by Rebecca Rakoczy

 

The first time Brian Reynolds went to China, he didn’t know a word of Chinese.

 

He lost weight because he couldn’t order a meal—or at least one that he recognized as similar to the Americanized version of Chinese food.

 

And Western fare, though available, was pricey. “I was always hungry because I couldn’t speak the language and could only order a few foods,” he says. “I learned a few key phrases like ‘Where is the restroom?’ and ‘How much?’”

 

Today the Georgia Perimeter College alumnus is fluent in Mandarin, travels to China at least once a year and has a healthy appreciation for regional Chinese food.  And he says it was his time at GPC that shaped his academic and career goals, opening the doors for his international education.

 

Reynolds recently came back to the college to show students the fun and educational advantages of a study abroad experience.

 

In 2011, Reynolds visited and documented the cultures of 10 of China’s 55 ethnic minorities, photographing and

His short video, “An American in China,” is an extension of his scholarship as part of Arizona State University’s Chinese Language Flagship program, an intensive language program that requires students to speak their chosen country’s language in classes, as well as while studying abroad. Reynolds expects to complete the program and earn his bachelor’s degree in May.

 

Reynolds didn’t find his niche immediately—in his travels or his college experience.

 

“The first time I came to GPC in 2002 I had no direction, I was just taking classes in whatever I thought looked interesting,” he says. Despite his family connection to the college—his father, Dr. Newburn Reynolds, is a psychology professor on Decatur Campus—the younger Reynolds says he wasn’t sure what he wanted to do. He left the college in late 2004.

 

His restlessness led him to China for a business opportunity as an exporter of shoes and garments in 2005. But soon he realized that, while the export industry showed potential, his heart wasn’t in it, he says.

 

“Once I started becoming conversational [in Mandarin], I saw China was going to continue to grow, and I would be limiting myself if I stuck only to exporting garments. I knew I wanted to study the Chinese people and cultures, and I wanted to complete my education.”

 

After a year, he came home and re-enrolled at Georgia Perimeter, majoring in foreign language with an emphasis on business administration. He established the Chinese Language and Culture Club and the International Student Club on Dunwoody Campus.

 

He also focused on getting back to China.

 

In 2008, with the help of faculty study abroad advisors, Reynolds designed a semester-long study abroad program at Nanjing University in the Jiangsu province of China.

 

While in Nanjing, he learned about the program at Arizona State University.  He finished his associate degree at GPC while in China and applied for and received a scholarship for the program at Arizona State.

 

Reynolds continues to be captivated by the cultural diversity in China.

 

“Learning about their different cultures was absolutely fascinating, and it really changed my perspective of the country as well,” he says.

 

Because of his experiences, Reynolds hopes one day to work as an international education consultant for Chinese and American high schools.

 

“I want American students to learn more about the world outside the United States and challenge their perspective,” he says, “and I want the Chinese to see a different perspective of America.”