The process started at Wenzhou, China, and now Jinghang Zhu is continuing his education in Washington State. Zhu, who also goes by Martin, was part of the first graduating class of Wenzhou-Kean University in May 2016. 

After completing his education at Wenzhou-Kean University, Zhu decided to go to graduate school at University of Washington and take up leadership in higher education.

When asked about his experience at Wenzhou-Kean University, Zhu recalled his favorite memory was his English cohort. “I felt that we were really united,” Zhu said. 

Looking back to his time at Wenzhou-Kean, Zhy misses his roommates. “We lived together for almost three years. We studied together, had fun together and talked a lot,” Zhu recalls. 

Two of Zhu’s roommates also decided to pursue their graduate work abroad. When it became time to prepare for their language test, Graduate Record Exam (GRE), Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) and writing and reviewing personal documents, they were there for each other and helped each other along the way. “We encouraged each other,” recalled Zhu. “We all hoped for each other that we would get admitted by our dream graduate school. That was really unforgettable and I really miss the life with them,” says Zhu.

Zhu went to graduate school because he felt like he was not competitive enough to go straight to the job market with just a bachelor’s degree in English. 

“I appreciate the Wenzhou-Kean idea to combine both the Chinese and United States higher education elements together,” he said. “I want to learn more about higher education to help improve it,” says Zhu. At the University of Washington, Zhu is studying higher education. Zhu chose the College of Education at the University of Washington because he believes it is one of the highly reputed education colleges within the United State. He also wanted to study in Seattle and remain comparatively close to China.

In addition to the atmosphere of Seattle, Zhu mentions that he likes the low cost of tuition the University of Washington has because it is a public school. He adds that he wants to discover more possibilities with his future, like doing research, independent study or participating in an internship.

“I think graduate school could provide me with those opportunities and I could see what I want to do later,” he said. “I want to study more knowledge about higher education to enhance the current model at Wenzhou-Kean.”

“I feel like I am still a beginner who wants to experience more about the higher education world,” says Zhu. He is currently focusing his studies on student services but wants to explore the research opportunities within higher education.

Zhu expects to graduate next year in June 2018 and hopes to begin his career with a position in a higher education institution.