Angela Ditri had never been to China. She had never given a presentation of her research, and certainly not one in a hall that could seat hundreds.
But the master’s student in physical ocean science and engineering got to start 2019 by doing both, adding the prestige of presenting at an international conference to her resume and learning a bit about the coastal city of Xiamen in the southeast of China in the process.
“The fact that I was able to stand up there and get through it in front of all those people — it has always been one of my big fears — I’m really glad that I had this opportunity. I feel accomplished,” Ditri said. “Dr. Yan was really supportive … He is very kind, and he was so excited for me to come here and really pushed me to give this presentation.”