01 Why DKU?
The time and freedom given by Duke Kunshan University (DKU) to explore a wide range of majors attracted me. For me, who just graduated from high school, it is still a confusing topic to decide what field and career I want to pursue in the future. Many times, reality is very different from imagination, so personal exploration is particularly important.
DKU’s diverse campus culture make me excited. I am very much looking forward to studying and living with students from different countries and gaining a deeper understanding of their culture. At the same time, I am also looking forward to sharing Chinese culture with the world and promoting cross-cultural understanding and appreciation.
02 Stories About My Major And Me
In high school, I chose Liberal arts direction. Before coming to DKU, I almost never thought about the possibility of studying Environmental Science. During my freshman year, I explored International Politics, Global Cultural studies, Media Arts and other fields extensively, but still failed to find the direction that I was really interested in. It was not until the beginning of my sophomore year that I began to take a series of Environmental Science and Public Policy courses. I gradually realized my keen insight into Public Policy analysis and developed a strong interest in environmental issues such as climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss. Since I live in the Taihu Lake Basin, I have personally witnessed the serious impact of water pollution on the environment and the ensuing freshwater supply crisis, which has also strengthened my determination to study Environmental Science. I believe that Environmental Science provides scientific understanding of the natural world, and policy provides a way to transform this knowledge into feasible solutions. This professional choice can solve practical problems from an interdisciplinary perspective, and I am passionate about it.
03 Plans After Graduation
After graduation, I will go to Harvard University to pursue a master’s degree in environmental health with a focus on climate change and sustainability. I look forward to taking climate change mitigation and climate-related human health issues and inequalities as my main research directions in the future, developing and implementing feasible solutions at the regional and global levels, and contributing to a healthier, more just, and more sustainable future.
04 Significant Research Experience
During the summer vacation of my sophomore year, I participated in Professor Annemieke van den Dool’s Summer Research Scholar (SRS) program. In this project, we used a multi-stream policy model to understand the timeline and process of the development of China’s soil pollution prevention and control law. After the summer project, I continued to work as a research assistant for Professor Van den Dool on China’s soil pollution policy. We are currently co-authoring a journal article that focuses on the impact of social media on China’s policy-making on soil pollution. This research clarify the significance for understanding the importance of narrative in shaping policy discourse and the application of narrative policy frameworks in the Chinese context. As my academic mentor, Professor Van den Dool led me step by step to understand the process of academic research and cultivated my ability to conduct academic research independently.
In addition, my signature project focused on analyzing the dynamics of wetlands in the urbanization process of Suzhou and explored whether its relationship with economic indicators conforms to the Environmental Kuznets Curve, while revealing the socioeconomic drivers that led to these changes. Under the guidance of Professor He Wumeng of the DKU iMEP (Master of International Environmental Policy) program, I used the case study of Suzhou to provide policy recommendations on how to balance urban development and wetland protection in future urban planning. In this study, I learned from scratch how to process and analyze remote sensing satellite data and combined the knowledge of natural sciences and social sciences, laying a solid foundation for more influential interdisciplinary research in the future. Professor He gave me great support and guidance during the research process and discussed and overcame various challenges in the research with me, such as the definition and calculation of wetland area, and also provided me with valuable inspiration on research methods and norms.
Presented with Professor Annemieke van den Dool at the DKU Contemporary China Research Center Annual Conference
05 Impressive Internship Experience
During the summer vacation of my junior year, I worked as an intern in the sustainability department of KONE Elevator Company for three months. At the spring recruitment fair organized by the DKU Student Career Services Office, I talked with KONE HR and submitted my resume, and finally successfully obtained this internship opportunity. As a European company, KONE Elevator has always been a leader in the field of sustainable development and actively practices it. I am eager to gain valuable experience in such a visionary and forward-looking company.
During the internship, I was mainly responsible for the collection and review of sustainable data, including supplier material information, life cycle carbon emissions, and recycled content, for product environmental declarations and ESG (environmental, social and governance) reports. I worked closely with many suppliers from China and around the world to ensure the accuracy and validity of the collected data, and also trained suppliers on data disclosure. This experience allowed me to directly understand the company’s practices in the field of sustainability, and also gave me the opportunity to get involved in the field of materials that I was not familiar with before and exercised my ability to quickly learn and apply new knowledge. This internship also improved my analytical and communication skills, allowing me to effectively handle complex technical details and convey requirements to suppliers in the simplest language possible. Through this internship, I also intuitively felt the gap between the current international leading technical concepts and actual sustainable development management, which inspired me to contribute my own strength in promoting more companies to improve sustainable development practices.
