or
such kind of things.
Q: Can you tell me about your favorite
part of studying in America?
A: It’s a difference environment. Although, I have been there before…in
high school, I had the chance to be here in a summer camp but it’s totally
different. I have to live
independently and this is my first time living away from home. I have to cook on my own, which I’m not
good at, but I find it interesting because I have the chance to meet with new
people with different backgrounds and they are very kind to me so that’s a new
experience for me. I think I’m
ready to get familiar with it.
Q: How are you adjusting to the American
culture…you know, you’re learning how to cook and all of these things, and so
what else are you doing?
A: I’m not good at cooking but I’m not
particular about what I eat so there is not really anything I can do with the
cooking, I just cook and I eat but what I do find interesting is to talk with
people here. Back in China, we do
not talk to people as often as we do here. For example, if I’m waiting for the school bus, I can
have a chat with the other person but back in China, we just stood there and
wait. That’s the kind of
experience I’m interested in and I think it’s good for me to get accustomed to
the environment.
Q: What do you hope to do in the field of
journalism when you graduate?
A: I just want to be in the news field and
I think it’s good for me to be heard with specific knowledge so I don’t care if
it’s print or online institution, as long as I have the opportunity to work
with the news so I just want to learn here because the environment is different
and the way of the teaching is different so I just want to capture the
opportunity in the university to be prepared for the future.
Q: Is there a specific goal in mind that
you how to accomplish?
A: I don’t but I think that its good for
me to learn whatever is new here because the way of teaching here is different
and it involves a lot of practicing and a lot of new experiences so at the same
time, while I’m learning, it’s a good experience for me to see with my own eyes
so I enjoy it.
Q: How would you describe yourself?
A: You mean my character, right? I think I’m easy going because I have a
lot of friends and not only, um, I’m not the speaking person but I’m good at
listening and so I think that’s why my friends trust me a lot and that’s
basically what I think makes me different from others.
Q: Is there anything that you’d like to
add?
A: I think there are going to be a lot of
challenges for me here because the language is different and everything is new
and I still haven’t completely got out of my comfort zone because everyday I
still talk to my Chinese friends so I think it might be a good opportunity for
me to walk out of my comfort zone and meet with more natives.
Q: What are you doing so far to step out
of that comfort zone?
A: I intentionally chose to live in an apartment
that does not contain many Chinese friends so it’s kind of a separation from
the whole group but actually I haven’t got the chance to talk to many
Americans. The Chinese are
everywhere…there are still many Chinese here so I just want to seize every opportunity. For example, when I take a bus, I can
talk to the people sitting around me or in class when I’m sitting around a
stranger, just say hello to him or her and just do those kinds of things just
to get out of my comfort zone.
Q: What kind of things are
you learning about the American culture?
A: I’m sort of prepared for the change and
I know a lot from the news. I
think I’m doing okay and there is not such a big difference after I left my
home country. But there is
something that I have learned, for example, at the orientation, teachers and
professors prefer to be named after “professor” instead of “miss or mrs” so
that kind of thing I found interesting and that I should pay attention to but I’m
not sure if it is applied for everyone.
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