Graduate Profile
Cynthia Xing
From Beijing
to Brown University
A Brave New World: From Tianjin to Beijing
the Chinese Thread. I was not ready to abandon my
culture and heritage at an international school, and
Originally from Tianjin, Cynthia Xing is a young when I came to visit Keystone, I fell in love with the
woman who is often overlooked by her more campus.”
flamboyant and extravagantly dressed peers. Her
jet-black hair sits comfortably on her shoulders, Since arriving at Keystone independently, Cynthia
with her circle-rimmed glasses perched perfectly has found her voice in the classrooms and beyond,
on her nose. It is easy to assume that her demure and her timidity quickly melted away as she formed
disposition lends itself to a very sensitive soul. tightly-knit bonds with her peers and teachers. The
However, beneath the calm of Cynthia’s demeanor Residential Life Program allowed her to communi-
is a young woman fiercely determined to go after cate with her teachers outside of regular classroom
her goals, even if it means moving from cities in hours. Academic and other support structures were
China to the United States. less intimidating and frightening, helping her cul-
tivate even stronger bonds outside of the classroom
Since Grade 10, Cynthia has been a student at
with her teachers while she is away from home.
Keystone. “When I was in Grade 9, I decided that
I wanted to go abroad for college,” Cynthia said. “The sense of community is something I really
“As a student in the Chinese public school system, appreciate about Keystone more than I initially
I was on a path to take the gaokao. At that point, thought I would at the beginning of my journey
it didn’t make sense for me to continue with my here,” Cynthia said. “It’s very rare for Chinese
high school education in a public school. I began families that the child gets to choose such a major
to research private and international schools in life decision regarding education. My parents were
Tianjin, but I found them too focused on the cur- so supportive when I was researching on interna-
riculum and not focused enough on the high school tional and private schools and helped me conduct
experience outside of academics. What attracted research about schools in Tianjin and Beijing. But
me to Keystone was the sense of community and the final decision was mine, and I do not regret
The Keystone Magazine 15