International Community Feature: Wanqing Xu

For the final installment of our International Community Feature this semester, we’re thrilled to spotlight Wanqing Xu, a second year PhD student at the Tufts University Gerald J. and Dorothy R. Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy.   

Growing up in Shanghai, Wanqing knew by the time she was in high school that she wanted to become a Nutritionist and Dietician. Her school also had a focus on languages which allowed her to learn English and Spanish beyond her native Mandarin and Shanghainese. So, when it came time to think about her undergraduate studies, she decided to venture to the US where she felt the strongest nutrition programs were available. Ultimately, she landed at UC San Diego where she studied Biochemistry and Music – her love of jazz and Bossa Nova led her to learn Brazilian Portuguese, too! 

She began her graduate studies at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in the fall of 2019 for an MS in Nutritional Epidemiology. Little did she know returning to Shanghai that December to renew her visa would mean staying for several years: after the Pandemic struck, she finished her degree remotely. She then pivoted to working in the pharmaceutical industry in Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou (where she also learned Cantonese) for two years, and came to see the importance of addressing health problems through health systems. She then returned to Harvard where she earned an MPH in Global Health.   

Now at the Tufts Friedman School, Wanqing has been primarily focusing on the prevention of eating disorders and food insecurity in adolescent and ethnic minority populations. This fall she is planning to pilot an intervention project which will help international students with healthy dietary acculturation. In both her personal experience and observing others coming from abroad, she understands the challenges when adapting to a new food system – it often leads to changes in food choices due to limited access and high prices, which could have harmful health effects. The aim of this project is to help international students explore local supermarkets in the Boston area. Wanqing will personally accompany them to various stores and markets, walk them through different food groups, and give shopping suggestions that adhere to an affordable and healthy diet. She is also currently pursuing a Dietetic Certificate at Simmons University with the goal of becoming a licensed Dietitian.   

Though she has now been in the US for nearly a decade, Wanqing’s process of adjusting to life here has been an ongoing one. As an undergrad she was very focused on assimilating, though she did find it helpful to have cultural touchstones in California’s very robust Asian community. After coming east, she found that embracing her Chinese heritage began to flourish. She started wearing traditional outfits for special occasions and walked her most recent graduation ceremony in a QiPao dress. She also very much appreciates being on the Tufts Health Sciences campus which is in the heart of Boston’s Chinatown – she said she feels “like a mouse in a rice jar”, a Mandarin expression which means feeling satisfied by having everything one needs! Though day to day she mostly uses English to communicate, she has the opportunity to speak Cantonese and Mandarin with Chinatown residents and in her part-time job. During traditional festivals, such as ZhongQiu (the mid-autumn festival) and ChunJie (New Year), she enjoys giving out food like moon cakes and dumplings and HongBao (red envelopes containing money) to her friends who may not be familiar with the holiday. She also participates in the Tufts Chinatown Restaurant Challenge and the Chinatown Cleanup. Otherwise, she stays in touch with her family and friends back home and in other parts of the US. 

In her free time, Wanqing loves going to Boston’s independent movie theaters – the Coolidge Corner Theater in Brookline and the Somerville Theater right here in Davis Square. She’s currently watching the TV series The Testaments and enjoys exploring animated movies in different languages on Disney. She feels the movie Brooklyn is a relatable depiction of the immigrant journey and highly recommends it. In an effort to counterbalance her screentime, she recently organized a reading club with friends – during the meeting they read different books for a period of time and then come together to chat. She also has fun exploring nearby MA towns and cities on the Commuter Rail. And she loves practicing languages – she aims to be able to greet all her friends in their native language by the time she graduates! 

Wanqing’s biggest piece of advice to new international students is to be sure to reach out and ask questions. She knows it can be intimidating, especially for people coming from East Asian backgrounds where that might not be culturally encouraged. But she wants students to know that Tufts is a safe community and they should feel comfortable asking for help, even though some challenges can be hard to address. And always wearing her Nutritionist hat, she wants to emphasize that eating well is so important for your well-being and academic success. Getting familiar tastes of home either at restaurants or buying special ingredients at markets can be vital. There are also fun videos online that offer tips on how to use American ingredients to make dishes from your culture if authentic ingredients are limited. Thankfully the greater Boston area has a wealth of diverse grocery stores and Wanqing is excited to guide more people to explore them! 

—by Julia Keith 

(photo provided by Wanqing Xu)