Graduate Profile
learning, literature, art, and language within the
and sharing culture. When I visit a museum abroad,
Chinese context motivated Evelyn’s decision to for example, I now try to connect what I experi-
enroll here. “Keystone offered a program in line ence there with my own culture. It gives me the
with my educational interests and aspirations,” feeling that the world is complex and beautiful at
she confirmed. the same time.”
In her first year, Evelyn benefitted from her teach-
ers’ encouragement and her peers’ support with
Anthropological Interests
easing into the Keystone way of life at her home
away from home. “Integrating and adjusting to Evelyn ’s binding interest has been the research
this new school, curriculum, faculty, student peers of minority groups’ crafts in southern China. As
and way of learning took me some time,” she part of her Creativity, Activity, Service (CAS)
shared, “I had to familiarize myself with voicing project, she spent her recent school breaks in
my ideas and opinions in front of the classroom, the remote mountain villages of Guizhou to
which took effort.” learn about and document the true essence of
the traditional crafts of fabric dyeing and deli-
With a soaring requirement for presentations
cate embroidery by local ethnic groups. She also
and increasing opportunities for public speak- probed more deeply into how different ethnic
ing, Evelyn grew more comfortable as the year groups value their skills and the history such a
progressed. “It was painful at times, but in ret- craftsmanship carries.
rospect, even those times of adjustment now feel
very rewarding. Sometimes, you need that extra
For this, she interviewed the craftswomen, vol-
push to carry on and stretch beyond your lim- unteered in the training program for embroiders,
its. Without those experiences, I could not have and recorded the stories and scenes she witnessed
reached further.” during her journey. “The Miao, for example, are
an ethnic group that embroiders and records
In due course, Evelyn also gained fluency in con- on their clothes their story and history through
sidering a blend of world perspectives and cultural time,” explained Evelyn. “The threaded pat-
angles and in regarding matters as objectively as terns of their embroidery convey their history and
possible. She learned how to write thesis state- beliefs endowing hopes and wishes of life into
ments in Chinese and English and studied literary the longitudes and latitudes of threads; women
works in both languages and from various eras. In are empowered, materially and mentally, by
addition, Evelyn assumed the role of dorm proctor, these skills.”
a leadership position in boarding life created to
help plan and facilitate a pleasant and safe experi- Over time, her learning morphed into awareness
ence for all boarding students. building around these dying crafts. Invigorated
by her new experiences and findings, she pro-
“If you take me now compared with three or four
duced a documentary, which together with her
years ago, I simply cannot recognize myself. My fellow student Alice, she presented in front of
lifestyle and my perspectives have changed and I captive audiences at school and around Beijing.
am now able to experience culture through a dif- Last autumn, they also organized pop-up exhib-
ferent lens. It is not just about what these learning its to share their learning and invite appreciation
opportunities have taught me, but also how they for this art in an effort to revive it and ensure its
have helped me open my eyes towards perceiving continuation.
The Keystone Magazine 22