Hi everyone! My name is Raziya, and I’m a sophomore at Georgia State University studying Accounting and Chinese. This summer, I’ve been given the opportunity to study abroad in China for two months through a language immersion program that has recently reopened after COVID. During this time, I will live on a college campus in Beijing and experience the language and culture firsthand. I am really passionate about traveling with this program and is a huge opportunity for me.

As an accounting major with an interest in international business, I hope to learn how culture shapes communication, relationships, and business practices in ways that cannot be taught in a classroom. I believe this experience will help me build a future working across cultures and creating stronger global connections.

This opportunity is also very personal to me. It is not just about earning college credit or traveling abroad, but about stepping into a world I’ve spent years trying to understand from a distance. Growing up, I often felt disconnected from parts of my identity and culture, and learning Chinese became a way for me to reconnect. What started as curiosity grew into passion, purpose, and a clear direction for my future—one that I hope leads me to working in Taiwan or China.

I hope to use this experience to fully immerse myself in the culture, strengthen my language skills, and return more independent, adaptable, and open-minded. More than anything, I hope it shapes not only my future career, but the person I am becoming.

Thankfully, through scholarships and family support, most of my tuition and program costs are already covered, which I am incredibly grateful for. I am currently raising the remaining funds for flights, meals, and essential travel expenses before I leave at the end of May.

If you’re able to support me—whether through a donation of any amount or by sharing this post—it would truly mean so much to me and my family. Every bit brings me one step closer to this opportunity.

And yes, I promise I’ll come back with better Chinese, great memories, and slightly fewer Duolingo notifications.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this and for supporting my journey.