On Dec. 18, UW–Madison will celebrate its Winter 2022 Commencement. We reached out to a few of our students who are graduating from programs in the School of Education to learn about their favorite UW–Madison memories and future plans. Following is a Q&A with Yining Zhang, who is graduating with a bachelor’s degree in education studies and psychology.
Where are you from, and what brought you to UW–Madison?
My family is from Glendale, Arizona. I came to UW–Madison for the inclusiveness and diversity of the community, the renowned reputation of the School of Education, and the beautiful campus surrounding Lake Mendota.
How did you choose your majors?
My majors are education studies and psychology. I chose these two majors because my previous working and volunteering experiences have made me realize that I enjoy making a positive and long-lasting impact on others; therefore I want my future career to be related to helping people become more successful in their lives. In addition, I am interested in education policy and human cognition, so I want to expand my knowledge in both fields and apply these transferable skills to educational-related settings in the future.
What was your most meaningful experience at UW–Madison?
My most meaningful experience at UW–Madison is being a research assistant in an educational psychology lab. As a team, we discuss published research articles, work with children and undergraduates to collect data, and turn the primary data into quantitative format. Through these experiences, I have gradually understood more about the holistic research process and how to develop a research proposal. My lab work has also been a great addition to the courses that I have taken, such as research methods and child development, allowing me to connect the course themes with studies on human mathematics cognition. All of these really push me to reflect on the research designs across studies and think about potential directions for future research.
"I came to UW–Madison for the inclusiveness and diversity of the community, the renowned reputation of the School of Education, and the beautiful campus surrounding Lake Mendota."
What class or professor had the greatest impact on you, and why?
As someone who enjoys classroom interactions, my overall learning experience was definitely more satisfying after coming back to campus last year. I really enjoyed the cognitive development course I took with Professor (Martha) Alibali. In this course, we dove more in-depth into children’s thinking and I learned a lot about how psychology theories may be applied to educational settings to promote development and improve pedagogical outcomes. The videos we watched in lectures were intriguing, which helped me to connect the dots. They not only led me to reflect on my educational experience but also promoted my understanding of the ongoing projects in the lab. My professor was also very inspiring. She is knowledgeable and passionate in teaching, and always has the students’ best interests at heart.
Did you participate in any study abroad programs, internship programs, or community activities? If yes, what were your experiences like?
I joined an after-school program as a Badger Volunteer in fall 2022. Each week, we prepare and facilitate science activities for elementary and middle school students at selected community centers in the Madison area. Sometimes, we also collaborate with other groups to engage participants in provided curriculum modules related to STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and math). If you like to interact with kids and gain more hands-on experience in facilitating discussions among young children, this will be a great option for you.