Cori Boyce: The Adventures of a Singer and World Traveler

Name: Cori Boyce
Year: Senior
Major/Minor: Marketing major, International Business and Chinese minors
Campus Involvement: Delta Gamma Sorority, Alpha Kappa Psi professional business fraternity, President of the Miami Misfitz

Cori has had an outstanding Miami experience so far. She is goal-oriented and adventurous and we just had to talk to her! She spent the last year studying abroad in Beijing, China and Seville, Spain and has returned to campus for her senior year to take on a leadership role with one of Miami’s beloved a capella groups. Her musical talent, international perspective and role as a leader on campus made her a shoe-in for this year’s first Campus Celeb. Read on to get to know Cori and to hear some great advice on accomplishing your goals and maknig the most of the Miami experience. 

HC: Tell us about your leadership role with the the Mizfits.
CB: This year I am president of the Misfitz, which is a role I am both honored and excited to have. The nature of our particular group involves both musical commitment and talent, but also passion and teamwork. In addition to standard presidential responsibilities, I have various activities and workshops planned for us this year to ensure that we produce the best sound possible because our passion and teamwork are so strong. Another goal I have for our group this year is to be more involved on our own campus. This may mean more gigs and performances at a variety of activities, but I also want us to provide more support for our other student organizations on campus through participation in their various philanthropic and fundraising events.

HC: When did you start singing?
CB: I can’t remember the precise moment when I started singing, but I can tell you when I started whistling. I remember being a toddler and I had just figured out how to form my mouth in such a way that it made such a neat sound. I’d toddle around the house just whistling (my parents said I was better at whistling than forming words). When I got a bit older, my dad told me that whistling inside buildings was illegal and so I stopped whistling unless I was outside. Poor guy was just super annoyed with me. Anyway, since I started singing, I sing every day. It brings me more happiness than anything else.

HC: Do you have any advice for aspiring musicians/singers/performers on Miami’s campus?
CB: Just keep singing – anywhere, anytime, alone or in front of people. No one ever thinks they’re “good enough”. But practice really does make perfect. And if it doesn’t, it builds confidence and comfortability. Do what you’re passionate about and do it every day.

HC: What are some of your favorite memories from your study abroad trips?
CB: One of my favorite memories from studying at Beijing Jiaotong University was singing in their campus talent show. I was their token foreigner in that show and while I was hesitant about doing so, it helped me break into the Chinese community and begin conversations with the Chinese students. Some treated me like a celebrity! It was crazy, but I don’t think I would have formed many relationships with the native Chinese students if I hadn’t done that.
One of my favorite memories from studying in Seville was just running and studying in Plaza de Espana almost every day. If you’ve never heard of it – google it. It’s one of the prettiest sights I’ve ever seen – and I lived around the corner from it! I used to lounge in the sun and study and listen to the Spaniards as they walked by. It was one of the few times I’d forget I was American and felt like I truly belonged. (PhotoSource)

HC: Tell us about the craziest thing you did or tried abroad
CB: I went bungee jumping about two hours outside of Beijing in this beautiful valley region. Bungee jumping alone would be scary for me – but the whole ordeal seemed fairly sketchy (for lack of a better word), which made it all the more dangerous. We didn’t need to sign any forms and it only cost us the equivalent of $15 American dollars to jump. I’m shocked the equipment actually worked!

HC: What was the biggest takeaway from spending so much time outside the US?
CB: Although I learned so much about these two other cultures, I think I learned more about what it meant to be American. Anywhere you go outside of the US, there are American stereotypes and the natives will treat you according to these stereotypes. Sometimes it’s exciting and other times incredibly disheartening. In China, I’d randomly get asked to take pictures with Chinese people who had never seen a foreigner before. And on the other hand, I once got kicked out of a cab purely for saying where I was from. I’ve never felt so conscious of where I came from, but it also forced me to figure out what I have to be proud of about being American and about being me. I then tried to share this with the various cultures I interacted with.

HC: What do you miss most after returning to the states?
CB: I miss the prices in China! Haha, everything was so much cheaper there. And getting my hands on designer goods was far too easy. From Spain, I miss the beauty. The city I lived in, although it was the fourth largest city in Spain, wasn’t really modernized yet. Just walking around brought me so much joy. From both places, I miss the people I met. In China, I lived with international students and made so many friends from all over the world that I miss so much. In Spain, I lived with a host family who I grew close to and bonded with a lot of the other students in my program. I miss a lot actually haha, but its nice to return to normalcy.

HC: Did you miss Miami? What did you miss the most?
CB: I missed Miami more than you know! And it was more than just FOMO haha. This place has become my home and I hold it so dear to my heart. I hated not being involved in the organizations that I’m in – especially not being able to sing with the Misfitz. I missed the dining halls (we truly don’t know how good we have it – I got food poisoning from Chinese dining halls on more than one occasion). Overall, I just missed the atmosphere and the people. Miami students and Miami grads are proud of this place for a reason – it’s hard to be away when you’re not truly supposed to be yet.

HC: Do you have advice for other students who are thinking about studying abroad?
CB: DO IT. Right now. Fill out the application and go. It’s not too expensive (there are scholarships and grants available) and you DO have the time to do it. If you plan accordingly, you can take the right classes before and while you’re there so you’re not behind in any way. Trust me, I have a comeback for every excuse in the book. It’s hard sometimes – every single day in China, something would go wrong. Before I left for Spain, I cried because I didn’t want to go anymore – I missed Miami too much to leave the States for the second semester in a row. But it is beyond worth it. You learn so much about the world, the people in it, and yourself. These experiences were invaluable in shaping me into who I am today. Never again will you have the chance to spend 4 months somewhere else in the world simply to explore and study. So seize the opportunity while you can because if you don’t, you’ll regret it later.