Explain the concept of sustainability with Rane Hill during the internship
06 Meaningful Leadership Practice
In my junior year, I participated in the writing of DKU’s first sustainable development report initiated by the Sustainable Club and served as the team leader of the environmental health section. I led a team of three members to collect and analyze DKU’s indoor air quality data and chemical storage and handling in 2022 and provided fact-based recommendations. At the Duke International Forum held in November 2023, Emerson Meeks and I jointly presented the contents of this report, aiming to promote DKU’s progress in sustainable development. We also took this opportunity to have an in-depth exchange and study with Professor Tavey Capps, Executive Director of the Duke Office of Sustainability, from the Duke University delegation, to explore the possibility of implementing sustainable initiatives at DKU, and subsequently conveyed our ideas to the DKU management and received active support.
In my senior year, I served as the vice president of the Sustainable DKU Club, and together with the club’s management, I led the core members to plan a series of activities, including second-hand markets, garbage classification discussions, sustainable manual planning, and environmental professional alumni sharing sessions. Through these activities, we spread the concept and lifestyle of sustainability in the DKU community and influenced more people.
I believe that an excellent leader must first have certain professional skills to promote the discussion of technical issues; secondly, he/she must have excellent communication and organizational skills to effectively coordinate the team and collaborate with all parties; finally, it’s a must to have sufficient sense of responsibility and adaptability to cope with various challenges and changes.
Sharing the DKU Sustainability Report at the Duke International Forum
07 Inspiring Cross-cultural Experience
During my study at Duke University, I met many international students, and these friendships have continued to this day. In my communication with them, I deeply felt their extroverted and inclusive attitude. Their generous praise and direct expression have given me great strength and support in my life. At the same time, they have a great impact on my way of making friends and my way of getting along with friends, shaping my more extroverted and confident personality. I also immerse myself in the culture of different countries in my communication and getting along with friends from all over the world. My Nepalese friends often cook and share their country’s food with me and invite me to celebrate together during national festivals. I also invited many international students from DKU to come to my hometown of Wuxi to introduce them to my hometown culture and traditional Chinese culture. During the Spring Festival this year, I invited Polina Konovalova, a classmate from Russia, to spend the Spring Festival with my family and introduced the Chinese Spring Festival tradition to her in full. I think the charm of cross-cultural communication lies in being able to see differences and embrace the world with understanding and tolerance.
Take a number of international students to travel in my hometown Wuxi
Feel the atmosphere of the Chinese New Year with Polina Konovalova
08 Growth During 4-years Undergraduate
I still remember that when I was a freshman, Professor Amanda Bradford emphasized in her EAP class that she regarded the progress of each student at the beginning and end of the course as an important criterion for judgment. Everyone’s starting point may not be the same, but the progress achieved through hard work is also worth celebrating, which impressed me.
In the free and open space of DKU, I got rid of the single pursuit and restraint of standard answers, began to explore the essence of the problem more deeply, gradually cultivated a deeper critical thinking and independent thinking ability, and combined theory with practice to explore and solve practical problems. In the fast-paced learning environment of DKU, I also developed excellent rapid learning ability, which enabled me to master the learning methods and techniques of different subjects in a short period of time.
At the same time, I became more confident and mature. By organizing club activities and participating in internship projects, I developed leadership, teamwork and interpersonal skills. I learned how to manage time, deal with stress, and know my interests and goals more clearly. In the process of communicating with friends from different cultural backgrounds, I gradually developed a more tolerant and open mind.
09 Suggestions To Fellow Students
DKU provides a platform with freedom and strong academic atmosphere, encouraging everyone to bravely expand their comfort zone, boldly explore and try different fields and disciplines, create different possibilities for themselves, and constantly expand their horizons and capabilities, so as to achieve more comprehensive growth and development. In this process, it doesn’t matter if you fail, even if the field you explore is not in line with your interest, because the cost of trial and error at this stage is very low. Keep the courage to try, and keep confident, you are your best supporter.
For students with similar interests, please believe that passion can be seen. I was unsuccessful in my attempt to obtain a research opportunity on campus, but in subsequent courses and related lectures held by the school, I actively participated and showed my enthusiasm, and was fortunately invited to be a teaching assistant, and finally successfully joined the research project. In addition, the exploration of the environmental field can be diverse. Don’t limit your imagination, make good use of the resources around you, and explore and unlock new skills and potential through different attempts.
Translated and Edited by Zhenyu Tian, Class of 2027
