Peter Burds graduated from Northeastern in 2023 with a BA in English and a double minor of East Asian Studies and Chinese. After graduating, he travelled to China to attend the Hopkins-Nanjing Center, earning an MA in International Studies and Comparative and International Law. While there, he was honored with the Outstanding MAIS Thesis Award by the center, for his work on Sino-U.S. Cyber Operations and Cyberwar under International Law. He also recently founded the Kinetic Ordnance Initiative nonprofit that works to combat the threats of unexploded ordnance in war torn-countries. In the fall, he plans on traveling back to China to pursue a PhD in International Security at Tsinghua University. He sat down to talk about his experiences at CSSH, his time in China, and what he’s planning for the future.
Peter’s words have been edited for clarity and brevity.
What brought you to Northeastern?
I grew up in Massachusetts, so I would often go into Boston and tour the campus. My dad was a professor, so I built a relationship with the school and when it came time to apply, I obviously did and I got in. It’s a very good choice; you can actually have the college experience and get involved. It’s its own little space, and that was really enjoyable to explore and live in.
What sparked your interest in learning Chinese and studying in China?
There were a few factors. My stepdad is a tai chi teacher, and I grew up hearing stories of his teachers who devoted their lives to studying tai chi and other Chinese martial arts. It was very inspiring, and eventually I started reading more books about Chinese culture. I also started collecting cloisonne, which is a type of enamel ware that’s made in China, and I wanted to know what the characters meant. Then I just started self learning Chinese one day, and I’m like “this is the thing for me. I need a new challenge in my life, and this is quite the challenge.” I started devoting my life to that, and watching a lot of dubs of Peppa Pig. That’s the secret: you need to know Peppa Pig words. Then I minored in Chinese at Northeastern, and the head of the Chinese program, Hua Dong, recommended this masters program in China that I applied to… and I got in!
Can you tell me about a memorable class and professor you had during your time at CSSH?
I had quite a few teachers who I took multiple classes with. I was an English major, so I took two of Elizabeth Britt’s rhetoric classes. I took “Rhetoric of Law” in my last semester, which inspired me to focus on international law in my master’s. Also, I did my capstone with Professor Theo Davis; she’s a great professor and great person. Professor Jung Lee advised both of my honors research projects. And like I mentioned already, I’ve maintained my connections with Hua Dong and see her every time I come back to the U.S.
How have your experiences at Northeastern and specifically with CSSH prepared you for your time in China?
One of the main, fundamental strengths is confidence to use the language. Your language skills directly correlate to how confident you are, and how much you can enjoy living in the country and engage in it. My Chinese classes were very good and they pushed me to do that. It was painful at times, but it formed the foundation of the skills of confidence and courage.
Was it difficult to acculturate to Chinese culture? Can you tell me about an unexpected difference between American and Chinese culture?
It wasn’t super hard to acculturate. At this point, when I return to the U.S., I feel like I have more culture shock than I did [in China]. There are a few subtle things that aren’t taught, like learning names. People don’t use their names as much in Chinese. In the U.S., you typically share your name early on in an interaction. In China, one can go for months knowing someone without knowing their name.
“One of the main, fundamental strengths is just confidence to use the language. Because your language skills directly correlate to how confident you are and how much you can enjoy living in the country, how much you can engage with it.”
Peter Burds ’23
During your time at Northeastern, you tutored other students in Chinese. What drove you to get involved in this way? What did you take away from that experience?
I tutored at the Peer Tutoring Center, and also at NU CALLS because I really like to help people out, and it was nice to teach people. At the same time you learn more about how languages work. I learned that one of the main things that keeps people from being able to learn languages isn’t really linguistic; it’s more of a mindset thing. A lot of people learn languages as Americans, and you can’t be your American self speaking Chinese. You need to accept the culture. It’s kind of a mental decision you have to make to say “yes, this is me, the Chinese Peter”. I can still be myself using this language.
Do you have any advice for Northeastern students currently considering pursuing higher education abroad for their post grad degree?
It’s really hard. But you have to trust that it will work out while also putting effort into finding something that’s important and original. You also have to stop focusing on how you look on paper so much and pursue the things that interest you. It doesn’t pay to try to be someone else.
