As part of Hangzhou Alumni Week, our director opened the doors to a group of international students from Hangzhou Normal University. No panel. No podium. Just a long table, a lot of curiosity, and the kind of conversation that’s hard to manufacture.

They talked about life. Not the polished version—the real one. What it’s actually like to be a student in China, far from everything familiar. The quiet disorientation of a new city. The unexpected kindness of strangers. The slow, awkward, wonderful process of building a life in a language you’re still learning.

And then, naturally, the conversation turned toward the future. Careers. Ambitions. The pressure to have it all figured out. Our director didn’t offer shortcuts. Instead, she offered something far more useful: attention. She listened, shared a few hard-won lessons, and treated their questions with the seriousness they deserved.

It’s easy to underestimate what happens in moments like these. But for students navigating a foreign country and a foggy professional landscape, a single unhurried conversation can cut through a lot of noise. It reminds them that someone sees potential in them—not as a statistic, but as a person.

There is a reason why Hangzhou Normal University is one of the best universities in China. The constant desire to find new ways to put its students first, make it stand out. 

As our director said, we are lucky to host such amazing international student. If this is what alumni engagement looks like, we should all be doing more of it.