At the impressionable age of fifteen, Yunqian Huang vividly recalls her mother’s routine of leaving home to volunteer as an exhibit guide at the Guangdong City Museum. Despite her demanding career as a lecturer, Huang’s mother made it a priority to allocate time into her busy schedule, committing to the forty-minute commute twice a week to serve her community.
Having watched her mother dedicate seven years of volunteer service at a museum, Huang attributes her deep interest in public service to the example set by her mother, who selflessly devoted her time to enriching the community in Guangzhou, China.
As a student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Huang is devoted to following in her mother’s footsteps by actively contributing to her community whenever possible. However, Huang has gone a step further—immersing herself in a foreign culture and navigating the challenges of communicating in a second language.
Huang admits that it wasn’t an easy transition. As a freshman, she often felt disconnected from the Madison community and the peers that surrounded her. It wasn’t until she took a Community-based Learning (CBL) course that she felt like she belonged and could make a lasting impact during her time in the United States.
Although Huang is still unsure as to how she enrolled, she found herself in a 640-level CBL course her sophomore year, titled Tribal Library, Archives, and Museums. Surrounded by graduate students—and as the only international student in the class—Huang was undeniably the odd one out.
However, rather than being intimidated, she saw it as an opportunity to excel.
A key component of the course required students to collaborate with a local organization on a project tailored to that community’s needs. Huang partnered with the Ho-Chunk Nation Language Division in Tomah, WI to develop a Ho-Chunk kinship calculator. She describes the tool as an online resource inspired by similar tools that are popular in China, where complex kinship systems often require clarification. The calculator simplifies the process of connecting with relatives, bridging cultural and linguistic gaps in a meaningful way.
“My family is Mongolian Chinese but I didn’t live near inner Mongolia, which made it difficult for me to learn about my culture and language,” Huang says. “Growing up, I met random relatives at family meetings but was never sure how to address them.”
Through the course, Huang discovered that the Ho-Chunk people face challenges in navigating their unique and complex kinship system. Additionally, some individuals who identify as Ho-Chunk may lack familiarity with the Ho-Chunk language, highlighting the need for accessible cultural tools.
Huang shares that language revitalization holds deep personal significance for her. She connects it to her own feelings of insecurity stemming from physical distance from her family and limited exposure to Mongolian Chinese culture.
“If I never got the chance to learn my own language, I want to do my very best to make sure other people have the resources and tools to learn more about their language, because that’s the experience I wish I had,” Huang says.
In the beginning phase of her project, Huang met with professors, classmates and the director of the Ho-Chunk Nation Language Division at their campus office to pitch her idea for a kinship calculator. She vividly recalls how the director, initially occupied in another part of the office, rushed into the room after overhearing her proposal.
“I remember him being very enthusiastic about the project,” Huang says. “He exclaimed they had envisioned this tool—something to strengthen language and kinship—for a long time but never had the chance.”
She explains how the meeting left a profound impact on her. For the first time, Huang felt a meaningful connection to the campus community. After repeatedly hearing about the Wisconsin Idea in class, she finally understood its essence: the opportunity to bridge her unique perspective as an international student with the needs of the Madison community and beyond.
“That was my Wisconsin [Idea] moment. I understand it now. The concept of the Wisconsin Idea doesn’t happen when you are sitting in a classroom, typing stuff on your computer,” Huang says. “It really happens when you are working with a community.”
Huang admits that since that meeting, she notices parallels between different cultures and finds ways in which she can contribute new ideas based on her own experience.
Inspired by the Work
This revelation also inspired Huang to join the Morgridge Center for Public Service as a CBL intern.
In her role, Huang helps integrate community engagement into CBL courses by guiding students to see the broader relevance of their work beyond the classroom. She also emphasizes the importance of reciprocal partnerships with the organizations or communities they may collaborate with in the future.
In addition to this, Huang recognizes the value of stepping back and empowering students to draw from their own experiences in their work.
“Students don’t necessarily need to know everything about communities from me. My role in the class is to facilitate conversations among students and community partners,” Huang says. “Storytelling and the exchange of knowledge will foster both community and education naturally.”
Working as a CBL intern has given Huang the opportunity to hear students’ stories and serve as a reliable mentor in their lives. She reflects on how much she would have valued having someone in a similar role to confide in—someone who could listen to her experiences and ease her anxieties about the future.
While Huang finds her work deeply fulfilling, she acknowledges that it comes with challenges.
“One of the students in my CBL courses last semester passed away, and that was difficult for everyone in the class—including me,” she shares. “I realized I had never had a job that brought out such intense emotions before.”
Huang must also juggle working across multiple classrooms. Last semester, she supported five courses with class sizes ranging from 15 to 200 students—a daunting task for anyone, let alone someone navigating their second or third language.
She notes that many international students hesitate to engage in public service.
“As an international student, you’re living in a completely new environment, immersed in a new culture and often speaking a second or third language,” Huang explains. “You also lack a strong support system because your parents aren’t just 20 minutes away, like they are for many in-state students.”
As a member of the International Student Services Advisory Board, Huang is frequently advocating for additional support for international students from various campus units and offices.
That was my Wisconsin [Idea] moment. I understand it now. The concept of the Wisconsin idea doesn’t happen when you are sitting in a classroom, typing stuff on your computer. It really happens when you are working with a community.
– Yunqian Huang
“One of my passions is definitely encouraging more international students to get involved in campus communities and opportunities,” Huang says. “As a representative on the board, I always talk about how there should be better communication with international students about the resources and opportunities the school offers—delivered in a way that is effective.”
Now a senior in college, Huang continues to showcase exemplary leadership skills and relentless passion for public service.
By championing community engagement and the inclusion of international students, Huang carries forward her mom’s legacy of education and selflessness, proving that the values instilled at home can resonate far beyond borders.