Friends, fraternity brothers, classmates and roommates, Kenden Pettit and Zach Chan had the summer of their lives studying and traveling in Asia. Both seniors are from the Orlando, Fla., area, but they met at UM. When it came time to study abroad, the two signed up for the program at Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK). “I wasn’t sure where I wanted to go, but I wanted something out of my comfort zone,” Pettit says.

Chan, on the other hand, chose Hong Kong because he had visited before; his ancestry is Chinese, and some relatives still live there. “There’s so much up in the air with finding work after college,” he says. “It makes traveling difficult. I wanted to go there as a student to learn Asian business.” Chan’s challenge, because he looks the part, was convincing locals that he didn’t speak Chinese. “People were surprised, but once they figured out I only understood English, they were more than willing to help us out.”

The duo took a variety of business courses at CUHK while living in an international house with students from around the world. They were thankful that English was the common language. “It was a learning experience to hear what others think of Americans,” says Pettit. “Opinions were mixed, which gave me the opportunity to step back and be on the outside looking in.” They enjoyed the change of scenery, too. CUHK is located on a mountainside — quite a change from Florida flatlands.

Kenden Pettit on the Great Wall in China.

While in Asia, the boys ventured to Macau, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Taiwan. “It was nothing like our average South Florida outings,” laughs Chan. Pettit recalls arriving at the Great Wall as a defining moment: “You can look at pictures, but nothing beats standing there with it right in front of you,” he says. “The sheer size of it, going over the highest point of every mountain, amazed me.” He says his new life motto is, “Nothing is real until it’s experienced.”

As for their future, Pettit developed a serious interest in international business operations, enjoyed the cultural differences and hopes to work in Hong Kong for the first few years of his career. Chan uncovered a desire to discover new countries and cultures. He hopes to achieve that goal through working for the U.S. State Department, a path he’s already pursuing.

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