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Transfer Success

Ivy League Dreams: Cornell

Hanjie Tang
Hospitality Management

As a hotel desk clerk in Tibet, Hanjie Tang dreamt of attending an Ivy League university in the United States halfway around world. That dream has become a reality thanks to the start he got at Mt. SAC, which placed him on the path to Cornell University.

“Mt. SAC was the smart choice for me, because I needed preparation before I could attend a university,”says Hanjie, who admits his high school transcripts weren’t up to university standards. 

A native of China, Hanjie fell in love with the culture, philosophy, and spirituality of Tibet while working there. He decided his career path would include not only earning a degree in hospitality from a major U.S. university, but also returning to Tibet to help improve the struggling hospitality industry there.

The counselors and faculty at Mt. SAC provided Hanjie with the support and training needed to fulfill his plan. Specifically, he gained valuable leadership skills at Mt. SAC while serving as the president of the International Friends from China club. He also sharpened his academic acumen by participating in the Honors Program.

 “Mt. SAC is a great place for international students to get the preparation they’ll need to transfer to universities, especially for students with nontraditional experiences like me,”he says. 

The faculty and staff at Mt. SAC even helped him put together his university application packet. This winter, Hanjie is transferring to Cornell University as a hospitality management major. He plans to earn both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees there before returning to Tibet. But he will never forget where he got his start.

“It’s not too much of a stretch to say that Mt. SAC really did change my life,” says Hanjie.