1. B OSTON UN I V E RS I T Y
C M 3 0 1
WR I T I N G PO RT FOL I O
AUD R E Y ( DAN YAO) X I ON G
S D S D F S F

2. 30-Second Personal Pitch
My name is Audrey Xiong, and here’s what you need to know about me.
You will always hear me saying, “I have a plan.” But you will also often hear
me saying, “Enough with the plan. Let’s do it.” I find the balance between
reason and intuition, consistency and flexibility. I have aspirations like
many others, but unlike them, I will get my hands dirty to achieve my goal.
Now, the only way you will know all I just said is true is by you giving me
a chance to show you what I can do.

3. Table of Content
Resume
Writing Samples
Press Release
Newsletter
PSA Letter of Appeal
Blog Entry
Tweets
Film Script
Memoir
References
Reference Letter

4. Danyao (Audrey) Xiong
xiongd@bu.edu 574-780-7085
521 Beacon St. Boston, MA 02215
EDUCATION
BOSTON UNIVERSITY; Boston, MA May 2015
Bachelor of Science, Business Administration; Accounting Concentration
Bachelor of Science, Communication; Public Relations Concentration
Cumulative GPA: 3.64, Dean’s List (Fall 2011; Fall 2012; Spring 2013; Fall 2013)
Academic Team Project
New Product Project Fall 2013
• Projected 5-year sales using data collected through 170 consumer questionnaires and industry research.
• Elaborated on the five-year channel and pricing strategies, sales force plan, and sales projection
rationale in the marketing portion of the business plan.
• Audited the financial statements using numbers provided by other functional areas.
EXPERIENCE
Day2Night Fashion; Boston, MA Jan 2014-Present
Marketing and Social Media Intern
• Researched fashion bloggers to be featured on the company’s blog and scheduled interviews with them.
• Researched tradeshows to pinpoint ones that were suitable for the company.
• Conducted interviews with candidates for the company’s internship program.
Goldann Wealth; Shenzhen, Guangdong, China July-Aug 2012
Service Management Department Intern
• Tracked each product’s life cycle and prioritized sales of those in their growth stage.
• Drafted the profiles for new products for potential clients.
• Established and updated records of sales commissions for 30 sales people.
VOLUNTEER EXPERIENCE
Boston Children's Hospital; Boston, MA May 2013-Present
Volunteer
• Organized events such as snack parties for the patients.
• Assisted doctors, staff and parents by accompanying the patients and teenage visitors.
• Maintained a comfortable and friendly environment and order in the playroom.
Ten Thousand Villages; Boston, MA Jan 2013-Jan 2014
Volunteer
• Promoted organization’s charity work to local businesses and the general public.
• Executed multiple major sale floor activities--sales, inventory management, customer service, etc.
EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITY
Red Star Theater; School Club Dec 2013-Present
Director of Public Relations (E-Board)
• Issued press releases about the club’s latest events.
• Managed the club’s social media platforms including the Renren fan page and Wechat Moments.
• Served as the liaison between E-Board and members.
• Videotaped and photo shoot club activities.

5. Press Release
Contact Information:
Audrey Xiong, (617) 555-1234, xiongd@bu.edu
For immediate release: May 20, 2014
Sarah Jessica Parker’s New Shoe Line Is Available for Bid at the Silent Auction
during “Ms. Big” Weekend
This Friday, May 21st, Sarah Jessica Parker will bring her new shoe line, SJP, up for silent
auction during the Dress for Success “Ms. Big” Weekend at the Fairmont Copley Hotel in
Boston, Massachusetts.
“I have donated shoes for different causes, such as for fundraising a youth empowerment
project,” said Parker. “I feel proud that my own shoe line can contribute to empowering
disadvantaged women.”
Known for her TV role as the always impeccably dressed Carrie Bradshaw in Sex and The City,
Parker also actively supports various charities and foundations, including UNICEF, Human
Rights Campaign, and Stand Up To Cancer.
Parker has recently launched SJP exclusively at Nordstrom, one of the leading fashion specialty
retailers in North America. With a wide variety of shoes handmade in Italy, the line “defines
‘covetworthy,’” according to Nordstrom.
“I hope this line can bring out women’s innate beauty and confidence,” said Parker.
-more-

