At NYU Shanghai, an exchange of cultures and ideas happens throughout the day and not just in the classroom. From the cafeteria to club activities and in the residential halls, students are learning from each other in a diverse, international environment. Upon arriving on campus, all first year students are paired with a roommate from a different country. Mattis Nurit ’26 and Devin Shang Yi ’26 were roommates their first year and became good friends.
Mattis Nurit ’26
Hometown: Grew up in France, US, and Singapore
Major: Global China Studies (International Relations)
Activities: Finance Society, Model UN, Basketball, Volleyball, Admissions Ambassador, NYU Shanghai NOW
Devin Shang Yi ’26
Hometown: Shanghai, China
Major: Economics and Data Science
Activities: Basketball, Economics Society
Choosing NYU Shanghai
Mattis: I was excited to be able to come here. I have a bit of a global background. I wanted to go somewhere where I could really pursue Chinese language [and learn] more about other cultures, specifically China, a country that I’m really interested in.
Devin: This is kind of my dream school - a way for me to explore without leaving my hometown. It’s really a good chance for me to get prepared for my future studies because I am aiming to go to the States for my postgrad education.
Basketball Diplomacy
Mattis: The first point of connection we made was basketball.
Devin: We were talking about hobbies, and we realized we both enjoy playing sports and NBA.
Mattis: We went to play basketball with a bunch of other new students and then we started talking about everything else. We became quite close quickly.
Fast Food Friends
Devin: We got pizza the first time we had dinner together.
Mattis: We wanted Domino’s because for me it’s a taste of home, so I got pepperoni. Devin got Peking duck pizza and also a durian pizza, to make sure I not only got a taste of home, but also got a taste of China.
Devin: [I wanted him] to try something unique.
Mattis: Now, we grab lunch or dinner together every day or two. We enjoy connecting over food. It's almost a tradition now.
On the Road
Mattis: We love going on trips together. Devin’s the driver. We have a small group of four people, and we’ve done two road trips to different areas around Shanghai.
Devin: On our first road trip, we went to Huangshan Mountain. It was during the winter, and we got really lucky. It snowed the day before, so it was all white.
Mattis: We just got back from the Philippines and Brunei. That was our first international trip. When Devin comes to America, we’ve already planned to take him on a road trip there.
Setting Goals Together
Mattis: I think that’s all we want in college–to get pushed out of our comfort zone and to grow from it.
Devin: That’s how people improve.
Mattis: From the beginning, we were setting these goals for ourselves to pursue, and I think that's something we still do today. We don’t just look at where we are. We set goals for ourselves [and] for each other that we maintain.
Devin: I wouldn’t be on the basketball team today without his help. He’s been instrumental in where I am today on the team. Likewise, I was pushing him to get on the team, too so we could play together.
First Friends, then Roommates
Mattis: It immediately felt like home with each other; we were similar, but also we immediately got the culture shock of being friends with each other. We both really put in the time and effort to cultivate that connection and to see where it goes.
Devin: He is like the brother I never had. I'm an only child, so I never got to experience living with a peer before, and he’s really supportive, funny, and cool. He's like the ideal roommate.
Mattis: I really wasn’t expecting to have such a strong support in my roommate. I think having been able to almost find another brother in my roommate and someone I can look up to in many ways has been just amazing.
Devin: We are friends first, then we are roommates.