In order to finance his trip to China through the Brooklyn College Study Abroad Program, Edwin Done took a tiered approach. The senior, who majors in history and triple minors in Africana studies, Puerto Rican and Latino studies, and women’s and gender studies, applied and wrote essays for six scholarships and fellowships and raised funds through an online site called GoFundMe. He also received donations from his family and his brothers from Sigma Lambda Beta, where he is president, in addition to taking out a small loan. He did all of this while juggling his six academic courses. It proved a grueling time. Nevertheless, he was determined to make it to China.

“At first, I didn’t think I was going to be able to pay for the trip and I was devastated. I was fortunate enough that Professor Shuming Lu, the Office of International Education and Global Engagement, my family, and my fraternity helped with the whole process,” said a thankful Done.

The Brooklyn College Study Abroad in China Program is celebrating 12 years of bridging American and Chinese cultures through its immersive academic coursework, which includes the arts, business, cultures, history, and languages of China. Over three weeks, students in the program explore five Chinese cities, including Beijing, Nanjing, Shanghai, Suzhou, and Xi’an, as well as take side trips to Guilin, Hong Kong, Sanya, Tibet, Yangzhou, and Yellow Mountain. Students can take three to seven credits of courses ranging from Asian Business to the Development of Silk Road to Intensive Elementary Chinese to Revolutionary China.

“China is one of the oldest civilizations on the planet and one of the fastest growing economies in the world,” said Shuming Lu, the professor of speech communication arts and sciences who leads the program. “The program not only provides an opportunity for our students to travel, broaden their cultural perspectives, experience personal growth, make new friends, and develop valuable career skills, but it also gives them an advantage in diplomacy. An academic understanding of China is now an employable skill in the global job market.”

For Done, the experience was life changing.

“I have been on several trips around the United States, but I haven’t ever been this far away from home,” said Done, who also said that being on his own in a place foreign to his normal day-to-day life gave him a chance to step outside of his comfort zones to explore Chinese cities and engage residents, and exercise his language muscles. “While I was there, I spoke Arabic to several people, Spanish to other travelers, and Italian at some restaurants. Going to so many different museums and learning in the Silk Road class how difficult it is to excavate certain artifacts, I now have a new appreciation for museums and landmarks. Lastly, this experience also helped me rethink my future career goals because it taught me that it’s truly possible for me to be a global citizen and work anywhere in the world.”

Done grew up in the Washington Heights section of Manhattan, populated by many people, like Done himself, of Dominican descent, and has lived in the same building there his entire life. Initially, he thought he would be going away to college, somewhere out of state like his two older brothers did. However, his father’s illness meant that he had to stay as close to home as possible. Done’s compromise would be his 90-minute trek out of northern Manhattan, to central Brooklyn to attend Brooklyn College. He would have the benefit of being far away enough from home—on a 35-acre campus with vibrant green space that feels like an oasis in an urban environment, much like what he imagined attending college out of state would be—while being close enough via mass transit to get home quickly, if needed. And that need would come sooner than expected: During his freshman year, Done’s father passed away. The death rocked Done’s family and made Done even more committed to his academic success.

“I plan to be the first in my family to receive a master’s degree and Ph.D.”

Done—who is also treasurer of the Greek Council, an active member of the Brooklyn College Hispanic Society, and civically engaged in his own neighborhood—plans to become a public school teacher once he has completed his coursework.

“My desire to become a teacher stems from my observation that the nation’s public institutions very often omit certain histories and narratives, particularly as it relates to women and minorities,” Done said. “I want to help change that.”

Done will be graduating in the spring.