From Student to Mentor: Liyun Zhu’s Journey in Empowering Chinese Students in the UK
For Liyun Zhu, education is more than just academics - it’s empathy and understanding. Originating from a town near Shanghai, Liyun came to the UK 12 years ago to pursue her own studies. Today, she resides in Durham, where she has transformed her experiences into a personal tutoring service aimed at supporting Chinese students who, like her, faced the challenge of mastering English as a second language.
Nurturing Through Personal Experience
Liyun’s journey as a mentor is rooted in personal experience. Having navigated the complexities of adapting to a new culture, language, and education system, she understands the unique challenges her students encounter. Her business offers more than just academic instruction; Liyun sees her role as nurturing, focusing on knowledge and emotional well-being. “The key,” she explains, “is to nurture my students, helping them gain confidence in their language abilities and adapt to their new environment.”
A Rewarding Role in Education
Before embarking on her PhD, Liyun honed her teaching skills by tutoring high school students. Her work was met with positive feedback, affirming her natural ability as an educator. Liyun describes her role as “rewarding,” and she believes her work is especially impactful because she includes soft skills in her curriculum, preparing her students academically, socially and professionally.
Empowered by FIRST's Courses
Her dedication to continual learning led her to FIRST’s courses in enterprise and customer ready, where she completed Level 1 in Understanding Enterprise and Level 2 in Customer-Ready. She found these courses inspiring for the knowledge gained and the sense of community they created . “Everyone brings their own experiences,” she says, “and it was a mentally supportive environment that helped me manage my anxiety and grow my confidence.”
Recognition and Ambition
Recently, Liyun was a finalist in Startup Awards North East’s SkillUP category. Although she initially felt nervous, the experience boosted her self-confidence and left her feeling proud. Her success in the competition has fuelled her ambition to enter again in the future, this time in the StartUP category once her business is more established.
Looking Ahead
Looking ahead, Liyun hopes to expand her tutoring services beyond Chinese-speaking students to help international students from all backgrounds who face similar language challenges. Her experiences as both a student and a mentor have prepared her for this next chapter, and her goal remains clear: to support students in overcoming the language barrier, empowering them to thrive in their studies and beyond.
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