April 19, 2025
字圆其说 x Global Awards
Invited Talk & Workshop
Each spring, the Global Awards Program at NYU Shanghai hosts a day-long retreat designed to guide sophomores in envisioning their post-graduation paths before heading off for study away. This year, Jing Chai was invited to lead a special workshop, drawing on the I Got One project to prompt meaningful reflection on identity, language, and self-representation.
Professor Chai opened the session with a deeply personal story—her own journey of reconciling with her Chinese name, and the evolving relationship with her English name as she moved through different cultural, academic, and professional spaces. This candid reflection laid the foundation for a powerful group exploration of how names, both given and chosen, hold stories of heritage, transition, and becoming.
Participants were then invited to creatively interpret the meanings embedded in their own names, whether in Chinese, English, or other languages they identified with. What does a name say about who we are, and how do we choose to present ourselves to different audiences? These questions opened up a space for introspection, dialogue, and surprising discoveries.
To bring these reflections to life, the group engaged in a hands-on activity: crafting personalized calligraphy pieces that reimagined their names or messages of hope, blending visual elements from Chinese characters and other scripts. Some added playful twists, others embedded symbols from their cultures or future aspirations. The exchange of these calligraphy artworks became a heartfelt moment of connection—where identity, language, and creativity merged in unexpected ways.
The workshop was not just an exercise in name analysis; it was a powerful invitation to think about who we are, where we come from, and how we might carry those stories forward into the world.
