ASU hosts Sun Devil Send Offs in China

Arizona State University held official Sun Devil Send Offs on July 1 in Shanghai and July 8 in Beijing, China, to welcome newly admitted freshmen and transfer students to the university.

The three-hour long events gave parents and students the opportunity to meet current students and alumni, who spoke to them about the resources available at ASU, shared their own experiences and, of course, taught the newcomers how to “throw the pitchfork.”

Arlene Chin, assistant director of international undergraduate admissions, and Kent Hopkins, vice provost, were also on site to help welcome the bunch to the Sun Devil family.

“These parents are sending their child away to school. For the student, it is exciting and a new adventure, but for the parents there is always some anxiety at the beginning,” Chin said. “We wanted to build the bridge between ASU and these families who may otherwise not have the opportunity to meet the staff their students will interact with.”

The event was so successful that by the end of the evening families were making dinner plans and agreeing to attend future Send Offs in their areas. Some families were even promising to spend the Chinese New Year together. Xin Nian Kuai Le! (Happy New Year!)

Students had fun exchanging phone numbers and arranging to meet up in Tempe. Guanzhong Zou attended the Shanghai Send Off, where she was able to learn more about the American culture and connect with the university for the first time.

“It was very meaningful for me because ASU made me feel like [I was part] of a big family. Everyone was really nice and helpful. They told me how to achieve my academic goals and I learned about the American culture by communicating with local students,” she said.  

These were just the first of many Sun Devil Send Offs to come in China and globally as the university works to strengthen and build relationships abroad. The new students will join the 4,430 international students from 120 countries around the world.

“Our global events will soon be reflective of our university-wide global diversity,” Chin said.