Jingshu Yao was living on residence when she saw four deer grazing by her window.
“I come from a big city and it’s hard to see nature,” says Yao, who is from the east coast of China. “It impresses me a lot when I walk out of classrooms and dorms and see nature all around me.”
Yao is in her second year at U of T Scarborough, pursuing a major in linguistics and a double minor in English to Chinese translation and creative writing.
She says following her passion for creative writing is one of the best parts of her education so far.
“I didn’t expect myself to pick up creative writing again, because it’s a profession that doesn’t really promise employment, so I’ve been discouraged from becoming a writer back home,” she says. “But after I came here and took a creative writing course, I realized I’m very passionate about it.”
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Yao enjoys writing fiction and poetry, and finds inspiration in the wildlife surrounding the campus. She says one of her favourite spots on campus is the Valley, where she enjoys bike riding.
Her interest in linguistics and translation came after being a volunteer interpreter for an exchange program. The program sent American students to China, where Yao helped students navigate their lives.
She says this experience led to her interest in the differences between languages and culture — something she says living in Scarborough has fostered.
“One of the best things linguistics taught me is that language itself has diversity,” she says.
“As a second language learner, I obviously have an accent and limited vocabulary — but that’s fine, because you should be proud of the way you talk instead of thinking of what you should sound like.”