Yongxin (Shaine) Zhang currently serves as the Chief Innovation Officer (CINO) for Beijing Heyday Education & Technology Co., Ltd. Prior to pursuing her studies in MA Education and Social Policy, she accumulated over a decade of experience in the field of international education in China. In her current role, she is primarily responsible for spearheading innovative changes within the company, generating new ideas, and cultivating a culture of creativity.
“I have to effectively and strategically utilize quantitative analytical skills to inform data-driven decision-making,” she emphasized. “And a comprehensive understanding of how key educational issues interrelate with economic and social policy is essential to the sustainable development of international education.”
How does this job relate to your studies at NYU?
At my job, I have to conduct research and produce statistical reports to inform corporate decisions. For instance, one of our ongoing projects is to perfect the design of our teacher compensation scheme. We had to research on the current teacher labor policy and labor law, propose conducive plans, construct models for rounds of simulation tests, and draft the final report. In the process, I relied heavily on the knowledge and skills I learned at NYU, especially policy and statistical analysis, integrating them into this real-world setting.
What was something you especially value from your time at NYU Steinhardt? Was there a course or professor or particular challenge that sticks with you?
One of the core required courses, called "Approaches to Qualitative Inquiry," was especially valuable to me. I have been quite accustomed to quantitative methods when analyzing educational issues, and this course pushed me out of my comfort zone. It showed me "how cars drive on the other side of the lane," where I learned about how researchers could make use of subjectivity and contextuality to provide rich and nuanced ways of understanding human behavior, experiences, and social phenomena in educational issues through qualitative inquiry.
How did you end up in your current role?
I have known the CEO of Heyday EdTech since 2012, before he founded the company. He invited me to join Heyday in 2018, but at the time, I was committed to the founding of the international division at Beijing Tsinghua Zhiqing High School. In 2023, as I was about to graduate from NYU, we connected again and had numerous talks about the development of international education in China, the prospects of Heyday, and what was in dire need of being done. This time, I jumped onboard and accepted the job offer from Heyday.
Do you have any tips for networking on growing in the field?
As an introvert, nothing scared me more than "networking." Truth be told, I often felt like an old iPhone battery on a freezing cold winter morning at social networking events. My tip for similarly introverted professionals is: there are numerous LinkedIn posts teaching people how to network; choose the ones that you feel comfortable embracing and don’t push yourself too hard. It’s not the end of the world for us. The longer I work in this profession, the more I realize the world is indeed surprisingly small. It is important to hand out your business cards, but it is equally, if not more, important to have a good work ethic and reputation that can travel far and wide, so that when you introduce your name to people they’d remember the work you’ve done and instantly greet you with a warm smile.
What's next for you? What do you hope to accomplish in the next five years?
My plan is to return to campus and pursue a doctoral degree within the next two years.
Early in my career, I started as an English teacher. As the "master" of my classroom, I helped my students learn, but I also observed aspects outside the classroom that needed change and improvement. Consequently, I assumed managerial roles whenever the opportunities arose. While building my school, I realized that beyond my office and the campus walls, there were many factors larger than any single person or institution. This realization led me to apply for the Education and Social Policy MA program to further my studies.
Curious about where life would take me in the next five years, I am confident that I will make interesting discoveries and endeavor to make a positive impact on whoever I meet, whatever I do, and wherever I go.