6. At the silent auction, attendees of the “Ms. Big” Weekend can also bid on numerous goods
ranging from homemade cookies and local designer accessories to a seven-day trip to the
Caribbean. All revenues will be donated to the Dress for Success Foundation.
“This weekend will be the first of its kind and having a woman as outspoken for women’s
empowerment as Sarah Jessica Parker is a great boost for our organization”, said Eileen
Brumback, Chair of Dress for Success.
In addition to the auction, “Ms. Big” Weekend will also include a career panel, multiple career
development workshops, networking events, and a fashion show. More information on the event,
including ticket purchasing, is available at www.msbigweekend.com.
Dress for Success, a Boston-based nonprofit organization, promotes the economic independence
of disadvantaged women by providing professional attire, a network of support, and the career
development tools to help women thrive in work and in life.
-###-

7. Note
I wrote this press release for a writing class team project. This project asked the students to
create a fundraising event and write a press release, an event advertisement in the form of
a storyboard, and contents on the event’s homepage. The event we had created was the
“Ms. Big” Weekend held by Dress for Success, a Boston-based nonprofit organization, which
aims to promote the economic independence of disadvantaged women. I wrote the press
release for this project.

8. RED STAR
THEATER GROUP
Winter 2014
Volume 4, Issue 1
“We aspire to also present our culture, our history and our
life in such a powerful and vivid way to our own people and
to the world.” – Audrey Xiong, Founder
COMING EVENTS
02/21 Secret Love for the Peach Blossom Spring at Huntington Theatre
8:00 p.m.
03/07 Open Acting Class: Acting with Your Children
6:00 p.m.
03/18 Boston University College of Communication: An Evening with
Stan Lai
7:00 p.m.
IN THIS ISSUE:
Letter from the Founder:
Audrey Xiong
Audrey talks about the big
success of Red Star’s new
play. Read more…
Devotion to Secret Love
Red Star spent a year to bring
the fascinating story to the
audience. Read more…
Performers discuss the script during the rehearsal in the
studio of Boston University College of Fine Arts.

9. LETTER FROM THE FOUNDER
Dear Theater Lovers,
Red Star Theater Group has recently concluded its three-day
performance of the new play, Secret Love for the Peach Blossom
Spring, at the Tsai Performance Center, Boston University. Originally
scripted and directed by Stan Lai, Secret Love is one of Lai’s most
reputable productions, described by The New York Times as "the most
popular contemporary play in China…By the end, the audience is left
to contemplate the burdens of memory, history, longing, love and the
power of theater itself." We are proud to have successfully reproduced
this play for the Chinese audience in Boston, and we are excited to
announce the play will come back to Huntington Theatre next month!
In 2011, I founded Red Star simply out of my love for theater.
Fortunately, I have met people who share this passion with me, and
together we have grown. We hope not only to entertain our audience; we also aspire to present our culture, our
history and our life in such a powerful and vivid way to our own people and to the world.
Come and join us at Huntington Theatre to enjoy a feast of theater you will never forget!
Audrey Xiong
Contact Us
Red Star Theater Group
Boston University
617-123-4567
xiongd@bu.edu

