Before stepping foot on campus in 2021, Travis Liu Tanruizhi ’25 had already built a name for himself. Hailing from Dali, Yunnan—a less developed region in China—he had begun cultivating a digital presence in high school, first on Weibo, then on RedNote, where thousands of followers track his reflections on student life, internships, and personal growth. But social media, he says, was merely his first experiment with marketing.
Over his four years at NYU Shanghai, he seamlessly moved between the classroom and the boardroom, completing high-profile internships at Nike, L’Oréal, L.E.K, Bain, and Mastercard. After graduation, Travis will return to Mastercard, this time as an Associate Consultant.
Planning as an Art
Travis Liu Tanruizhi has always been a planner. He engineered his experience with the same thoughtfulness that marked every online post, every résumé draft, every quiet decision not to chase what didn’t feel right.
As a first year student, Travis considered majoring in international relations—fueled by years of Model UN experience in his high school years and a belief that diplomacy could change the world. But midway through Intro to International Politics with Professor Ivan Rasmussen, he had a realization. “International relations is never about changing the world, but about what we can do when the world can’t be changed,” he thought. With that in mind, he prepared to pivot, embarking on several rounds of one-on-one career coaching at the Center for Career Development (CCD). Ultimately, he turned to Business and Marketing, attracted to its emphasis on human connection and communications.
With the help of CCD’s resume workshops and mock interviews, he landed a marketing internship at Nike, becoming the team’s youngest intern. His first project was to help create a fan-engagement program for high school basketball leagues. He coordinated in the design of a mini-program to let students cheer for their teams online, which racked up tens of millions of livestream views on game day. This experience confirmed something for Travis: marketing was more than just business, it was connection. “It’s about understanding people—what they want, why they want it, and how to meet them where they are,” he said. “That’s exactly what I want and what I’m best at.”
More internships followed, including ones at L’Oréal’s Lancôme marketing team, Bain, and Mastercard. Balancing internships with school was a juggling act—five-day workweeks, back-to-back classes, taxi rides across the city, late meals, and late nights staying up till 2 am to finish homework and meet course requirements. Still, Travis proved up for the challenge. “If the growth is worth it,” he shrugs, “I don’t mind the intensity.”
At times, it meant missing class. For Travis, it was a deliberate tradeoff. “It’s probably the most rebellious thing he’s done,” says his friend Jessica Jia Zixuan ’25, laughing. “But he always knows exactly what he’s doing.”
After several unsuccessful attempts to secure additional consulting internships while studying away at NYU Abu Dhabi—and amid a decline in his physical health brought on by relentless work pressure—he again made a decisive shift. Marketing, with its blend of creativity and strategy, emerged as the clear path forward, marking the starting point of his professional journey.
By junior year, Travis joined the Marketing Services team at Mastercard Data & Services department as an summer intern and earned a job offer early on in his senior year.
Looking back on his four years, Travis reflects with characteristic clarity: “I think my greatest strength is knowing which flower I’m after in a garden full of distractions.” NYU Shanghai, he says, broadened his view of the world. But it also sharpened his sense of where he wants to be. “After seeing the world, I’m more determined to settle down in Shanghai, in the city I like, with a career path I can clearly see in three or five years.”
A Softer Strength: From Learner to Giver
Amid the pace of internships and academics, Travis found a quieter outlet in music. He took vocal training with Professor Gabriel Song perfecting his voice for solos and chorus. Professor Song chose a song for Travis to practice: Jude Chiu’s Lychee, a tender piece about exposing vulnerability beneath a tough shell. “Travis has the sensitivity,” he noted, “and when he opens up, it counts.” For Travis, singing became another kind of practice—one rooted not in achievement, but in presence. “It helped me listen more carefully to myself and others,” he said.
While studying away in New York, he enrolled inService Learning through Youth & Community, a course taught by Professor Peggy Morton which involved volunteer tutoring. Paired with a student who needed help in Algebra 2—a subject he hadn’t studied—he taught himself the material so he could teach her. Service work became a new outlet for Travis, from repainting public schools on weekends to serving students with academic challenges at the NYU Office of Student Success. “He is naturally curious, bright, and just an absolute delight,” said Professor Morton, noting his commitment to educational equity.
Back in Shanghai for his senior year—with a job offer already in hand—Travis turned his focus to helping others navigate their own early career steps. Drawing on his internship experiences, he led student workshops through CCD’s Peer Mentor Program and offered one-on-one coaching.
Crossing the Stage, Keeping a Promise
This week, Travis represented NYU Shanghai at NYU’s all-campus commencement, walking the stage at Yankee Stadium. Inspired by the Bronx teen he once tutored, Tanruizhi made a promise: if he was selected to attend graduation in New York, he’d bring her as his guest.
“I know I can’t ‘represent’ the NYU Shanghai Class of 2025—because no one can,” Travis said in his application to attend NYU’s commencement. “We are too diverse, too unique to be summed up by one person.” He said he walked the stage, “not just for myself, but for all of us who took a leap of faith by coming here.”
