Kun Zhang ’11

Hometown: Beijing, China

A Perfect Choice
“Davidson wasn’t my first choice. Days before the application deadline, I received an e-mail from Davidson, thanking me for considering the school and saying, ‘I hope you can find the perfect college for you.’ It was an awesome e-mail. I thought, ‘This is exactly what I want.’” 

A Change of Plans
Landed a summer job on campus, but tragedy struck back home. “I was going to work for ITS, but after hearing about the terrible earthquake in China, I decided to go home and try to do something about it.” Although he didn’t get a volunteer position because of the outpouring of help in Beijing, he says, “I really feel a great sense of community in China—each disaster brings everyone together.”

Summer Olympic 2008
Became an unofficial ambassador during the Summer Olympic Games. “Since I couldn’t stay for the whole Olympics, I couldn’t get an official volunteer position, but since I speak English, I made myself available to travelers. The best part was being able to exchange information with foreigners visiting China, to explain even a little about the cultural differences between the East and West.”

Team Mentality
Enjoys tutoring for the Math Center and working as an AT for the Chinese Department because it gives him the chance to work in a team. “The biggest difference between American and Chinese culture is that America is very focused on individuality while China focuses on collectiveness. For me, it’s really great if I can help people form a team. When many individuals contribute a little bit to one team, it can be a great power. And I love to be the catalyst of the team.”

Martial Arts
Studied Kung Fu for seven years, and started a martial arts club on campus. “I want to focus on how martial arts reflect Chinese culture. America focuses a lot on fighting skills, but I would rather teach about the sets of movement involved, because, from learning all these kinds of positions, you can learn a lot about Chinese culture and philosophy. It’s a good form of exercise, too, and it has more of an emphasis on mental concentration.”