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By Samantha Sanchez

Yanfei Hu has had some unique educational opportunities. Despite coming from a poor background in China, she received her bachelor’s degree in Chinese literature. She was accepted into a university in China based on sheer intelligence alone. Even still, her chances at continuing her education or obtaining a career in China were extremely slim. Her plans after college were to continue serving as a translator and teaching English to Chinese businessmen. However, in the last year of her studies, a rare opportunity presented itself.

Gera-Lind Kolarik, a Rosary College alumna, was visiting China with her family. Since Hu was one of the few university students who could speak English, she was chosen to be the group’s translator. During the trip, Kolarik spoke to Hu about what she would do if she had the opportunity to go to America and she discussed going to school for an MBA. Hu wasn’t optimistic about the possibility.

“Yanfei said ‘I’m poor, there’s no way I can go there,’ but I told her that if she was serious I would find a way to get her to America,” Kolarik said.

For Hu, Kolarik’s offer was the first step to realizing her dream. “I always wanted to come here and meeting Gera-Lind made me think there was a possibility for me,” Hu said. “I wasn’t able to do anything until I met Gera-Lind. She became a mother, a mentor and a friend.”

The long process of bringing Hu to America officially began in July 2007. Kolarik began by speaking to Molly Burke, dean of the Brennan School of Business, about the first steps in helping Hu.

Based on Burke’s recommendation, Kolarik wrote a letter to the U.S. consulate in China expressing her interest sponsoring Hu. The letter and the strength of Hu’s transcripts got her into the English Language School located on Dominican’s campus. From there, she and Kolarik filled out countless forms before getting a student visa from the U.S. consulate in China. It wasn’t easy to communicate between the countries, but by July 2008 Kolarik was using her frequent flyer miles to purchase Hu a plane ticket to Chicago.

Hu found her first months in America to be challenging, but enlightening at the same time.

“The hard part is you’re in another country, you’re speaking a language that is not your native language and you didn’t grow up with this culture,” Hu said. “It’s positive, but at the same time, it’s very hard.”

Kolarik didn’t want her sponsorship of Hu to end at simply getting her into America. She wanted her to feel like she belonged here as well. Kolarik’s sister lives nearby and took Hu in for a month. They taught her how to ride the L, where Grant Park is located and introduced her to the opera.

“I made her a part of my family,” Kolarik said. “This is a program I would like to encourage other alums to do. Not to just help someone financially, but to make him or her a part of your family. I did this to help another human being.”

Kolarik paid for Hu’s first year of graduate school, but now Hu is making a name for herself. She taught a Chinese class to 50 students a week, served as a tour guide on a Dominican professor’s class trip to China that allowed her to go to places she never could as a citizen and is now volunteering her services by teaching Chinese to three local high schools. For her volunteer work, Hu was also recently awarded the Caritas award for outstanding leadership. She also made a video documenting her life in America, which she presented at her former university in China. It received a standing ovation.

Hu plans on staying in America after she receives her MBA. “I would like to use my business skills and English skills while doing international business between China and the US,” Hu said. “I miss my family, but I want to stay here.”

Kolarik is proud of the progress Hu has made and only sees her accomplishing more in her future. Kolarik believes that her decision to sponsor Hu and give her a second chance is very much in keeping with Dominican values.

“I’m a business woman. I never had a family and Yanfei is like a daughter to me,” Kolarik said. “ She is an inspiration to me, and I see her going far.”