Panel Title: Bridging the Classroom to Real Life Work
Panel Moderator: Kat Eldred, Student Success Coordinator
Panel Abstract
Join Karena, Xinyi, Caroline, and Lily as they reflect on stepping into the professional world for the first time through internships in mental health, tourism research, market analysis, and AI application. In this panel, they’ll share how hands-on experience, adaptability, and collaboration played key roles in navigating unfamiliar and fast-paced work environments. From conducting fieldwork in rural China to analyzing travel trends and building AI models, each intern applied classroom knowledge to real-world challenges while learning new skills on the job. Their stories highlight how self-teaching, teamwork, and problem-solving turned everyday tasks into meaningful contributions—and how these summer experiences bridged academic learning with real-world impact.

• Speaker 1 Name: Xinyi Cai
  Title: Mental Health From Theory to Field
• Speaker 2 Name: Caroline Chen
  Title: Behind the Scenes at MICE: Research and Insights
• Speaker 3 Name: Lily Huang
  Title: Exploring Chongqing’s Tourism Through Data Visualization
• Speaker 4 Name: Karena Zhang
  Title: How to use AI in Business Applications