Major: Psychology BS, Criminology BS
Hometown: Cupertino, California
How did you learn about this opportunity?
I met a representative of CRCC Asia at the fall career fair at the BJC last October (2015). I decided to apply to the program, was accepted, but my parents didn't support me monetarily. I paid for the program myself, and decided to apply for enrichment funds to help out with living expenses for 2 months in Beijing.
Tell us a little bit about your experience.
As a legal assistant intern at Jin Rui Law Firm, I attended litigation meetings, researched environmental laws and regulations, and translated documents/proofread newsletters. I'm an Asian American who can speak fluent Mandarin, but haven't lived in Asia or visited China for any longer than 2 weeks. There are some colleagues who can speak a little English, but predominantly I communicate with them in Chinese. Although there is some culture shock that I experienced, when you come to China with an open mind, the lifestyle and city will definitely grow on you. The food is amazing (truthfully Beijing food is a little on the heavier side, the flavor and type of food is a little too spicy/salty for me) but a great place for introducing Asian food!
How did this experience impact you academically?
Academically, I translated law documents, and learned the Chinese "law jargon" and English "law jargon," and how to conduct myself professionally. Here, even simple business gestures like handshakes are different from America. In America, you want a firm, strong handshake when meeting both females and males in order to exude confidence. However, here in China, you want to shake the four fingers of a lady, and not include the thumb, which gives off the impression of gentleness, consideration, and care, because you are "looking after females". You learn to be proactive depending on the type of company you're interning at, and while you may not have work to do every single minute, you can take advantage of keeping a journal of what you accomplished, or setting a goal of completing one task a day (whether it be finishing one assignment, meeting a client, etc) which will definitely help you remember what you accomplished when you look back.
What are your career goals and plans? How did this experience impact them?
I'm definitely going to be using this internship to strengthen my future opportunities.
I'm pursuing forensic psychology, and thus majoring in Psychology BS and Criminology BS. Although I'm not going to be a lawyer, it's extremely helpful to have a strong background in law. Thus, that was my reasoning with choosing an internship in the legal sector through CRCC Asia. Jin Rui Law Firm provided me with professional experience (definitely build up those soft skills like interacting with coworkers, getting used to the 9 hour work day, etc) but also try to soak in everything that you're exposed to everyday. I'm definitely going to be using this internship to strengthen my future opportunities.
Would you recommend this experience to other Liberal Arts students?
Yes, it was definitely tough living and working in an environment where it's 100% Chinese that's being spoken even though I'm fluent, but the entire experience was worth it. I love traveling, and gaining the professional experience in a Chinese workplace was a once in a lifetime opportunity. Even though I was there for 2 months, which may seem like a long time when you sign up, it flies by because the weekdays are packed with work and the weekends are packed with trying to see everything. Definitely take advantage of traveling and studying abroad during college-it is the best time to travel because you only have you to worry about, you are young, willing, and capable so try to see as much as the world as you can!
For more information on internships for Liberal Arts students, visit our website.