Mingyu is my dear friend who traveled to the United States as an international student. She flew from her home in China to Ringling College of Art and Design (RCAD) in Sarasota, Florida, to study art in the country she admired. She hoped for a better experience and acceptance in America. However, her experience at Ringling College has been anything but equitable. Being an immigrant transgender girl, she was subjected to abuse from her classmates and misconduct from her campus administration. Mingyu is in dire need of help.
Mingyu flew to New York as the port of entry in the summer of 2025, and this gave us a perfect chance to meet in person. Before 2025, I followed her for her captivating art posts on Twitter. Not long after, we began messaging each other online, and over time, we developed a trust in one another. Finally, we made our first contact on the streets of New York, and I was left in awe by her impression: Her adorable fashion, her bashful charm, her confident flow — everything she did has a purpose, a story. Using my limited time, we enjoyed sightseeing and kept each other company. Using my limited network, we attempted to search for reasonable accommodations for her. Using my limited funds, we prepared the minimum necessities for her long-term stay in America. She also met her other friends who lived in New York and thoroughly enjoyed her stay there as much as possible. Looking back, I wish I hadn’t been harsh about her lack of backup planning because I had a backup plan once our primary plan fell apart. Not too long after, we said our goodbyes, and she boarded her flight towards RCAD. I wish I could have done more for her because she desired to stay a few more days to explore the New York metropolitan area.
Mingyu chose to attend RCAD as a transgender Chinese international art student, and she has been in touch with her close friends throughout. I would expect a college to be a place of open-minded, professional space for learning and networking with one another. Instead, Mingyu told about her experience of being relentlessly bullied by a cruel abuser who was given the power to continue tormenting Mingyu by Ringling College staff. Some friends she made on the campus would later use her trust as a weapon against her. In one example, the abuser brought co-conspirators with him and held her up for hours to force her to falsely confess that she assaulted him, which left Mingyu in a state of emergency. This abuser will later file a restraining order with false evidence, only to purposefully appear before her to land her in trouble. This abuser and bullies would tell her to “go back to China”, and they would threaten to deport her. Week by week, month by month, her psychological condition swayed greatly. Her time was robbed away from learning and socializing. She has been on the defensive for too long. She documented evidence of harassment and abuse and sent it over to the RCAD admins, yet RCAD hasn't shown any signs of investigating this dreadful case to make things right. Is it because she is an international student? Is it because she is Chinese? Is it because she is a transgender girl? Is it because she has limited English proficiency? Is it because the abuser has a political tie within RCAD? Or, is it because she seems so bashful and timid that it's easier to side with the louder, more influential one at the expense of an international Chinese transgender quiet student's life?
I have known Mingyu for years and have been one of her first contacts since she arrived in New York. I've helped her get started with the essentials she will need in America at my own expense. After all, she endured a lot to finally fly to and study in America with a fresh breath of air. That said, all the emotional and physical harm that she had to endure and is made to endure on her own college campus to the point of this document's creation is inconceivable and simply unacceptable. I will continue to support Mingyu as a friend in any way possible as I did on her first landing. I would advise the board and admin of Ringling College to do the same as their pupils and address this serious issue.
Mingyu, I'm sorry that the United States of America, a nation of immigrants, has failed you greatly and left you with a negative experience during your studies at Ringling College of Art and Design. The US has strong laws against a hostile environment in workplaces and schools, and I hope you'll succeed in finding a resolution to this grave injustice.
Ringling College, it's insufferable to imagine that a college that ranks top 10 in Florida and boasts “#4 in the world for Top Creative Schools, [...] #2 in the U.S. for 3D Animation, #1 in the U.S. for Architectural Visualization, #3 in the U.S. for Concept Art, #2 in the world for Motion Graphics, and #2 in the U.S. for Game Design and Development” is denying a fair judgement against your pupil who has been speaking up to your campus admins to do something. When your administration ignores a hostile learning environment to the point of severe depression, how can we trust you?
-JSC
📧 chuu@chuu.sh
☎️ +1 347 974 6660
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