Xinyue Zhang
Meaning of her name: Moon
English pronunciation: Ariel
Your nationality:  Chinese
Year at ONU: Sophomore
Major at ONU: Pharmacy
Interviewed by Elizaveta Dyachuk

Icon: How did you hear about ONU?
Ariel: Actually, my uncle graduated from ONU. Basically, he was the person who got me acquainted with this university. I was really skeptical about my college and major first, I had no clue what I would pursue after the high school. So, my uncle talked to me about the pharmacy education. Chemistry and Math were the subjects that I really enjoyed at high school, that’s why I made a decision to pursue what I love doing, getting the pharmacy degree at ONU.

Icon: What city did you grow up in? What is its population?
Ariel: Shenyang (city), Liaoning (province); 8,294,000 people in the city.

Icon: How do you communicate with your family while in the U.S.? 
Ariel: WeChat 

Icon: What do you hope to do with your degree?
Ariel: I want to take the part-time pharmacy position after the graduation to continue studying. There are a lot of possibilities, different paths that you could take with the pharmacy degree. I want to be a nuclear pharmacist; they compound radioactive medications for cancer patients, for instance. I like this job so much also because they usually work at night.

Icon: Do you intend to continue your education with a master’s and beyond?
Ariel: The program I’m pursuing is a doctoral degree. I’m also taking a minor in Computer Science. 

Icon: How many languages do you speak?
Ariel: Chinese, English, a little bit of Spanish and Korean.

Icon: What other countries in the world have you visited?
Ariel: I’ve been to China, Japan, Korea

Icon: What is the biggest culture shock you experienced when arriving at ONU?
Ariel: I moved to the US in my high school years. When I first came here, I was shocked that Americans are walking in a room in their shoes. You are stepping on my carpet in your shoes in which you are going outside?! Plus, a lot of students own cars. If you don’t have a car, you basically can’t get around at all. 

Icon: What’s the biggest surprise you’ve discovered about the United States?
Ariel: They are always holding doors for you which is definitely nice. 

Icon: Is there somewhere in the United States that you hope to visit?
Ariel: One day I want to visit California.

Icon: What food do you miss from home? 
Ariel: Everything, literally, everything! I love DanDan noodles. It consists of a spicy sauce usually containing preserved vegetables, chili oil, Sichuan pepper, minced pork, and scallions served over noodles. The dish can either be served dry or as a noodle soup. It tastes so good, and unfortunately, I absolutely can’t find it here. 

Icon: How do you like the weather in Ohio?
Ariel: It’s similar with the city I lived in, so I’m pretty cool with dealing with the temperature. However, the weather in Ohio changes so fast and frequently, compared to the place where I’m from. You really don’t know what will happen next day. 

Icon: What has been your favorite experience so far?
Ariel: In high school, I got a chance to do honor mentorship program. It is designed for students who want to explore more in different career pathways, and the program selects students who have higher GPA in their junior and senior year. Through this opportunity, I shadowed with a pharmacist and learned more about this fields. It re-assured my decision to purse higher education in pharmacy.