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By Ted Troupis

As a resident of Princeton, Mingfeng Tong is an in-district student at IVCC, but she was raised and educated in Guangzhou, formerly called Canton, in the People's Republic of China.

Ming is currently studying for an associate degree in business administration. She already has an associate degree in International Economics and Trade from Jinan University in Guangzhou.

In contrast to the open admissions policy at IVCC, college admission in China meant passing entrance exams which Ming says were difficult. And she had to earn the right to take those exams.

She says the educational system in China is improving today, with more students allowed the opportunity to attend college. However, she says only half of the students who take college exams do well enough to receive more education.

"I wish Chinese young people could have more colleges as nice as IVCC," she says. "I think American students are very lucky. They should treasure all these things and study hard."

She was raised during the Chinese Cultural Revolution and began her education in nursery school when she was three. She says her parents worked six days a week, and it was customary for children to have to spend five nights and six days away from home.

After finishing high school, she was required to work for a state farm for six years, which included three years in the fields and three years in the farm-run factory. There she helped manufacture electrical components.

As the revolution ended, Ming was assigned a job with a large import-export corporation in Guangzhou. She spent her first year patching broken paper bags of concrete and sweeping out the large storage warehouse.

During her second year she was promoted to a clerical position in the company office. It was her performance in that job that convinced her employers to give her a chance to take the college entrance exams. Her major, international trade, required her to take English classes.

In 1995, Ming came to the U.S. with her husband. Now divorced, she works part-time at a LaSalle restaurant and cares for her four-year-old daughter, Amy. Her mother, one brother, Ling, and a sister, Mingshan, are still in Guangzhou.

Her father, who was writer for the newspaper in China, died three years ago. Her mother, an accountant for a hospital, is now retired.

In addition to missing her family, she also misses "real Chinese food," although she says her daughter prefers macaroni and cheese or McDonalds.

Ming says she really enjoys owning and driving a car, which is something she couldn’t have done in China. She says there everone travels by bus or bike.

"Cars are very expensive there, and there are very few, if any, parking spaces," she says.