10. DEVOTION TO SECRET LOVE
It was below 15 degree Fahrenheit the night of January 17th
, but the Tsai Performance Center at
Boston University was packed with people who had come to see Secret Love for the Peach Blossom Spring,
produced by Red Star Theatre Group. The play was originally scripted and directed by Stan Lai, the renowned
Taiwan-based playwright and theater director who had been twice awarded the National Arts Award—
Taiwan’s highest award for arts. It was indeed much pressure on Audrey Xiong, founder of Red Star, to
reproduce Lai’s most prominent play, but she and her crew were determined to succeed. And succeed they did.
“It was not an easy decision to make,” said Xiong. “As a student organization, most of our performers
have never been professionally trained, and we weren’t sure whether we were competent.”
Rehearsal took a whole year because of the
workload and scheduling issues. “You can’t imagine
how hard it was to gather the whole crew,” said
Williams Liu, director of Secret Love.
However, after familiarizing themselves with
the script, the performers quickly entered their roles,
and the rehearsal went more smoothly. Often after the
rehearsal, performers would stay to discuss the story and the characters.
For those performers who hadn’t seen the play before, Secret Love was a fascinating story; for those
who had seen it, they had been given the opportunity to understand it from a brand new perspective.
“It felt so different when you are in the role,” said Tinna Zhang, actress. “You feel for the characters;
you cheer for their joy, and you grieve for their pain and sorrow.”
Red Star Theater Group is a Boston University-based Chinese student organization, comprising students
who have a passion for theater and acting from all over the Greater Boston Area. The group is devoted to
presenting the beauty and depth of Chinese history and culture.
Red Star presents Secret Love at Tsai Performance Center.

11. Note
I wrote this newsletter for a writing class assignment. This assignment intends to let
students practice the writing of newsletter. The organization addressed—Red Star Theater
Group—does exist. The event I wrote about, however, is fabricated. As an E-board member
of this organization, I hope one day we can actually have a big event for which we can write
a newsletter.

12. Dear Friends:
You have all heard stories about people living in miserable conditions in the third world whose basic
needs and rights are not promised—those who cannot find jobs and thereby have no stable income to
feed themselves and their families and those who suffer health problems such as physical disabilities
and mental diseases.
Many organizations in the world try to help these people by aiding them with money, food and
shelter. Yet this type of aid only helps them in the short term. Those who have depended on charity
may rely on it for the rest of their lives and will not be able to create a better future on their own;
they can never be in charge of their own destiny.
We want to help them find meaning in their lives. We want to support them, teach them, and
eventually send them on their own way so one day we won’t see them standing in lines, waiting for
food and supplies. Instead we will see them being proud of and happy for themselves for making a
living on their own.
It is why Ten Thousand Villages exists—to ensure these people can live a life of quality and be
treated with dignity and respect.
And you can help.
As one of the oldest and largest fair trade organizations in the world, Ten Thousand Villages has
established long-term buying relationships with disadvantaged artisans in thirty-eight developing
countries and has built a market for their unique, handmade products in North America. The sales
help pay for food, health care, housing, education and training for the artisans.
Each and every one of these products represents the richness and uniqueness of a nation’s culture and
traditions; each and every one of these products contains a story of someone striving for a better life;
each and every one of these products is a work of wholeheartedness, a fruit of diligence, and a
symbol of hope and opportunity.
By purchasing these artisans’ products, you are not only supporting these people financially but are
also helping them find meaning in their lives as they realize what they do has brought joy and
satisfaction to someone else’s life.
We urge you to visit our online store or to stop by one of our more-than-390 retail outlets in North
America to explore the beauty of these artisans’ works. We also provide volunteer opportunities at
almost all levels of our organizations. If interested in selling, you can host a Ten Thousand Villages
Festival Sale in your community or become a wholesale customer. For more information, please visit
our website at www.tenthousandvillages.com/get-involved.
With warm regard,
Doug Dirks
Chief Executive Officer
PSA Letter of Appeal

13. Note
I wrote this letter of appeal for a writing class team project. The project asked the students
to choose a real organization and to create a magazine advertisement, a billboard
advertisement, and a letter of appeal. The letter of appeal should be written in the name of
the CEO of the organization. The organization we chose was Ten Thousand Villages, a
nonprofit fair trade organization that markets handcrafted products made by disadvantaged
artisans from the third-world countries.

