Tina Li ’23
2021-22 Academic Year
Business and East Asian Studies
My name is Tina Li and I am the 2021-22 WLC Fellow. I am a junior from Queens, New York, studying business and East Asian studies at Brandeis. I like to experience different cultures through languages and food.
Growing up, my parents forced me to go to Saturday School to learn Chinese (very grateful for it). It wasn't until high school that I started to see the beauty and rich history of Chinese culture and its language. I also saw how language can be a stepping stone and tool to experience another's culture, widen our perspectives and build friendships.
In the latter half of high school, I learned Japanese at Japan Society. Anime was the gateway to my interest in Japanese language, which later spread into Japan's music, film and literature.
At Brandeis, I took a year of Korean. Being a K-pop fan since second-generation groups, I was very excited when I could read Korean letters and understand bits and pieces of a song. I also remember going to Hmart one day and walked out feeling proud because I understood all the labels.
Moments like these make all the hard work, the hours poured into studying :’) worth it. I will do my best as the World Language and Culture fellow to make language learning entertaining and engaging!