Junior Qingya Liu grew up in the city of Shenyang in Northeast China. She attended one of the top public schools in China, Benxi. Liu went to school six and a half days of the week from 6:00 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., and had very little vacation time.  Needless to say, her rigorous academic schedule left her very little free time. The Chinese culture puts a heavy emphasis on academic success, so being social and just “hanging out” is often considered a waste of time.

Liu transferred to Mercy this year and is taking advanced courses like A.P. Calculus and A.P. Chemistry, but her course load is still not as challenging as the one she had in China.

Liu enjoys the free time that Mercy’s modular schedule provides. She loves being able to balance her academic studies with other things, like making friends. Liu said she considers both the students and staff at Mercy to be friendly and warm-hearted.

“Mercy has made me a more caring person, because I am not as busy with school work,” she said.

Liu misses her family back home in China.  She calls them when she can, and even visited them over Christmas break. However, Liu plans to continue her studies at Mercy her senior year, then hopes to attend the University of Michigan.