A different class

"I grew up no different from any local child in the neighborhood. Very often I regard myself as a local," says Kazmi, who relocated to Shenyang city, Liaoning province, also in Northeast China, when she was 3 years old.

"I support the values of Chinese society and hope that I can contribute to the development of China," she adds.

Kazmi says her parents moved to China because of a job opportunity. Her father works as a language teacher.

Kazmi recalls that her family got along well with Chinese neighbors. "Very often our neighbors would give my younger sister and me some food that they cooked, and my mother would share with them our Pakistani dishes. I grew up eating dongbei (Northeast China) cuisines and I love them," she says.

"Even our family name in Chinese takes after that of a neighbor's as they offered great help to my parents when they first arrived and when my mother was pregnant with me."

Her aspiration to become a medical worker became clear in the first year of senior high school. "My aunt is a gynecologist back in Pakistan and, during family reunions, I was always amazed at her career experience of helping and healing people," she says.

Kazmi, who went to Shenyang No 2 High School, a top senior middle school in the province, says she appreciates China's dedication to providing a basic education for its population.