Mikael Frey OC ‘22

Mikael Frey smiling at the camera
 

Shanxi Agricultural University, China (2022-24)

Mikael Frey (he/him) ’22 is a Biochemistry major with a pre-medical concentration. In his time at Oberlin, he studied Rhetoric & Composition, becoming a Writing Associate at Oberlin College’s Writing Center and tutoring students. Furthermore, Mikael continued the Mandarin Chinese language study he started in high school, notably by spending a Winter Term in Sichuan Province. Through a partnership between Oberlin and a local university, Mikael learned about Chinese eco-tourism and tested water for impurities. He climbed Mt. Emei and developed a continuing interest in the longevity of Chinese civilization and unique cultural relationships between nature, government, and humanity. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Mikael took a gap year, staying in Oberlin through the 2020-‘21 school year to work as a nurse aid at a local nursing home.

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Too Much to Chew
Too Much to Chew

By Mikael Frey ‘22, Taigu Fellow

At my encouragement, my parents came to visit me this winter. For months, I have been eagerly imagining their arrival. I hoped that, being here, they would see the thing that drew me here. The something I still cannot quite put into words. When I applied to Shansi, I only applied to this site.

Looking Across the Cross-generational-international Gap
Looking Across the Cross-generational-international Gap

By Mikael Frey ‘22, Taigu Fellow

Throughout my childhood and young adulthood, my parents have participated in a program at our local university. For a few months, they would host an international student in our home, helping them navigate the move to America. I was always fascinated as a child by these worldly people with interesting stories, accents, and futures. I remember an outgoing Dutch man who taught me simple words in his language and a quiet Japanese women who staying in touch with my mom for years after.