On her first morning at Duke Kunshan University, Isabella Nichols paused by the campus pond, where the lotus blossoms were opening to the August sun. The iconic Water Pavilion cast ripples of reflection across the water, and for a moment, she stood quietly, taking it all in.
For her, this wasn’t just the start of her college life — it felt like a homecoming, the continuation of a journey that began in Guilin, China, where she was born before being adopted to Texas at the age of six.
Now, as a member of the DKU Class of 2029, Isabella is settling into life at DKU with the same enthusiasm and curiosity that made her a standout in high school.
“I’ve always wanted to study in China as a way to reconnect with my culture,” she said. “DKU feels like the perfect fit – it has the Arts & Media major I’m passionate about, opportunities to immerse in Chinese language and culture, and a global community I can grow with.”
A whirlwind high school chapter
If high school were a canvas, Isabella filled every inch with color. At International Leadership of Texas Katy-Westpark High School, she was vice president of the Chinese Honor Society, helping hang red lanterns during the Mid-Autumn Festival and leading classmates through Lunar New Year celebrations. She competed in the Chinese Bridge competition all four years, studied Flagship courses with the University of Mississippi, and, through the Marine Corps Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (MCJROTC), traveled to China on a special “Chinese Bridge – Flying Tigers” exchange exploring wartime friendships between the U.S. and China.
She wasn’t just a language learner, though. In MCJROTC, she rose to the rank of Major, leading drills and mentoring younger cadets, a role she says taught her resilience and responsibility. After school, she founded a cooking club where flour-dusted afternoons were filled with laughter, dumplings, and cupcakes. She also played violin in the orchestra, captured memories with the yearbook staff, and sharpened her storytelling through the media team.
“You could say I was busy,” Isabella said, “but I really enjoyed every moment of being involved and getting my hands on everything I could find.”
Finding identity
For Isabella, Mandarin isn’t just another subject. It’s a missing piece of herself. After moving to the U.S., she gradually lost the ability to speak Chinese, which left her with a nagging sense of absence. She remembers fragments of her early childhood, memories both tender and painful. Reclaiming the language has become her way of stitching together past and present.
“It felt bizarre to think, I am Chinese, yet I can’t even speak Mandarin,” she said. “High school gave me the chance to reclaim it, and now DKU gives me the chance to live it.”
She hopes daily life on campus — chatting with Chinese friends in Mandarin, ordering food in Kunshan, joining cultural festivals — will bring her closer to fluency.
“It’s not just about learning a language,” she added. “It’s about understanding myself.”
At home in Texas, Isabella often blended her two worlds in the kitchen. Brisket fried rice, venison dumplings, or whatever leftovers she could turn into a Chinese-style dish became her way of stitching together Texan roots with her Chinese heritage.
“Food is one of the ways I show my mixed cultures,” she said, “and sharing those dishes with family and friends makes me feel connected to both sides of who I am.”
A taste of China, a glimpse of the future
Isabella’s connection with China deepened last fall during a youth exchange trip to Yunnan. One memory stands out vividly: sailing across Lake Erhai, the sun glinting on the water, the air crisp and clean, laughter rising from her new friends as the wind caught their hair.
“If I had to explain Yunnan in one word, it would be ‘diverse,’” she said. “The people, the cultures, the landscapes—it left me wanting to explore more of China. That’s one of the reasons I knew DKU was right for me.”
The food left an impression, too. “From the savoriness of the Cross-Bridge noodles to the sweet flower cakes I got to savor in,” she smiled, “the food alone could just be worth a trip back!”
Life on campus
Weeks into her first semester at DKU, Isabella is already sketching out the next chapter. She plans to join the orchestra club to keep playing violin, connect with peers through Christian fellowship, and even try kendo — her first foray into sports.
“I’ve never been into sports, but I think doing something completely new will help me grow,” she said. “It’s about getting out of my shell.”
She’s also excited about ice skating, though it’s not yet an official club at DKU. She’s joined a group of students hoping to create one, and it has already brought her plenty of fun.
Just as important to her are the small, everyday experiences of life in China: late-night study sessions with friends, exploring Kunshan’s food stalls, sharing stories over bowls of noodles, and pausing by the Water Pavilion to let her thoughts settle.
“I really hope to make a lot of friends I can lean on, study with, or even just chat with,” she said. “Especially friends who can help me practice my Chinese.”
Looking back on her first eight weeks at DKU, Isabella admits she was initially nervous about making friends and not being able to speak Mandarin. But those fears quickly faded.
“I’ve been meeting new people everywhere I go,” she said. “I’m just very grateful I get to know so many people from all over the world.”
Even as she arranges her books on her dorm shelf and learns the rhythm of her new life, Isabella is already dreaming ahead. She hopes to enter China’s fast-growing digital media or gaming industry, bringing her creativity into designs and productions that inspire others.
For her, Texas will always be home, but at DKU she hopes to make China part of her home too — this time by choice, not circumstance.
“My big dream is to live and work in China, keeping my Chinese for life,” she said. “Art has always been my passion, and I want to be part of the new digital age with creativity at the center.”
By Chen Chen
