Kantegger

Several years ago, I found myself sitting with Ethan next to a worn-down path in the sprawling slum of Serenity, the largest of its kind in Nairobi. I asked him what had brought him here. Ethan, a 30-year-old local, was among the first in this slum to receive tertiary education. “My aim is to keep all the children off the streets on school days,” he shared. With financial backing from an NGO in Australia, Ethan started the Sunshine Primary School in 2013.

At that time, I was involved in a local art project, helping teach the children, and quickly realized that the current resources, staff, and space were insufficient to meet the demand for education. Like Ethan, I took the initiative to collaborate with Volunteer Corps Asia to create a volunteer station in Serenity, hoping to boost their resources and ability to solve logistical issues.

This was my initial encounter with cross-border partnerships in the field of international educational development. Inspired by how non-government stakeholders were able to mobilize resources to improve access to education, I began to engage in similar initiatives.

Last year, I was part of a team of youth volunteers for a global children’s organization in Amsterdam. We were successful in raising more than €48,000 for emergency classrooms in a city in Syria. In the last four months, I held the position of chairwoman of an NGO in the Netherlands – Youth for Education (YfE). I led a team that set up five new local school partnerships on global citizenship projects and financed eight overseas educational projects in five different countries.

The power of international collaboration was apparent when I compiled the statistics of the number of children attending school with our support, received heartfelt thank-you letters, and saw the joy in the faces of those we were helping. But, I also noticed the challenges, such as the conditional nature of financial support for most development projects, which often seemed more geared towards satisfying Western funders than the real needs of local communities. This led me to ponder: How sustainable are our global partnerships?

Drawing from my experiences at YfE, I embarked on a research project to explore the networks of broker NGOs in the field of global education development. My research findings indicated that often, these networks lacked considerations for long-term sustainability.

These experiences have spurred me to draw more attention to the sustainability of global partnerships. I’m eager to delve into this challenge at an organizational level, particularly how management strategies are approached, in Professor Olsen’s ‘Nonprofit in the Education Sector’ course. In addition, I look forward to exploring these issues from a policy perspective in Professor Vega’s ‘Educational Policy Interventions in Developing Countries’ course.

Another motivating factor for my studies is the educational situation in my hometown, a remote city called Green Pines in China. Students there often lack the opportunity to learn about anything beyond textbooks and exams. To combat this, I helped establish an organization called Youth Vision to bridge the information and resource gap by connecting high school students with university students who had overcome similar struggles.

Our resources were limited, but we pressed on. We relied on the savings of the three co-founders and struggled with skepticism towards our unconventional program. Despite the obstacles, we persevered and were successful in establishing a significant youth community in the region. We learned to adapt our strategies and efforts to the local context, ultimately achieving collaborations with most schools in Green Pines.

Looking back, the success of Youth Vision lies in the global partnership of ideas and in the constant adaptations to fit local contexts. In an effort to understand these contexts better, I conducted a study on the impact of the Hukou system (a specific household registration and citizenship policy in China) on education equity. The Hukou system turns out to exacerbate the stratification of educational resources, because benefits of global educational collaborations are clustered in a few metropolitans. In another paper, I formulated a discourse analysis on the impacts of the global education movement on the Chinese examination system under Confucianism and Chinese nationalism. These studies affirm that the present educational problems are partially shaped by existing policies. To develop contextualized policy frameworks, I am zealous to contribute my insights and hone my skills in education policy analysis in Professor Karla’s ‘Analyzing Education Policy’ and Professor Jack’s ‘Introduction to Qualitative Program and Policy Evaluations.’ 

In the future, I aspire to create a framework for policy change where governmental and non-governmental actors collaborate. Policymakers should tirelessly advocate for their agenda while non-government actors should consistently promote such policies, showcasing their impacts and achievements. Only through these collective efforts can we truly achieve policy change. I am eager to contribute to sustainable global partnerships and strive for equal educational opportunities in the developing world. My ultimate goal is to bring my frameworks to the table for discussions about the 2045 Sustainable Development Goals.

The pedagogical approach of the ELP, which is both interactive and multi-dimensional, appeals to me. The small-group seminars with varied teaching and assessment methods fulfill my desire for active discussions with peers and faculty members. For instance, in Professor Greyson’s ‘Analyzing Educational Policies in a Comparative Framework’ course, there’s a consulting assignment that allows me to bring my insights to the classroom to improve real-life policies.

Additionally, I am excited to engage in cross-registration, which enhances interdisciplinary conversations and builds professional skills. For instance, I’m keen to learn more about leading a global movement and exchanging ideas with future global leaders in Professor Sorensen’s ‘Leadership and Public Adventures’ course at the School of Public Leadership.

Moreover, I look forward to sharing stories and experiences from multicultural perspectives outside of the classroom, at events such as the Common Perspectives, EdTalks, Open Forums, or even just around a random corner on Campus Street. With my research interests in diversity in higher education and my personal experiences in cross-cultural settings, I am interested in contributing to building an inclusive community by joining the Equality and Inclusion Fellow Program.

I am also enthusiastic about contributing and learning at the annual Global Education Symposium, the International Educational Initiative (which partners with the Global Institute of Educational Sciences), and the Global Alumni Conferences.

When I read ‘One Learner at A Time’ by the ELP Director Professor Redfield, I often resonate with the resilience of ELP alumni in the face of limited resources and unforeseen outcomes. Their innovative solutions inspire me and motivate me to fill in the gaps and augment their impacts. I am eager to connect with alumni through the Education Networking Platform and ConnectEd, working collaboratively to tackle our education challenges.

Forerunners in the field have paved the way that led me here. Now, I aspire to become a trailblazer myself, shedding light on the paths of others.