Rachel Ding, former SGA President
Plenty of students experience culture shock when they first arrive at college. The insane first few weeks of moving in, orientation, and fighting for seats in the library during course registration. There seems to be an endless number of clubs that want you to join their email list and way too many random acronyms to remember among other chaos. We’ve suddenly found ourselves in a new life with thousands of others also trying to adjust to college life.
But when I got to Emory, I had the opposite experience.
My parents moved over 7,000 miles from Beijing, China to Birmingham, Alabama in the 90s. Growing up, I was caught between an effort to assimilate and embrace my upbringing. I realized that growing up as the child of immigrants with traditional Chinese values in the Deep South, the first 18 years of my life had been culture shock. When I finally arrived at Emory’s Oxford College, I found myself exactly where I belonged.
I completely embraced the diversity of students around me, becoming fast friends with students who made me feel empowered to embrace my cultural heritage, language and identity. My immediate dedication to student government stemmed logically from the desire to grasp in my environment the true belonging that eluded me growing up. I had a drive to serve and improve the student experience of my fellow peers, who gave me the honor of serving as their student body president twice.
Now, many of us might be feeling that deep sense of nostalgia as we prepare to say goodbye to our four years here. After we walk across the Quad in May, we will look back at our camera rolls or Instagram posts and remember the pure joy, the overwhelming stress, the heartbreak and all those memories in between will be a reminder of the time we had together. When life gets busy and we inevitably grow apart, we will always be connected through these memories and can be thankful for the friendships we’ve built.
Finally, I’m thankful for the way the Class of 2022 has supported me, challenged me and most of all, impressed me. The world needs leaders, creatives, activists, innovators, trailblazers and our class has no shortage of change-makers. I know we will go out into the world and serve each of the passions we’ve developed here, fighting for the causes we believe in. The people at Emory are the reason why it is such a singular and amazing place.
This is just the beginning. We are beginning a lifetime of friendship and I know the future is bright with all of us at the helm. For now, I can just be proud to leave campus a better person just as I leave Emory a better place.
Rachel Ding is from Birmingham, Alabama and is graduating with a degree in Finance and Political Science. During her time at Emory, she served as Oxford College SGA President from 2019-2020 and Emory University SGA President from 2021-2022 and a two-term student counselor on the Board of Trustees.
