Alexander A. (IN A NUTSHELL)

At Columbia, Alexander majors in East Asian Studies, with a focus in Mandarin. In 2019, Alexander graduated from Crossroads School in Santa Monica. In his senior year, he served as the Editor-In-Chief for the school’s student-run paper, Crossfire, guiding the publication to a Columbia Scholastic Press Association’s Silver Crown Award for High School General Print Magazine. Alexander also played on the varsity baseball team and worked for Vault Prep, a tutoring company in Santa Monica. Alexander began learning Mandarin in 8th grade, and by 11th grade, he was selected for the highly competitive NSLI-Y program. This government-funded program sends students to other countries for a cultural and language learning experience. He spent two months living and taking classes in Shanghai, including 3 weeks with a host family, only speaking Mandarin. The summer after graduation, Alexander was invited to intern at the Jing’an International Student Exchange Center, where he tutored Chinese students in English and helped negotiate meetings with foreign embassies. Alexander has spent time working with MOJO Global Arts, an LA-based production company, reviewing scripts and working as a coverage intern. He also recently spent almost a year working in marketing/production for Animax, a Singapore-based TV channel. At Columbia, Alexander is involved in the film program, baseball analytics club, and political research. Outside of the classroom, you can find him on the lawns playing spike ball or on his couch watching anime with friends.