1. 3/29/2016 “Showing you the way and giving you room to fly.”
http://www.edgewood.edu/News/showingyouthewayandgivingyouroomtofly 1/3
“Showing you the way and giving you room to fly.”
Thursday, March 24, 2016 / Categories: Profiles (http://www.edgewood.edu/News/category/profiles1)
After graduating Magna Cum Laude in 2013 with a degree in English, Luke Pralle moved to China to teach English
to children.
When you came back from serving overseas, how did you end up at Edgewood College?
“I guess my Edgewood College story starts with me getting out of the Marine Corps after being stationed at Camp
Pendleton, Cal. from 2005 until 2009. I wanted to go to school. I had also decided that it was time for me to go
back home to Wisconsin. After doing a little research, Edgewood College’s small class sizes and friendly vibe
were attractive to me. I was looking at a few other schools back home, but Edgewood College’s admissions,
especially the staff handling Veterans Admissions, proved to be extremely helpful, and I was Madison bound
within a few weeks.”
What sparked your interest in learning more about China? And why China specifically?
“It was my professor Binbin Fu (School of Integrative Studies) that introduced me to China. It began with my
language studies. I needed to satisfy a language requirement, and Chinese characters look cool, right? It sounds
silly, but that’s where it began. I became more interested in China as my language studies progressed, and as I
received more indepth training about China’s history from Jinxing Chen (Professor, History Department).”
(http://www.edgewood.edu/)
A P P LY ( H T T P : // W W W. E D G E W O O D. E D U /A P P LY ) | R E Q U E S T I N F O R M AT I O N ( H T T P : // W W W. E D G E W O O D. E D U / I N F O R M AT I O N ) | V I S I T
( H T T P : // W W W. E D G E W O O D. E D U / P R O S P E C T I V E S T U D E N T S / U N D E R G R A D U AT E / V I S I T ) | G I V E ( H T T P : // G I V E . E D G E W O O D. E D U )
COLLEGE INFO
(HTTP://WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/EDGEWOODCOLLEGE) (HTTPS://TWITTER.COM/EDGEWOODCOLLEGE) (HTTP://WWW.LINKEDIN.COM/EDU/SCHOOL?ID=19671)
(HTTP://INSTAGRAM.COM/EDGEWOODCOLLEGE) (HTTP://WWW.PINTEREST.COM/EDGEWOODCOLLEGE/)
3. 3/29/2016 “Showing you the way and giving you room to fly.”
http://www.edgewood.edu/News/showingyouthewayandgivingyouroomtofly 3/3
Tweet 0 0Share
with other expats and writing stories. I also cohost a podcast called Worm Island, where we interview and feature
local talent.”
How did Edgewood College help in making all of this happen?
“I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for the College. The education I received brought me here and has given me the
tools to do good things.”
What are some of the benefits of getting to know your professors so closely?
“I’ve actually met up with both Binbin and Jinxing since I’ve been in Suzhou. A personal connection with your
professor is vital. If you want to learn something you can read a book or watch a YouTube video. Sure, experience
is huge, Binbin and Jinxing brought me to China, and that’s another reason why I’m here, but if I wanted to learn
how to write code for games, build my own drone, or learn French I could find a way to do that. We live in a time
where we have almost instant and infinite access to information. Whether you’re taking in the good stuff or the
trash, that’s up to you, but the thing that isn’t available after a click or two is somebody that is great
believing in you—showing you the way and giving you room to fly.
I have fond memories of walking the busy streets of China with Binbin or swinging by second floor offices on
campus and sharing stories or ideas, some quite terrible mind you, with my professors—great people that
believed in what I was doing. And there’s no substitute for that.”
2
Tags:
7Like
0 Comments Sort by
Facebook Comments Plugin
Oldest
Add a comment...
Categories
News (207) (http://www.edgewood.edu/News/category/news)
Sustainability (8) (http://www.edgewood.edu/News/category/sustainability)
Profiles (89) (http://www.edgewood.edu/News/category/profiles)