01 Why DKU?
DKU has shown me endless possibilities.
In the high school, I am a student and only a student. I have lived as a “student” for 18 years and have never seriously thought about who I am and who I can become. Until I learned about DKU’s educational philosophy, I found that this place can allow me to truly understand, examine, and develop myself, and allow me to grow as my true self, which is what I yearn for and cherish. The four years of college time spent here also confirmed my judgment. DKU really gave me the greatest freedom and opportunity to know myself, choose my future, and explore the world.
02 Stories About My Major And Me
What is health? This is a word that we have heard since childhood, but we rarely think about its essence. I have been in a sub-healthy state for a long time. It was the major of Global Health that allowed me to learn about “health”-related knowledge for the first time in a scientific way, both in accordance with theory and out of sensibility. As a student of Global Health, I have been able to access diverse and professional health resources, develop healthy living habits, and successfully restore myself to a healthy state.
After correctly understanding health and experiencing the benefits of health, I also realized that my personal health is only like a candle in the eyes of the public health of the society. Outside the gate of global health profession, there are still many people who may never have the awareness and opportunity to contact professional health knowledge, and then cannot enjoy the benefits brought by health. Public policy is an effective means to solve such social problems. Its universality and humanistic care are consistent with my sense of social responsibility and mission. Health or not greatly determines the background of life. I hope to be a bridge to spread health from the academic field to the society. Everyone deserves a healthier and happier tomorrow.
Taking a photo with Mentor Professor Chen Meifang in front of the poster of the Signature Work Performance
03 Plans After Graduation
After graduation, I decided to go to Yale University to pursue a master’s degree in medical management at the School of Public Health and continue to study in the field of health and management.
04 Meaningful Internship Experience
In the second semester of my junior year, I participated in the top-level design of the informationization of a foreign-funded hospital listed in the line of PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). I learned really a lot skills about interpersonal relationships and teamwork. Dealing with the three main groups of superiors, customers, and colleagues is different and has its own emphasis. How to get along with each group, ensure clear and efficient communication, and achieve the most high-quality output in the shortest time is a learning, as the saying goes, “Make everyone’s life easier.”
At the same time, the ability to deal with emergency problems is also improved. A major feature of consulting work is to solve customer problems and meet customer needs at any time. Whether facing customer questions in a meeting or suddenly receiving a task late at night, you must have the ability to think and make decisions calmly in times of crisis, so as to give answers that satisfy both parties.
The opportunity to get this internship was greatly benefited from the on-campus presentation jointly held by DKU and PwC. Students who submit their resumes at the presentation can get the opportunity to go directly to the interview, which is very precious, rare and lucky for students. DKU has created many channels to connect academia with society, but the most important thing is still to be good at discovering and firmly grasping these fleeting opportunities.
05 Rewarding Leadership Practice
In my sophomore year, I participated in the Global Health Young Leaders Case Analysis Competition organized by the Global Health Research Center of the school. The theme of this competition revolved around the promotion of Palliative Care in China. For most students at DKU, this was a very unfamiliar and novel topic. Without knowing the relevant background knowledge, I led the team to concentrate on the output in the last 6 hours before the deadline for submitting the proposal, and finally won the first place miraculously.
I think the winning point of our proposal lies in the clear entry point and detailed content support. The topic of palliative care involves many elements, but time is limited, and it is difficult to take care of all of them, so I proposed to focus all our energy on “raising awareness” and think about how to promote people’s acceptance and awareness of palliative care from the perspective of various stakeholders, including government, community, and family. We finally decided to start from three channels: social public welfare advertising, hospital construction, and information sites. After the basic idea was determined, we divided the work and cooperated, consulted a lot of literature, and repeatedly discussed and negotiated, and finally won a great success in the on-site defense on the second day.
To become an excellent leader, it is very important to have the ability to discover everyone’s strengths and assign tasks accordingly, so that the maximum individual value can be added up to the optimal collective level. The problems are always complex and diverse. If each member can accurately match the work content, they are best at and help and support each other, things can always be simplified from complex to simple, and good results can be achieved efficiently.
06 Why Love DKU?
The most valuable thing about DKU is that it teaches us to think and understand with critical thinking. In the past four years, I have taken many unforgettable classes and participated in countless wonderful activities. No matter what I did specifically, all the experiences are ultimately to help us better understand ourselves: what kind of person I am and what kind of person I want to be. Only with a clear and accurate self-awareness can we make the most suitable choice for ourselves.
The free and inclusive atmosphere of DKU allows every individual to feel, think, and live calmly. As graduation approaches, what I am most proud of is not only the professional skills I have learned or the offer from a prestigious school, but the moment I walked out of the school gate! I do not regret any decision I have made, nor am I afraid of the unknown long road tomorrow. I will always keep the joy and peace in my heart, because I know: The best self is yet to come. The best self is on the way.
Street dance performance
Won the “Best Athlete” in 2023
07 Suggestions To Fellow Students
1. Be sober and bold to try. Whether it is doing academics, looking for internships, or making friends, you must dare to contact new things and integrate into the new environment. Every opportunity may open a new chapter in life, and every encounter may bring unexpected surprises.
2. Think more and don’t regret. In fact, any action in life is making a choice. Many times, take a step back and calm down to think: Do I really need it, what are the risks of such a choice, can I accept and bear the consequences of doing so… Every important decision should be rationally and sincerely thought about. The heart and the world are changing with each passing day, don’t let yourself regret.
3. Don’t waste your energy or involution. A person’s energy is limited. Too much worry about trivialities and attention to others will lose their voice. Think clearly about what I want, and then do it boldly. Be good at using the result-oriented mentality, don’t have too many entanglements and concerns, and don’t care too much about the comments and evaluations of others. I am me, distinct and unique.
4. Stay kind and enthusiastic. Always help others as much as possible without hurting yourself. The best picture should be common progress. We have never been in a competitive relationship with our friends around us. We should care about each other, remind each other, help each other, and move towards a better tomorrow together. I hope everyone can be open-minded and tolerant, and never be stingy with their kindness and good intentions.
5. Believe in yourself firmly. “Efforts will lie, but efforts will not be in vain.” Each of us is so unique and beautiful. At any time, please don’t doubt yourself, let yourself down, and deny yourself. As long as we keep moving forward, one day, we will catch up with the light in the distance in the wilderness of our hearts.
I remember every ray of morning light, I love every classroom, I thank every encounter, and I treasure all the moments. From this moment on, I live for beauty, and I hope we will keep running and go straight to a farther distance.
Don’t be afraid of separation, you and I will meet at the top.
Translated and Edited by Zhenyu Tian, Class of 2027