14. La Vie: Tao Dance Theater (陶身体剧场)--It's All about Expression
http://awdrix.blogspot.com/2014/03/tao-dance-theater-its-all-about.html[4/13/2014 8:09:38 AM]
La Vie
2014年3月6日星期四
Tao Dance Theater (陶身体剧场)--It's All about Expression
Last Friday I went to see Tao Dance Theater performing at Shubert Theatre, Boston. I've wanted to see its performance since I
first learned about them last summer. They were at the time performing in Beijing, which is only three-hour flight from my city,
Shenzhen. Still, I missed it, and I still couldn't believe the first time I saw this growing Chinese independent contemporary
dance company was in Boston.
I haven't heard of contemporary dance until I came to the U.S.
for high school six years ago. When I saw what it was, I fell in
love with it. I myself haven't been trained to dance until I
joined the dance crew in high school. It was not a happy
experience. Because of my lack of training, I could barely
keep up with the pace. Still, I love contemporary dance. I just
love its free expression.
Contemporary dance is not mainstream in China. We have
only a few dance companies that have established some
reputation. Thus I am thrilled to know that independent dance
companies like Tao are emerging as a fresh power. When I
learned Tao was here in Boston for the last night, I knew I
couldn't miss it. I rushed to the box office to get the ticket; I
even did some research about the founder's philosophy to gain a more thorough understanding of his productions.
* * *
Later when I went back home, I sat down and
started to recall the performance. In fact, I
decided that it was not accurate to call the
performance a performance because
"performance" implies the purpose of
entertaining the audience; it was simply an
expression. This, for lack of another word,
"performance" didn't intend to entertain--a
performance needs highs and lows to be
entertaining. The expression was tranquil and
continuous, from the beginning to the end.
A friend asked me, "Is it like acrobatics, this
contemporary dance thing?" "No," immediately I responded. Then I thought, "Why not?" Acrobatics and dance do share
elements in common. Many acrobatic performances are increasing incorporating dance. But then I realized they were differe
nt because acrobatics is so purposeful; it aims to amuse. Dance, on the other hand, is originally a form of expression of the
dancers' thoughts and feelings. I often said any piece of art is a piece of soul of the artist. Artists feel the need to express, and so
they do. They don't care even a bit about the receivers' reactions. Entertained, confused, empathy, bored, whatever.
Tao Ye, founder and choreographer of Tao Dance Theater,
named his pieces in numbers because he believed a specific
name will create a preconception. He encouraged people to
think of his works freely, immersing themselves in imagination.
Shubert Theatre Boston
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Audrey
Xiong
How many people reflect on
themselves every day during
shower?
查看我的完整个人资料
我的简介

15. La Vie: Tao Dance Theater (陶身体剧场)--It's All about Expression
http://awdrix.blogspot.com/2014/03/tao-dance-theater-its-all-about.html[4/13/2014 8:09:38 AM]
较新的帖子 较早的帖子主页
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发帖者
Audrey Xiong
时间
下午7:52
In a short documentary film about Tao Dance Theater, Tao
mentioned that a relatively clear characteristic of his works is
"repetition." Later on in the film, Duan Ni, rehearsal director
and dancer, said that in order to complete Tao's pieces, the
dancers must have endurance as well as a strong willpower. At
first I wasn't making any connection between their words, but
after seeing the expression, I was enlightened.
"4" is a piece that's almost 30 minutes long. After about five minutes, I realized that the dancers' movements are continuous and
repetitious. The dancers constantly moved around on the stage as they danced, sometimes fast, sometimes slowly. The
movements, however, were still repetitious.
I was expecting a sudden change, but after about 10 minutes, I knew there wouldn't be any. What astounded me the most was
their continuous movements. It almost seemed as if they never took a breath. I know how difficult it was to do so: It required
physical endurance to move continuously; it required strong willpower to endure the monotony and to stay self-conscious in
order to avoid getting lost in the repetition.
Now you and I should think about this: Life is often repetitive. Am I lost? How am I not to get lost?
网页浏览总次数
Travel模板. 由 Blogger 强力驱动.

16. Twitter

17. Note
If I want to pursue a career in public relations, staying active on social media is a must. I
wasn’t attending to my Twitter until the beginning of this year. These few Tweets
demonstrate my attempt to creating meaningful content, to interact with other users, and
to increase my account exposure by using hashtag. Of course, I am still far away from being
an influential Twitter, but I’m working on it.

