Home away from home
Polaris Qin, a junior at Penn State, is majoring in finance and minoring in sociology. She is a transfer student from China and aspires to get her dream job in fashion finance. When she was a little girl, Qin and her father would go horseback riding and shared a special bond related to the animals on their farm.
Qin doesn’t have a lot of family in the states and really misses her family and friends back in her hometown. When she became a student at Penn State, she wanted to be involved in an activity that felt close to home. She then joined the equestrian club to help her feel more surrounded with what she was familiar with.
When she joined the Penn State equestrian club, she felt welcomed. When choosing the horse, she wanted to make sure that the horse resembled the pony she rode when she was younger.
Qin balances her busy lifestyle as a student by making sure she gets the important things done first. She is enrolled in eighteen credits this semester and still makes time for friends, clubs, and activities on campus.
One of her favorite classes is her costume design course. She loves making items and she shares the process of how to make a garment. “It is a lot of work and preparation,” she says. “You have to go to the fabric store, pick out your garment pattern, and then buy all of the supplies. Then, you have to lay out your fabric, pin the pattern properly, and cut it out all before you use the sewing machine.”
As she balances her extra activates while attending college, she says that she wouldn’t have it any other way. “If I didn’t have any extra-curricular actives or hobbies, I would be at a loss. Keeping myself busy keeps my mind off of being so far away from home."
Though her life as an international student is very challenging, Qin keeps her mind at ease by being involved with the activates that she loves. She also has found a little piece of home here in State College that helps her be reminded of her father and all the great times they have shared at their farm. She tries to skype with her family once a week and keeps them involved with her State College life.
Video: Sewing for success
Qin enjoys her costume construction class and desires a career in fashion finance after graduation.
