"I binged the entire Big Bang Theory in like two months just to learn how people in Canada tell jokes"

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Yingnuo Chen (Eno) and his family moved to Canada at the age of 13, to give him better opportunities to attend University.

How has your experience at Western been so far?

I feel like its been really good, I feel like university and high school is completely different. In university you meet a lot more people because my high school was really small. I think it was only 500 people in that school, and then Western has a lot more people than that. In university you get to have a lot more resources and help to prepare for your future because at Western you have people helping you with your resume, you have people mocking interviews with you, you have people asking you a lot of questions that I didn’t get in high school. So that is why I feel like Western is preparing me well for my future when I apply for jobs.

What was it like immigrating to Canada at a young age?

I was 13 when I moved to Canada so it was not that young compared to a lot of my friends that came here when they were like 6 or 7 years old. But, I feel like moving to Canada when I was 13 was a good choice because when I was 13 in China I realized how hard it is to get into a good university because there are so many more students there and standardized tests is a lot more difficult then here so I feel like if I stayed in China I would not be able to get into the university. So that is kind of like the main reason why my family moved here. But yeah I like Canada so far, the people are very welcoming here. I feel like I made a good choice by moving to Canada and it is great!

What made you come out of province for post secondary schooling?

So they have UBC, University of Victoria, and Simon Fraser University and those are the three good ones. But, I feel like it was time for me to go beyond BC because Western and Ontario are the main education center of Canada. It has the best schools and has a lot more schools than BC. Coming out of BC kind of brought out my eye sight because I kind of want to see the east coast of Canada and that is another reason. 

What made you choose Western?

Western really attracted me because they sent representatives to my high school, and then when they introduced Western it really amazed me, and then I came here for a visit and really liked it.

You are in CAM, what made you choose this major?

At first I was going to go to Switzerland to study hotel management but then for some reason i decided to stay in Canada. For aviation I have always liked flying just like because flying is such a fun activity whether that be for fun or for work. I feel like it is a really unique program and it is kind of similar to managing a hotel. Another reason is that CAM has a lot more potential then say accounting or human resources because a lot of people are going to be needed whether you are a pilot, or airport or airline management. A lot of people like that are going to be needed in the future because the Canadian aviation industry is growing at a really fast pace. By choosing CAM it gives me an easier opportunity to get a job after I graduate.

How have you battled through adversity?

Yes definitely, when I first came to Canada, it was pretty hard for me to fit in because of the language and cultural barriers so to deal with. I watched a lot of American dramas just to learn how people interact with each other in Canada. Like I binged through the entire Big Bang Theory in like two months just to learn how people tell jokes and stuff. It was a bad time for me because I did not have a lot of friends by then, and the ones I did have were only Chinese friends but now I have a lot of friends from different places that I have made at University.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years and how has your experience at Western contributed to that?

In 5 years I see myself with a normal job because I will  be done school by then. I feel like I am either going to be in an airline or in a hotel, or maybe a restaurant too. Just doing like a normal management job. My experience at Western will definitely contribute to that because Western is preparing me well. Especially the CAM program. I feel like I have a bright future but then it will probably be normal at the beginning and not a super spectacular job and I would be satisfied.

Check out Eno on Instagram: @ynch85