水木清華眾秀鐘

YOUNG WOMEN LEADERS ON THEIR WAY TO REACH FOR THE SKY

As modern women, Zoon and Theodora believe that Tsinghua University is playing a crucial role in a path where they can dedicate themselves to furthering their own dreams.

Text by Irene Photos by Wang Zhirui & Zhang Zhigeng

“I am 26 years old and from Pakistan.I study at Tsinghua's Department of International Relations.Ten years from now I will be one of the leading voices in Pakistan's security sector.” Zoon said with con fi dence.She admits that she was not born with a set path to follow.When she joined Lahore University of Management Sciences, becoming a physicist was her dream.But by 2007, the determination to understand what was happening around her made Zoon realize that studying statecraft, political movements, and ideologies resonated with her.

Zoon was offered a job in 2015, as a host of what became one of the most watched international relations talk shows on Pakistan's national television - KYA.

“A question I have frequently been asked is 'Why China?'” said Zoon.“While people from Pakistan love China, the fact is that we know very little about her.It was during the path of my career as a journalist and a researcher that I realized the importance of understanding Central and South Asia through the rising power of the 21st century - and the heart of Asia.”

Zoon added that from energy and security to development and economic progress, it will be Chinese institutions that will matter morefor Pakistan in the years to come than Anglo-American ones.And Tsinghua University, as China's best university, with leading international academics, provided just the opportunity that she was looking for.

Theodora is a second generation overseas Chinese, born in the multiracial society of Singapore.Prior to her MBA at Tsinghua School of Economics and Managements (SEM), she was an associate director of a Singapore-based private equity fund.

Theodora was passionate about giving back to society.She was a founding member and chairperson between 2011 and 2014 of the Young Women's Leadership Connection, a distinctive society aimed at connecting and empowering young women leaders in Singapore.She also became a Council Member of the Singapore National Youth Council.

Keen to pursue graduate studies, Theodora applied to join the Tsinghua-MIT Global MBA program.“With Tsinghua and its X-Lab, I was able to develop business ideas, learn and test strategies with the faculty, industry experts and peers,” she says.Theodora was happy to fi nd partners and mentors to work with for her start-up business, PrepForChina, which aims to create a learning community for Chinese language learning among globally-minded young professionals outside China.

Tsinghua University is serving as the turning point in a new chapter, not just for these two young ladies, but also for more globally minded individuals.

在為個(gè)人與時(shí)代夢(mèng)想不懈奮斗的路上，國(guó)際學(xué)生Zoon和Theodora堅(jiān)信，清華大學(xué)對(duì)她們有著重要的影響。

“我是來(lái)自巴基斯坦的Zoon，正在清華大學(xué)國(guó)際關(guān)系學(xué)系讀研一。十年后，我將成為一名在巴基斯坦安全問(wèn)題上發(fā)出重要聲音的人?！逼鸪酰膲?mèng)想是成為一名物理學(xué)家。然而，當(dāng)她關(guān)注到巴基斯坦國(guó)內(nèi)的政治環(huán)境后，漸漸對(duì)國(guó)家的政治與治理產(chǎn)生了興趣。

2015年，Zoon曾主持巴基斯坦國(guó)家電視臺(tái)熱門(mén)的政治類(lèi)脫口秀節(jié)目《KYA》。對(duì)于“為什么選擇中國(guó)”這個(gè)問(wèn)題，Zoon認(rèn)為，相較于研究英美體系來(lái)說(shuō)，研究中國(guó)的國(guó)家制度對(duì)巴基斯坦更有意義，因?yàn)橹袊?guó)是亞洲的中心。“作為中國(guó)最好的高等學(xué)府，清華大學(xué)為中巴關(guān)系的發(fā)展提供了更加廣闊的合作空間。在這里的學(xué)習(xí)經(jīng)歷是我歸國(guó)后最大的財(cái)富?！彼f(shuō)道。

Theodora 是第二代海外華人，出生于新加坡的多民族社會(huì)。在清華大學(xué)經(jīng)濟(jì)與管理學(xué)院讀MBA之前，她曾是新加坡一家私募股權(quán)基金公司的副總監(jiān)。學(xué)校追求卓越與創(chuàng)新的校園文化，讓Theodora為自己的創(chuàng)業(yè)項(xiàng)目——PrepForChina找到了共事的伙伴與導(dǎo)師。該項(xiàng)目旨在為具有全球視野的中國(guó)地區(qū)以外的年輕專(zhuān)家，提供專(zhuān)業(yè)、系統(tǒng)的中文學(xué)習(xí)社區(qū)服務(wù)，“借助學(xué)校的X-Lab創(chuàng)意創(chuàng)新創(chuàng)業(yè)教育平臺(tái)，我相信我會(huì)實(shí)現(xiàn)我的創(chuàng)業(yè)夢(mèng)想?！?/p>