As an international relations major focusing on China, I am fascinated by Chinese culture, politics, and life. CMC has provided immense opportunities for me to explore my passion, whether studying Chinese in my Boswell Hall dorm room until 3 a.m., practicing my language skills and feasting on eggplant at Happy Family, or interning at Handicap International in Beijing. I have met visiting scholars and dignitaries—including Burton Levin, former U.S. Ambassador to Burma and consul general in Hong Kong, and William Overholt, Center for Asia Pacific Policy Chair at the RAND Corporation—each offering keen insight into current issues facing China's people and government.

Of this distinguished group, no one made an impression on me quite like Anson Chan, the former chief secretary for administration of Hong Kong. With a small stature and perfectly designed clothing that belie a keen intelligence and commanding voice, she is a leader in every aspect of the word.

I met Mrs. Chan when she addressed my Government and Politics of East Asia seminar as part of her week-long visit to the College as a Freeman Foundation Visiting Professor, engaging the class with anecdotes reflecting both successful experiences and humbling challenges.

Demonstrating modesty characteristic of her culture, Mrs. Chan, who led Hong Kong's 190,000 member-strong civil service from 1993-2003, downplayed her personal role in the handover from British to Chinese rule. However, as the most senior civil servant, she was instrumental in 1997's smooth transition and remained a stabilizing factor in subsequent years. She is recipient of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region's (HKSAR) highest honor, the Grand Bauhinia Medal, and was named an honorary Dame Grand Cross by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

Mrs. Chan's visit also included meetings with students, faculty, and administrators, and a lecture at the Marian Miner Cook Athenaeum, One Country, Two Systems, which reviewed the policies that define the Mainland China-Hong Kong relationship.

During my one-on-one conversation with Mrs. Chan, her initial demeanor was extremely reserved, as expected from a high-profile leader, but soon warmed as we discussed her personal challenges, triumphs, and role models, including Lady Thatcher. She described her visit to CMC as an opportunity to experience first-hand an institution with a reputation for developing future leaders.

"Anson Chan provided both students and faculty with an opportunity to understand the unique administrative and political status, and growing economic and financial importance, of Hong Kong," says Chae-Jin Lee, BankAmerica Professor of Pacific Basin Studies and director of the Keck Center for International and Strategic Studies. "Our students gained substantial information and insights from her."

Mrs. Chan's eloquent speech and expertise serve as a positive example for me and my classmates as we venture into the future. Her lessons of hard work, passion, and confidence have come to define my experience at CMC. Perhaps it does take four years to create a leader in the making.

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President Pamela Gann and Anson Chan, former chief secretary for administration of Hong Kong