The drive for success: a first-generation Chinese student's full-circle story
The summer Xin Li (’17 M.A. Early Childhood Education, ’22 Ph.D. Early Childhood Education, Education and Human Development) took Driving lessons in her hometown of Guangzhou, China, she was waiting to hear if she’d been accepted into the college there, Guangdong Polytechnic Normal University (GPNU). Being the first one in her family with the potential to attend college, she was very anxiously awaiting the news. The teacher of the driving course tried to give her advice about the direction of her life telling her that her parents should buy a convenience store, and then she could just run the store and make her living. She did not say anything and just smiled politely, but on the inside, she was very upset. “I felt so hopeless listening to him,” she explained. “I never knew I wanted to go to college so badly until listening to this coach telling me what the rest of my life should be.”
Fortunately for Li, she was accepted into GPNU and decided to major in early childhood education. She found great support from her professors who encouraged and trusted in her despite her lack of confidence at the time. She was so inspired by her professors, she decided to pursue advanced degrees herself so she could be more like them and have the opportunity to one day help and support students too. Applying for graduate school filled her with doubts and fears, but she wanted to give herself a chance and fought through those feelings. She proved to herself that her drive for success was greater than her doubts and fears.
During her first year as a Master’s student at GPNU, Dr. Ming Li, the Dean of the College of Education and Human Development at the time, came along with some department chairs to speak at Li’s university. She learned about the opportunity to transfer her completed credits to Western Michigan University (WMU) to finish her Master’s degree and decided to apply. She was accepted into the Early Childhood Education program at Western Michigan University which began in 2015. She felt so supported by her advisor Dr. Regena Nelson, she decided to continue on and pursue a doctorate degree in Early Childhood Education as well.
Li’s drive for success has proven to be so great that she excelled both within the classroom and in her work during this time. She began working as a preschool lead teacher at a preschool and childcare center in Kalamazoo during her Master’s degree program and went on to become the Director for a couple of years. She has also served as a teaching assistant for several college courses, worked as a program manager and 1st-grade math teacher for a grant-funded math program in the Battle Creek Public Schools, and is now working as a program evaluator for the Urban Teacher Residency Program, Teacher Quality Partnership Grant, a partnership between WMU and school districts in Michigan.
As part of her current role, she works with students obtaining their initial teaching certificates, many of whom are first-generation college students. “I can understand what they are going through,” she shared. “I know they need more support to navigate the education system, and I can share my knowledge and skills with them.”
“Being able to attend college has changed my life completely,” said Li. “My parents and relatives are so proud to have a college student in the family.”
Li is applying for faculty positions in both China and the United States for next fall.