As a fourth grader, Alex Wilkerson went to summer camp…just like most kids his age. However, unlike most kids his age, Alex chose to learn Mandarin Chinese at camp and it changed his life forever.

Alex was fortunate as a young adult to have been able to travel with his family. As he matured, he realized that exposure to new cultures and new experiences was a powerful tool for learning…and there was much left to learn.

He kept up with his language studies on his own, but it was at Rhodes College where he started taking formal Chinese classes again. It was also at college where he decided to continue his travels and do both an internship with Next Step Connections and a study abroad semester in Beijing.

His growth in China continued apace, as he felt that experiential learning accentuated his goals and encouraged him to learn new things. Being able to work in a new environment exposed him to new perspectives and taught him that it is OK to make mistakes as long as you are learning and growing.

He carries all of these lessons with him today and uses the knowledge he gained through these experiences in his current role at Zilliant.