Med student studies in China

Attending classes in the afternoon at East China Normal University, Mark Munoz '08 says that merely walking out of the door of his apartment was an easy way to get an education. Studying alongside Chinese peers in crowded classrooms, experiencing the country in a way tourists rarely do is one way Knox College gives graduates an edge in life through its study abroad program.

Always holding an interest in the Chinese culture, Munoz, a neuroscience major from Portland, Oregon, spent half of his junior year in China. His adventure took flight from the moment he boarded the plane, hearing flight instructions in English, French, Cantonese and Mandarin. "It was a whirlwind adventure that I got credit for," he says.

Munoz says he had free time in the mornings, and so he volunteered as a translator assisting physicians at Whashan Hospital. When he left for afternoon classes, he would navigate his way to school through jumbles of bicycles and cars, picking up lunch at one of countless dumpling stands lining the streets.

Like all of the Knox study abroad programs, the China program offers students the opportunity to get a deeper understanding of another culture. Students are forced to test their comfort levels as they adjust to living in a foreign culture. ?China is a fascinating culture. I think that going to Europe you can see how it relates to America. But going to China is interesting, because you see that in no way does it relate to here.?

When Munoz was searching for a college he says that the internet was one of his major search tools. "One of the things I typed in to all my search engines was medicine and international relations, because I wanted a career that would not only take me into studies of the human body, but also studies of the entire world, and Knox has strong programs in both."

His father's Mexican heritage and his mother?s Oklahoma roots lead Munoz to his interest in other cultures and how they interact. "Going to Shanghai was both a cultural experience and a scientific experience for me," he says.

Munoz plans on attending medical school after graduation. "Knox being what it is does a good job of making sure you have completed requirements for your major before you go. Having the time to study abroad could be a challenge for a premed student at other schools. In the end it was the diversity at Knox and the programs and the people that I met that made a difference."

Studying infectious disease or neurology as well as returning to China and working on influenza etymology are two of Munoz's long term plans. "I think I can combine what I have in terms of interests in the region and interest in science to help not only everyone in China but everyone who is infected by influenza," he says.

Munoz admits that he had many debates with himself about going to China. "I was having a fantastic time at Knox, getting involved in clubs and getting to know many people. I wasn't sure I wanted to leave. I wasn't sure I would be able to reintegrate. But it was the best thing that ever happened to me, and Knox really helped make that happen."