Pingjing Zou
Master of Public Administration ProgramTo help realize her dream of running a nonprofit center for the elderly or children in her home country of China, Pingjing Zou is drawing upon three great resources: her family, her volunteer experiences, and her academic coursework.
Born in the city of Ji’an, Zou was raised by her grandmother. “I find that I always want to do something for the elderly as I believe they have many valuable experiences we can all learn from,” says Zou. As a volunteer with Little Brothers—Friends of the Elderly, Zou has helped with food bag distribution to nursing homes, wrapped holiday gifts, and spends time with two Friends clients on a regular basis.
Zou’s academic-service learning project through IIT Stuart School of Business helped to set her in the right direction for the future. She was assigned to work at a Chicago nonprofit organization where she performed market research and analyzed potential partnerships with colleges. “The project gave me an excellent opportunity to know how it is to be part of a real work environment in this country and through it, I’ve become more inspired and encouraged,” she says.
Her field trips to Chicago City Hall and an Illinois state court gave Zou the chance to witness public administration in action. “It is very different from China,” she explains, “and was helpful to me later, when I could see those vivid images in my mind as I was reading related content in my textbooks.” Although the differences between her two countries may seem to predominate, Zou’s participation in a National Association of Asian American Professionals trivia bowl, at which the Stuart team won an award for team spirit, left her feeling differently.
“I realized that Stuart students are really a unified group no matter what program we are enrolled in or what country we are from,” she says.
