Jennifer You 尤紫嘉, She/her/hers
- Graduated
- Faculty of Arts, Majoring in English Literature with Minor in Asian Studies
The general exposure to these complex topics, most of which I didn’t deeply consider even in an English-speaking environment until they were covered in Chinese class, helped me to expand my worldview and pushed me to further understand the world around me and empathize with others’ opinions.
Debating in Chinese class helped me understand that not everything is as black and white as it seems. Being on different sides of debates and continuously considering the variety of perspectives within the debate has made me more empathetic of others’ views, even if they are drastically different from mine.
As a Canadian born Chinese, there were only so many things that I could verbalize or comprehend due to my previously limited language skills. However, through learning Chinese, I came to understand my own culture and heritage more because of the various topics that we covered, such as healthcare, plastic surgery, types of education, the preservation of traditions, etc. in and outside China.