Chinese students arrive at Busch Gardens to take part in Wesleyan's new American Culture and Tourism Management Internship Program
By Stephanie Smaglo | April 15, 2015
When Yuan Yao arrived in Williamsburg on March 12, one cultural contrast was instantly obvious: the method and speed at which she could travel from point A to B. The charming rustic landscape is certainly a change from her faster-paced homeland—Shenzhen, Guangdong, a Chinese city of 10 million—but Yao looks forward to calling the historic area home for the next six months as she participates in Virginia Wesleyan’s recently launched American Culture and Tourism Management Internship Program.
“I want to experience American culture,” says Yao, a student at Shenzhen University. “I want to visit more good places and meet more good people.”
Yao and eight other Chinese students will have the opportunity to do just that as part of VWC’s unique new program, made possible by a J-1 visa designation and a partnership with US-China Century Education Group Corp. The program combines academic credit through the College’s Recreation and Leisure Studies Department with an internship at Busch Gardens-Williamsburg. It's being offered for the first time this spring and summer, with a second group of 50 students arriving in July.
“The goal is to have cultural exchange,” says VWC Professor of Recreation and Leisure Studies Dr. Doug Kennedy, who was instrumental in bringing the program to the College. “The Chinese students will be on campus interacting with our students, attending classes and cultural events in the community. It’s a great opportunity to expose our students to Chinese culture, and vice versa.”
Program participants earn eight credits through the recreation and leisure studies courses “Travel and Tourism” and “American Culture and Leisure.” The classes will be taught at Busch Gardens by VWC Visiting Professor of Recreation and Leisure Studies Dr. William Becker. Students earn an additional 12 credits through their internship at Busch Gardens, which includes roles in retail operations, dining, customer and ride services. The theme park also provides internship management seminars to its visiting students.
“Busch Gardens has hosted students as part of cultural exchange programs for more than a decade,” says Kennedy. “They offer seminars on supervision, training, communication, and customer service. It’s great because students get the best of their instruction, too.”
The program isn't all work. While in the United States, visiting students take two field trips to Washington, DC and have opportunities to travel to New York City, Las Vegas and Orlando. They also have 30 days at the end of the program to travel around the country.
Student Lin Qing Xia has already begun mapping her trip, with a route that so far includes Florida, Texas, California, New York and Chicago.
“I think I will like traveling the U.S.,” she says with a smile.