Liu Ran
Before?becoming?a?student?at?Wenzhou?Kean?University,?I?spent?five?years?working?in?the?finance?industry.?However,?the?fast-paced?nature?of?the?financial?world?made?me?deeply?realize?the?profound?importance?of?education.?Education?is?not?just?about?acquiring?competitive?skills?but?also?about?teaching?students?how?to?find?a?purposeful?and?meaningful?life.?Driven?by?this?belief,?I?transitioned?to?the?field?of?education?and?had?the?privilege?of?becoming?one?of?the?first?cohort?students?in?the?Educational?Leadership?Ph.D.?program.
Throughout?my?journey?in?the?Educational?Leadership?Ph.D.?program,?I?actively?engaged?in?various?courses?and?projects?to?continually?broaden?my?educational?perspective.?This?included?in-depth?research?into?educational?policies,?leadership?theories,?and?effective?educational?institution?management.?Additionally,?I?participated?in?research?projects?led?by?professors,?which?is?a?great?opportunity?to?exchange?experiences?with?primary?and?secondary?education?professionals,?gaining?a?profound?understanding?of?the?challenges?and?needs?we?face.?My?professors,?Dr.?Noman?and?Dr.?Jahirul,?also?guided?me?on?how?to?navigate?in?academia,?from?conducting?literature?searches?to?crafting?research?proposals,?involving?me?in?journal?reviews?and?international?projects,?and?presenting?proposals?and?papers?at?international?academic?conferences.?These?experiences?were?incredibly?valuable,?representing?a?"learning?by?doing"?approach?to?my?education.
Wenzhou?Kean?University's?Educational?Leadership?program?offers?a?diverse?and?enriching?curriculum,?encompassing?topics?not?typically?explored?in?traditional?education,?such?as?equality?in?law,?negotiation,?and?funding?and?resource?management.?However,?my?personal?favorite?course?revolved?around?leadership?and?diversity.?In?this?course,?our?instructors?employed?a?variety?of?instruction?methods,?including?case?studies,?role-playing,?and?group?assignments.?These?methods?helped?us?recognize?the?uniqueness?of?each?student,?emphasizing?that?even?in?a?competitive?environment,?students'?special?needs?should?not?be?overlooked.?I?also?learned?that?leadership?is?not?about?managerial?roles?but?every?educator?in?a?school?can?be?the?influencer?at?various?micro-levels,?collectively?creating?a?more?effective?school?environment.
As?the?first?cohort?of?Ed.D?students,?our?professors?were?also?teaching?in?China?for?the?first?time,?and?we?encountered?numerous?unforeseen?challenges.?However,?it?was?during?this?process?that?we?forged?a?strong?sense?of?teamwork,?supporting?each?other?and?moving?forward?together.?Our?professors’?sincere?dedication?deeply?moved?me.?They?are?not?only?outstanding?educators?but?also?friends?who?have?consistently?provided?me?with?unwavering?support.?Whether?in?the?pursuit?of?academic?excellence?or?navigating?life's?various?phases,?their?support?has?been?invaluable.?Meeting?my?fellow?students?and?professors?has?been?one?of?the?most?precious?assets?in?my?academic?career.
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