Han Zhang

Graduate Education student

It only took a few enlightening words of encouragement from Dr. Zhen Huang, professor of mathematical sciences, and Han Zhang was hooked. She moved from her native Putian, Fujian Province, The People's Republic of China, to begin pursuing her master's degree in education with a concentration on professional development at Otterbein College.

Han loved her job as a teaching assistant at Putian University, but this love "was soon depressingly interpreted as 'blind enthusiasm,'" she said. "I was overwhelmed as a greenhand in teaching who had not yet realized that 'knowing' and 'let-knowing' are so not the same."

While on the path to living up to her own expectations of being a good English teacher, Han met up with Dr. Huang, a respectable alumnus of her undergraduate university, Fujian Normal University, during Dr. Huang's visit to his home country. "I was gradually feeling low battery when the lightening words Dr. Huang said struck me that I need to learn more in the realm of education," Han said.

"[Dr. Huang] told me that though Otterbein is not a very large college, it indeed has a long history with an exquisite and beautiful campus," she said. "In addition, its student-to-faculty ratio is 12 to 1, which ensures plenty of personal interaction with professors or advisors. That is one of the excitements I enjoy most since coming here." Han was surprised when one of her first classes only had five students in it, but welcomed the prompt help and individualized attention from the professor, she said.

"I feel really happy studying at Otterbein," Han said. "Westerville provides a warm and friendly small-town atmosphere for us while remaining conveniently located close to Columbus. It turns out to be a perfect match to my individual personality."