18. The Answer
INT. UNKNOWN PLACE--NIGHT
The place is in the dark. A spotlight beams down on the center of
the floor. A MAN emerges from the back, paces forward, and stands
still under the spotlight. The man wears a black suit, a white
shirt, and a black bow tie around the collar. A pair of aviator
sunglasses blocks his eyes, and there is a smile on his face.
THE MAN
Good evening, my dear friends. People
have all kinds of questions, and they
always want an answer. Our agency--The
Answer--will serve your needs
wholeheartedly; we provide you the
answer you desperately want. Our offices
are all around the world but only open
at night. Maybe you'd say you’ve never
seen any of our offices anywhere before.
Oh, my friends, that's because you don’t
desire the answer badly enough.
INT. LIVING ROOM--NIGHT
ANDREW ROBINS sits on the couch, gripping his cellphone. He
presses a button, the phone lights up, and he skims it. He
glances at a wall clock that indicates it is 10 p.m. Then he
gazes at the dark vestibule for a while and scowls, lifting his
arm to take another look at his watch. It is quiet in the house.
Andrew stands up and walks to the bedroom.
INT. BEDROOM--SAME
Andrew enters the bedroom. He doesn't turn the light on. He takes
off his tie and unbuttons his shirt. Suddenly he hears the sound
of the door being opened. He quickly lifts the quilt, lies under
it, and closes his eyes. He hears the sounds of the fridge being
opened and water being poured into a glass.
INT. KITCHEN--SAME
MICHELLE, Andrew’s wife, sips some water from the glass while she
fixates on the paper bag on the kitchen table. She puts down the
glass and simpers. She takes the bag and looks around, and
eventually locks her sight on the couch. She walks to the couch，
kneels down, and squeezes the bag into the slot between the couch
and the floor. She stands and walks to the bedroom.
INT. BEDROOM-SAME
Michelle opens the bedroom’s door, tiptoes to the bathroom, and
closes its door. Andrew opens his eyes and stares at the light
through the translucent glass of the bathroom door.
EXT. STREET--EVENING--A WEEK LATER
Andrew wanders down the street，gawking at the ground. The street
is bustling with stores, restaurants and bars on both sides.
Andrew looks to his right, and suddenly he looks slightly
Film Script

19. confused, squinting to read the words—“The Answer”—on a signboard
hung on the wall of a building. Beneath the signboard is a wooden
door with an "OPEN" sign hung on it. There are no windows on
either side of the door. Andrew steps to the building, stands in
front of it for a few seconds, and pulls the door.
INT. THE ANSWER'S OFFICE--SAME
The room is almost unfurnished. There is only a two-tier
reception desk that looks like something from the 19th century in
the center of the room. A closed door stands in the back left-
hand corner of the room. The wall lamps on both side of the room
shed dim light that creates a mysterious atmosphere. Andrew looks
around while he walks in, but he still stays close to the door
behind him. A WOMAN sits behind the reception desk, smiling at
Andrew.
THE WOMAN
Good evening, Mr. Robins. Welcome. What
can I do for you tonight?
ANDREW
Wait. How did you know my name?
THE WOMAN
We are The Answer. We always know the
answer.
ANDREW
What is The Answer? What d’you do?
THE WOMAN
We have the answer to your question.
ANDREW
So, you are like a private investigator.
THE WOMAN
That's part of our business, indeed. You
come here tonight because you want an
answer. Isn't it right?
ANDREW
You don't even know whether I have a
question.
THE WOMAN
You won’t be here if you don’t. Come.
Tell me about it.

