An International Student’s Campbell Hall Experience

When Beiqi W. ‘20 was in eighth grade, her parents presented her with an exciting opportunity to study abroad in a country almost 7,000 miles away. The following fall, Beiqi joined Campbell Hall for ninth grade as the school’s first international student from China, never having seen the school! Since arriving in the U.S., she has lived with a host family with whom she has grown extremely close.
When Beiqi imagined what her high school experience might be like, she thought there would exist a social structure similar to that of the movie Mean Girls, where students arranged themselves according to groups. She was relieved to find that the reality couldn’t be further from those fictional characters in that fictional high school. Instead, she was met with overwhelming support. “At Campbell Hall, you can truly be yourself,” says Beiqi. “It is a diverse community where everyone is accepted for who they are.”

High School French and Spanish teacher Madame/Senora Lei, who speaks four languages including Chinese, and High School Chinese teacher Wei Yang proved to be wonderful comforts to Beiqi when she first joined the CH community. Despite the fact that Beiqi has never been a student in either of their classes, both teachers found ways to connect with her and make her feel at home. Beiqi even joined Ms. Yang’s family to make the traditional Chinese hot pot dish.

Learning in a different language initially posed some challenges to Beiqi, especially in the humanities. At first, she struggled in class discussions, but supportive CH faculty were always there to help, ensuring she really understood the material. The writing lab also proved to be extremely helpful and Beiqi spent long hours strengthening her writing skills. In fact, Beiqi soon progressed so much that she began to take creative writing classes. She is now a member of Campbell Hall’s CREW, a public partnership conceptualized and run by Creative Writing teacher Glen Hirshberg, in which high school students teach creative writing to underserved elementary school students in the surrounding area.

Beiqi has enjoyed the flexibility and freedom that a Campbell Hall education offers. “At my school in China, everything was determined and laid out for you - you knew exactly what time to do what,” she explains. “Here, there are so many liberties to choose classes and activities. I’ve been able to take advantage of so many opportunities like tennis, cross country, track and field, and CREW. Through this process I have discovered that I really love running cross country and I want to continue to run in college.”

Beiqi’s sunny disposition and fearless attitude allowed her to make friends easily and to seek out new challenges. During her participation in the National Association of Independent Schools’ Student Diversity Leadership Conference (SDLC), she gained some powerful takeaways. “No one is going to know what you’re facing and what your difficulties are. You have to let others hear your voice. In the same way, you never know what societal pressure and injustices others are facing. It’s so important that you don’t make assumptions about others. This kind of perspective enhances empathy and compassion.”

When asked what she will miss most about Campbell Hall when she graduates, Beiqi instantly answered, “Chapel! It’s an amazing space for the whole high school to come together to share thoughts. Chaplain Courtney has incorporated student voices which allows us all to get to know our classmates, share about different cultures, and to see how diverse and wonderful the community is.”

Beiqi values, as she calls it, Campbell Hall’s “culture of collaboration” where students are encouraged to work together and are recognized for their individual strengths. “In my last school, my peers were set up to be my competitors. But everyone has different talents and weaknesses and in life, you have to learn to appreciate those differences. When competition is stripped away, you can really gain true friendship. Campbell Hall gave me an idea of what kind of person I want to be and the confidence to explore so many possibilities.” Beiqi plans to become a doctor because, above anything else, she wants to help people.
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Campbell Hall is an independent, Episcopal, K-12 all gender day school. We are a community of inquiry committed to academic excellence and to the nurturing of decent, loving, and responsible human beings.
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Campbell Hall admits students of any race, color, gender, sexual orientation, national, and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender, sexual orientation, national, and ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admission policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletics and other school-administered programs.
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