Zhang, Xinyu (Xinyu or Cassie)

 

Hello everyone! My name is Xinyu Zhang, and I prefer to be called Xinyu, or Cassie, if you think “Xinyu” is not that easy to pronounce. My preferred pronouns are She/Her/Hers. I am a first year transfer international student, and I major in Linguistics and Asian Languages and Cultures. I am very happy to be here, and I am looking forward to meeting all of you at class! 

I am a Linguistics and ALC major, under the College of Letters and Science. I chose this major because I was born and raised in Beijing, China, so I have a deep affinity and interest in Asian languages and cultures. In addition, I have enjoyed learning different languages from various countries since I was a child, so I wanted to delve into the origins, composition, and development of human languages in college. I am the first international student in my family. My parents both completed their undergraduate degrees in China, so they were very supportive of me coming to the United States to study and learn the language as well as the culture of a different country here. I hope that I can share what I have seen and learned about the cultures of different countries at UCLA with my family so that they can also learn about the great cultures and histories of other countries and peoples in the world.  

I decided to take this class because I knew very little about Chicanx and Latinx culture and art beforehand, but I always wanted to find an opportunity to learn more about it, and this class was the perfect opportunity to open the door to Chicanx and Latinx culture and art. In addition, I have a keen interest in the role of females in the arts and their creative output. I strongly agree that the power of female artists should receive more attention and support in this day and age. I'm looking forward to knowing more great artists in this class!