20. Andrew stands still for a few seconds, staring at the woman. Then
he approaches the desk and leans forward over it to face the
woman closely.
ANDREW
I think my wife is cheating on me.
The woman says nothing. She still smiles, looking into Andrew's
eyes.
ANDREW
I know she is. She's been late home
every day recently, and I smell strange
cologne on her. All I need is a little
bit more evidence.
THE WOMAN
You want us to find evidence of your
wife cheating on you?
ANDREW
That’s right.
The woman pulls out a sheet of paper from the drawer and hands it
to Andrew.
THE WOMAN
Please review this and sign.
Andrew takes the paper and grabs a pen from a penholder on the
desk. Meanwhile the woman jots down some words in a large
notebook in front of her. Andrew signs the paper and hands it
back to the woman. The woman looks up at the paper.
THE WOMAN
Don't you want to read it?
ANDREW
Not necessary. Just get me the evidence.
The woman takes the paper and puts it back in the drawer.
THE WOMAN
(in a louder voice)
Mr. Andrew Robins, your request has been
officially accepted. Please come back
after three days. By then the answer
will be ready for you. Please remember,
we are not obliged to respond to any
inquiry regarding our sources. Have a
good night.

21. EXT. STREET--NIGHT--THREE DAYS LATER
Andrew trots to The Answer’s office and opens its door.
INT. THE ANSWER'S OFFICE--SAME
The woman is reading a report on the desk. On the side of her
left arm are some photos, the top one revealing a familiar
figure--Michelle Robins. Andrew rushes into the room. The woman
looks up and greets him while she sets aside the report.
THE WOMAN
Welcome, Mr. Robins. Your answer is
ready.
Andrew strides to the reception desk. The woman starts to put the
photos on the upper tier of the desk one at a time. Andrew
hastily picks up one that shows his wife in a man's clothing
store, handing a purple tie to the salesman behind the register.
ANDREW
A purple tie? That must be for some
other man! I've never worn a purple tie
in my life!
Andrew picks up another photo that shows his wife sitting outside
a cafe with a man.
ANDREW
Tony? That’s Tony my best friend! I
can't believe it! That's my best friend!
She's having an affair with my best
friend! Can you believe this?
Andrew looks at the woman in disbelief.
THE WOMAN
Sir...
ANDREW
I know it! I knew she betrayed me.
That's enough! I'm done with my wife!
This marriage is over!
Andrew turns, walks fast out of the room, and slams the door. The
closed door behind the reception desk opens. The man walks out.
He stops by the side of the woman and looks towards the front
door.
THE MAN
Another one?
The woman nods slightly. She raises the report and grins.

22. THE WOMAN
He didn't even make it to the report.
The man takes the report and starts to read it.
INT. MAN'S CLOTHING STORE--MORNING--TEN DAYS AGO
Michelle hands a purple tie to THE SALESMAN behind the
register.
THE SALESMAN
This is such a nice color. May I ask
whom it's for?
MICHELLE
For my husband. His birthday's coming.
He's never had a purple tie, but I think
it will fit him well.
THE SALESMAN
Definitely! Your husband will be very
happy.
Michelle smiles and hands her credit card to the salesman.
EXT. CAFE HOUSE--AFTERNOON--TEN DAYS AGO
Michelle sits by a table, looking at the sidewalk. TONY walks to
her table. Michelle turns her head and sees Tony. She stands up
to give him a hug.
MICHELLE
Hey Tony! How's everything?
TONY
Fairly well. So...you call me out today
because...?
MICHELLE
Andrew's birthday party.
TONY
Right. I can't believe I forgot. But God
knows I can't even remember my own
birthday. You women remember all this
stuff.
MICHELLE
Shut up, Tony. You've always been
mindless.

23. TONY
Ouch! That hurts. You know, I may have
some really good ideas.
Michelle leans forward; her eyes open wide.
MICHELLE
Bring them up then.
INT. THE ANSWER'S OFFICE--NIGHT--PRESENT
The man puts down the report on the desk.
THE WOMAN
Well, I'm glad he didn't make it
through. Even though we have the non-
inquiry rule, being asked how we got
these ten-day-ago photos taken would
have been a trouble. Still, I feel bad
that he missed the truth.
THE MAN
He doesn't need the truth; he only needs
to know his wife is cheating on him.
Guess what he is doing right now.
EXT. STREET--SAME
Andrew takes out his phone, dials a number, and puts the phone
near to the ear.
ANDREW
Hey babe. I miss you too. No, you don't
need to buy me a gift. I just got myself
a good one--I'm getting a divorce.
INT. UNKNOWN PLACE--NIGHT
The man stands under the spotlight.
THE MAN
My dear friends, the truth is often-
times when people have a question, they
don't want the right answer, but only
one they feel satisfied with. For Mr.
Robins, the truth isn't important, and
it never will be.
(pause)
Do you have a question you desperately
want an answer to? If so, please keep in
mind The Answer is always around. Have a
good night.

