SENIOR PROFILE: Lan Li

After Lan Li returned from a semester abroad in London, she decided it was time to take her YouTube entertainment to the next level. Now, to her over 5,600 subscribers, Li is known by her username “WorldIsMarble,” where she posts videos chronicling her life at Barnard and in New York, along with her original music and ukulele performances.

Over the past couple of years, she has gained recognition for more than 90 videos, though that was not originally one of her main goals.

“I never really thought I would make videos, ever,” she said.

But Li, a 2008 recipient of the Gilman International Scholarship—which offers funding for undergraduate students to study abroad—decided to post weekly blogs about her experience for her required project. During the fall semester of her junior year, Li studied at University College London and posted a YouTube video each week about her travels, her thoughts, her studies, and her general experiences. Her “An American in London” series of video blogs has been viewed thousands of times and gained a notable online following.

After she returned to Morningside Heights in spring 2009, she continued to make videos about life in New York, including many original acoustic songs, accompanied by her own ukulele and guitar strums.

“When I came back, I decided to get into film more seriously,” Li, a history major concentrating in science and society, said.

Though her WorldIsMarble hobby may seem like a time-consuming endeavor, Li has also kept busy both inside and outside the classroom.

She started the Barnard History of Science Society and volunteers as a Big Sib for the Big Sibs mentoring program. In addition, she edits videos for Barnard—a job she will keep for another year as she applies to graduate programs in the history of science.

Li was recently able to combine her interests in science, history, and filmmaking in her senior thesis documentary, titled “The Tacit Tumor.” The film looks at social, theoretical, and medical perspectives on integrating Eastern and Western medical practices.

“Taking that on was one of the most difficult things I’ve ever done. I learned so much from just doing. I went to China this summer, and I just interviewed doctors who were integrating East-West medicine and were willing to talk to a college student during the swine flu season,” she said.

This summer, Li will travel to Prague for three weeks as a prize for winning a video contest with ExchangesConnect.

Although she never expected to make videos, especially ones that are viewed by thousands of people worldwide, Li has embraced her interest in media and hopes to continue to create music and films.

“That’s the thing with coming to college—you never know where it’s going to take you,” she said. “You learn that it’s okay to be scared. It’s okay to not know what you want to do, and really take risks.”