When it was time for NYU senior Addison Zhang to chose his study away site, he had one destination in mind: NYU Shanghai. While the city is famous for its glittering skyline and futuristic tech, Addison was drawn by something more personal—the call of family.
Addison grew up in Nebraska but had always felt a strong connection to his grandparents in China. When he was young, they would visit for months at a time, spending many summers in Shanghai. After his grandfather and aunt passed away, he knew he wanted to use his time abroad to reconnect with his family history. Specifically, he wanted to spend quality time with his 91-year-old grandmother, Zhou Mulan.
“I realized there wouldn’t be too many more opportunities after graduating college to see her,” he says. “So, I wanted to take advantage of NYU study abroad. I wanted to come here, see my family for an extended period of time, and learn as much about them and my culture as possible.”
Making Time for What Matters
During his semester at NYU Shanghai, Addison kept his priorities clear. Every Sunday morning, he took the subway to his grandmother’s fifth-floor walk-up apartment. These visits became a weekly ritual of family stories and home-cooked meals. After lunch, she would insist he rest before heading back to the dormitory.
Zhou Mulan cherished these moments. “Every Sunday, he came to see me. I looked forward to it every week,” she recalls. “I watched him eat the meals I prepared for him. If he couldn’t finish, I packed the rest and made him take it to share with his friends in the dorm.” She notes that every conversation reinforced their deep connection: “Because my Mandarin has a Shanghainese accent, his Mandarin ended up sounding like mine too.”
Interdisciplinary Discovery in Shanghai
As a student at the NYU Gallatin School of Individualized Study concentrating in geopolitics and finance, Addison regularly finds connections between disciplines. At NYU Shanghai, he found a way to merge his personal life with his academic interests by enrolling in Experience Studio: Shaping the Future of Aging, taught by Professor Yuan Yanyue. For the final project, students were tasked to create a “life album” of a family elder. More than a scrapbook, the album was to capture an elder’s memories, habits, and life lessons. This was intended to honor their story while also sparking new ways of imagining the future of aging. Naturally, Addison decided to document his grandmother’s life.
“Every time I come back to China, my brother and I would start shuffling through her stack of pictures,” Addison explains. “For the life album, I asked her to bring out those piles of photos. I picked out some, interviewed her in Chinese, and translated it into English to write it in the album.”
Professor Yuan enjoyed watching Addison’s project evolve. “Addison comes from a background where two different cultures both leave a strong imprint on him,” she says. “Through this process, I could see his view on aging becoming more specific and grounded—less abstract, and more connected to lived experiences, everyday routines, and intergenerational relationships.”
Lessons in Resilience
Through the project, Addison gained a deeper respect for his grandmother’s strength. Having lived through World War II, Zhou Mulan is now the head of the family at 91 years old. “She’s always taking care of everybody, wondering how everybody is, making sure everybody is full,” Addison says. “She’s very much a Chinese grandmother.”
He was particularly struck by her optimism. Despite a difficult childhood and the loss of close friends, she maintains a morning tai chi routine and a positive outlook. When Addison once asked her why she was so happy, she replied, “I spent my childhood hiding from bombs just to stay alive. Now life is so good—what reason do I have to be unhappy?”
The Way Home
When the semester ended, Addison presented the album to his grandmother. The project, reflecting the long journey of her life, amazed her. “He and I have looked through the album many times together, and every time, it feels like he’s helping me review my long life,” she says. “Now I look at him—he’s a college student already. How could I not have gotten old?”
As the flight back to New York approached, Addison’s time in Shanghai felt increasingly fleeting. During the final weeks of the semester, his uncle would drive him back to campus after his Sunday visits. His grandmother always tagged along for the ride, since it gave them extra time together. In those 20-minute rides, Addison found exactly what he came for. He didn’t just study in Shanghai; he found his way back home.
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