24. Note
I wrote this film script for a writing class. I got inspiration from Yonimo Kimyouna
Monogatari (Tales of the Unusual), a well-known Japanese TV series that features bizarre
and inconceivable stories. In each episode, before a story begins, a man in a suit and a pair
of aviator glass will introduce to the audience the story. The stories themselves are bizarre,
and sometimes they can be thought-provoking. I wrote this story intending to cause people
to think about what reality is.

25. Stay
Culver Dance Vision.
It sounded real, unlike the nominal dance team I once joined in China. I always
wanted to dance, but had never systematically learned how. I thought: Why not give it a
shot? I was in America now; I could have some “American dreams.”
So I asked Kim. She was the senior who picked me up when I got off the school bus,
which had taken us from O’Hare airport to Culver Academies, a private high school in a
small town of Indiana. When she gave me an orientation the next day, she asked me whether
I planned to join any club or do any sport.
“Dance, maybe,” I said uncertainly.
“Oh! Then you should come join Dance Vision. I’m on the team.”
“Hey Kim! I was thinking of joining Dance Vision. Do you know…how?” I tried to
talk casually in fluent English.
She told me there would be an audition and its date. Kim and I had never really had
much conversation, but I remembered that moment vividly. The dimmed hallway was
suffused with warm, stuffy air, and her face was in the dark.
“It’s no big deal,” she said, and her face suddenly shrouded with slight indifference,
“It’s really easy.”
I felt relieved hearing that—I guess I was too naïve then.
The audition took place during a beautiful afternoon in late summer. Toward the
studio I walked past a lawn. The grass was vitally verdant. The sky was the kind of blue I
could rarely see back in China, making the air fresher. The world seemed still, immersed in
the candescent sunshine. I strode toward the studio in a joyful mood.
Memoir

26. By the time I entered the studio, there were already some girls hanging around, some
dressed in comfy sportswear, some in leotards and ballet slippers.
“That’s unexpected,” I said to myself. “So we are also doing ballet?”
I stared at them, thinking those leotards and slippers really made them look
professional, admiring their elegance, and for the first time beginning to feel slightly anxious
about what was coming. Then I saw some Mexican girls whom I had met at the new students’
orientation. They were like me, newcomers, maybe even better, rookies. The only girl I knew
in the room was Kim, but she was standing in the center of the studio, checking herself in the
mirror so attentively with what I believed to be a professional dancer’s seriousness. I sensed
she didn’t want to be disrupted. So I stood by the wall, alone. The air-conditioner was on,
making the air fresh and cool, at first. After staying still for a few minutes, I began feeling
cold. I continued looking around, amazed by the fact I was with all these presumably talented
dancers.
Three teachers came in. They greeted us and started to introduce themselves. Despite
their difference in age, they all looked graceful and genial, with a courteous smile on their
faces.
Mrs. Duke, who was the chair of the Fine Art Department, briefly introduced Dance
Vision and then proceeded to the audition. She said the three of them would each do a half-
hour teaching of one type of dance, and while one of them was teaching, the other two would
be observing.
Mrs. Duke began the warm-up. The movements weren’t difficult—frequent and
repetitive moving around, spinning, stretching, and swinging—in a moderate and relaxing
rhythm. I could keep up the movements, but I could also see my deficiencies. I didn’t have
enough physical strength to support my body weight, nor did I understand how to utilize the
strength I had. During the warm-up, the movements were easy enough for me to conceal

