ISC 2026 Speakers
We are thrilled to announce the following speakers will be featured on a panel during the opening ceremony of the International Student Conference 2026!
Dr. Xiaofeng Wan is a renowned leader in international college admissions in the United States, with more than 11 years of experience in highly selective college admissions.
From 2015-2024, he served as an Associate Dean of Admission and the Coordinator of International Recruitment at Amherst College, a prestigious, highly selective, liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts. He was the first Chinese national to be hired for this position in Amherst's history and one of a rare few foreign nationals in highly selective college admissions in the United States.
Under his leadership, the international application pool at Amherst nearly tripled during his tenure to an unprecedented record of 6,000, representing 40% of the entire application pool. The admission rate for international students also dropped to a historic low of 2%.
He is one of the most visible and outspoken speakers at industry conferences. He has published extensively on international student mobility issues on mainstream industry platforms, including Inside Higher Ed and University World News. He has been interviewed by many mainstream media outlets, including The New York Times, BBC, The Wall Street Journal, The Economist, Nature, AFP, CGTN America, The Chronicle of Higher Education, The Straits Times, Inside Higher Ed, etc.
Yanjie (Ruby) Cheng is the inaugural Assistant Director of the Global Brown Center for International Students (GBC). In this role, she develops, implements, and assesses intersectional programming that fosters a strong sense of belonging for Brown's internationally identified community. Ruby also leads Brown's international orientation, oversees the International Mentoring Program (IMP), and supports the GBC director in advancing the university's mission of creating an inclusive community that promotes equity and empowers international students to thrive in all aspects of their lives at Brown.
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Ruby holds a doctorate degree in Leadership for Educational Equity from the University of Colorado Denver and brings over ten years of professional experience as a dedicated advocate for international students. Prior to joining Brown, she served as the Director of International Enrollment at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs. Ruby has presented at international conferences such as the EducationUSA Forum, NAFSA, International Association of College Admissions and Counseling (International ACAC), ChinaICAC, and Association of International Education Administrators (AIEA). Her research focuses on international students' acculturation and sense of belonging, and her advocacy articles have been published in professional and scholarly journals.
