Meet Tianrui Pan, a current Master's degree student at the University of Turku and an UTUambassador 2021-2022!
"Hi! This is Tianrui from China.
I just started my gender studies master program this year in 2021. For me, gender studies master program in Turku University provided a unique interdisciplinary atmosphere for not setting specific applying background standard for prospective students. Since I studied here, I gained previous experience of listening to others from different cultures, identifications and disciplines, and felt being listened to as well.
Living in Turku is quite a relaxing time for me. During my free time, I would always love to walk around the city carrying my phone or camera. I am doing some little paintings too. The nature of Turku is my favorite part, and I could always get inspiration from it. On the weekends, my friends and I would explore the woods or islands around us together, then sit for a coffee – which quite depends on the weather. If you have any good ideas about bad weather activities, please tell me!"
Instagram: @tianruipan
Tianrui's study experience
The passion and curiosity for understanding and being part of Chinese feminist activism is the initial drive for me to study gender studies. The Gender Studies programme at the University of Turku provided uniquely interdisciplinary platforms for not requiring students to have a specific study background.
I particularly enjoyed these moments when I got inspired by my classmates through our communications, such as our reading groups in the courses on feminist theories.
My future career plans so far would be navigating my path as a visual artist or/and researcher. During my study process, inspired both by the academic literatures and my personal experiences, I felt the importance of a direct, emotional and personal connection. Thus, I would start my fine art studies next academic year to explore more possibilities of different mediums and expressions.