27. these deficiencies. Yet I felt all my weaknesses would soon be exposed to the sight of the
teachers as well as to every dancer in the room, to Kim, who had said to me insouciantly,
“It’s really easy.”
Ms. T took her role in. She taught ballet. It frightened me—I hadn’t done any ballet
training since the first grade. I only had a vague idea about pointe, but that’s it. Ms. T let us
begin with basic pointe, which I could imitate. But soon I began to hear words from her that
sounded like “ron-de-jun” (Rond de jembe), and all of a sudden everyone was rounding their
leg. I rushed to follow. “Kupei” (coupe), jetei (jete), “pa de burei” (pas de bourree), all these
strange French words. Yet I didn’t even have time to think about what they meant; trying to
follow others’ movements was enervating my mind. The girls around me were jumping
lithely as if they had no weight, while every time I jumped I felt my weight dragging me
down hard enough to cause the shaking of the ground. After the first few jumps, I was no
longer jumping with my legs; I was jumping with my head—my neck elongated and my head
tilted backward, trying to pull my body up.
When a series of jumping combination was over, I tried to suppress my gasp to
indicate I was in good shape. It was a pointless attempt—everyone had seen what I had just
done. Even though I stood in the back, my obviously clumsy and unskilled movements must
have stood out from the concordant rest of the group. After doing the basic movements, we
were asked to go across the floor, doing a small combination. I walked—desperate,
terrified—toward the upper corner of the studio; the Mexican girls were leaving.
“Don’t leave! DON’T LEAVE!” I screamed soundlessly.
Yet they did. I was all by myself now, like the ugly duckling amongst the swans.
Waiting in the corner, I felt every muscle in my face tighten to maintain an absurd
composedness; my brain was doing everything it could to deter my body from collapsing. I
wanted to leave more than anything. It was too bright in the room—the light overhead mixed

28. with the sunlight beamed through the window, almost convincing me all I had just
experienced was probably not real.
I watched Ms. T demonstrating the movements, but only a small part of my brain was
trying to memorize the steps. I couldn’t resist the thought to leave—“It’s not too late yet. It’s
my last chance to leave, to escape from this discomfiture that would eventually crush my
self-esteem.”
I couldn’t step out, though, for another voice in my head was saying it would be more
humiliating if I left now; it would be admitting defeat; it would be a real shame.
I had no idea where my audacity came from. I was dejected, desperate, mentally and
physically exhausted and was only expecting the situation to grow worse. Yet I stayed, and
started to go across the floor paired with another girl while the rest of the group was standing
and watching, with imaginable pity and contempt on each face.
Even when Miss Cann finally took charge and began to teach us Jazz, my
performance didn’t become any better. I tried hard to follow her move, but every second I
was wishing this ordeal to be over. Had I had a watch on me I would have been checking it
every minute. Yet I stayed, for it was all I could do.
When I walked out of the studio, I saw the same verdant lawn, the same blue sky, and
the same beautiful weather, and I burst into tears for my incompetence, for the humiliation,
yet somehow also for this beautiful day, and for the triviality of my own troubles in
comparison to this magnificent world.
The next day, I registered for a ballet class.

29. References
Prof. Edward J. Downes Ph.D.
Associated Professor
Boston University School of Communication
edownes@bu.edu
(617) 353-8065
Prof. Downes has opened the door to the field of public relations for me. In his class, I have
discovered my interest in public relations and an aspiration to pursue it as my career.
Prof. Veronica F. Ellis
Part-time Professor
Boston University School of Communication
vfellis@msn.com
(617) 353-6188
I have taken two communication writing classes with Prof. Ellis. She is a strict teacher and a
tough grader. However, because of the high standard she sets, I am more determined and
motivated to pursue perfection in writing.
Ms. Candice Cabe
Founder
Day2Night Fashion
candicecabe14@gmail.com
(774) 271-0585
I’m interning as a marketing and social media intern at Day2Night Fashion in the spring of 2014.
Because the work is to be done completely virtually, Candice has always made herself available
for contact. I have learned a lot about fashion industry through this internship.