At the beginning of the trip, Ms. Carol, the head principal, asked us to remain curious. And throughout the trip to Kunshan Duke University, we were.

When we arrived at the university, we were given a school tour by a student life coordinator and a student. They showed us around the beautiful campus, explaining what each building was for. We saw the study space for students and asked questions regarding the school and student life. Displays around the school included research showcases, student-led project posters, and many more.

There was a panel discussion with the main topic being “Knowing Yourself as a Leader.” Three speakers who are well-versed in leadership, Ms. Carol and two professors at the university, discussed their experiences and beliefs.

I learned from the panel that being a leader is no easy feat. At times, you must make hard decisions with uncertain results and consequences. Things will occur that challenge you and your values.

From all the speakers, I learned that experiences are valuable. Your experiences shape your beliefs and test you as a person. Even more, they relate to your style of leadership.

Ms. Carol had the experience of being one of the few black students at predominantly white schools. At one point, she was isolated and even switched to more leisurely classes to be with some of her friends who she grew up with. When a classmate and teacher reached out to her, she was able to improve her school works and focus on herself more. One of her beliefs is that leadership starts with relationships, community, and family.

Professor Zarko, one of the professors at the university, views his experiences as a valuable piece of his identity. It matured his thinking, made him more conscious of himself, and taught him valuable lessons, such as the importance of communication. As he becomes more aware of what he knows, he also becomes more aware of what he does not know.

Professor Dawn believes that he was fortunate to have many experiences of cultural diversity, starting from a church summer camp when he was young. It opened his eyes to different cultures, ethnicities, and people who were different from him. It also taught him to be honest and sensitive at the right moments when interacting with people.

After the panel, we had the opportunity to have lunch with students from the university. We asked about student life at the university, their majors, why they chose the school, and many more. From the talk, we understood more about the school and even developed ideas for projects we would like to work on for our school.

On the way back to our school, you could tell everyone loved the trip. On the bus, we discussed what happened during the trip, conversations with the students there, and project ideas for our school. We are all grateful for the opportunity that allowed us to learn about leadership. Aside from leadership, we received valuable advice and learned more about college life. After the trip, we were even more curious than in the beginning.

在出发之前，校长Ms. Carol和我们提到，大家可以带着好奇心去进行此次参访。我们也的确是在此次探访中对自始至终的对一切充满着好奇。

当我们到达DKU时，一位学生生活协调员和一位学生带领我们参观了美丽的校园，并解释了每栋建筑的用途。我们看到了DKU学生的学习空间，并问了一些关于学校和学生生活的问题。学校的墙面上还贴着各种研究成果、学生主导的项目海报等等。

此外，还有一个名为“Knowing Yourself as a Leader”的座谈会。三位精通领导力的演讲者，包括Ms. Carol和两位教授，分享了他们的经验和信仰。

我从这个座谈会中学到了，成为领袖并不容易。有时候，你必须做出艰难的决定，而结果和后果也不确定。会出现一些挑战你和你的价值观的事情。

从所有的演讲者那里，我学到了经验的价值。你的经验塑造了你的信仰，考验着你的个性。更重要的是，它们与你的领导风格相关。

Ms. Carol曾经是在以白人为主的学校中为数不多的黑人学生之一。有一段时间，她感到孤立，甚至转到更休闲的课程中以便与她一起长大的朋友在一起。直到一位同学和老师与来关心她，她开始改善她的校内活动，并更加关注自己。她的信念之一是，领导力始于关系、社区和家庭。

Zarko教授是大学的教授之一，他认为他的经验是他身份的重要组成部分。它使他的思想成熟，让他更加自觉，教给了他宝贵的经验，例如沟通的重要性。随着他发现自己知道的东西越来越多，他也越来越意识到自己不知道的东西。

Dawn教授认为他很幸运能够从年轻时参加教会夏令营开始就有许多文化多样性的经历。这让他眼界开阔，认识到了不同的文化、种族和与他不同的人，还教给了他在与人交往时在合适的时刻保持诚实和敏感。

在座谈会之后，我们有机会与DKU的学生在他们的餐厅共进午餐。我们询问了他们在大学的学生生活，专业、为什么选择这所学校等问题。通过交流，我们更加了解了这所学校，甚至还提出了一些想法，希望能带一些项目到我们学校来开展。

在回程的路上，大家可以感觉到每个人都喜欢这次参访。在车上，我们讨论了参访期间发生的事情、与那里的学生的交流以及我们学校的项目想法。我们都非常感激这次机会，让我们学习了领导力。除了领导力，我们还收到了宝贵的建议，并更多地了解了大学生活。旅行后，我们比一开始更加好奇。

首先我想先感谢DKU以及Ms. Santos对于KNOWING YOURSELF AS A LEADER 以及探索DKU校园活动的支持。本次我是带着两个问题去参加活动的，一是探索领导力的价值，二是探索美式大学的校园生活。

经过一天的探索后，我对于这两个问题都有了更加充分的认知。

圆桌讨论环节，三位嘉宾是多元的，有我们的校长Ms. Carol以及两名来自DKU的教授，同时他们也代表了三种不同的美国人，其中有在美国乡村长大的黑人女性，有因国家战乱逃至美国的移民，也有从小在城市长大的中产白人。但尽管他们来自不同背景，但可以确定的是，他们都认为leadership value以及leadership都是会受到自己的经历所影响的。同时我还问了DKU教授一个问题，就是作为一名团队的领导者，我应该做些什么？他说作为一个团队的领导者，你首先需要去确定你们团队去做一件事的浅层价值以及深层价值并且将它们告诉你的组员，就比如说作为他们DKU的一名老师，他们的浅层价值就是可以拿工资，那么当他们有机会可以去尝试一份新的工作时，他们就会跳槽。但是如果他们考虑自己的深层价值，那么这时候就算有机会可以去获得一份工资更高的工作，但依旧会留在DKU去帮助学生获得更好的教学资源。

第二对于大学生活的了解，DKU可以算是在国内最接近美式学校的大学之一了，宿舍楼中每隔几间宿舍就会有两间会议室（HC的学生宿舍也是如此），这是可以帮助学生随时随地可以讨论他们的project，学校也会给他们足够多的时间进行自主研究，比如利用周五没课的时间去进行社团活动或者去找教授单独探讨自己的research，并且大一不需要定专业，学生可以去尝试自己未曾设想过的专业，在跟他们的一些学生了解过后，许多学生在进入DKU后都会选择自己未曾设想过的专业去进行深层次的学习，并且其实大学很多课的内容其实和我们设想的并不一样，这也让我印象非常深刻。

Firstly, I would like to express my gratitude to DKU and Ms. Carol Santos for their support in the “Knowing Yourself as a Leader” and exploring DKU campus activities. So, I participated in this event with two questions in mind, one was to explore the value of leadership, and the other was to explore the campus life of American universities.

After a day of exploration, I gained a more comprehensive understanding of both of these questions.

During the roundtable discussion, the three guests were diverse, including our school principal Ms. Carol and two professors from DKU. They also represented three different types of Americans, including a black woman who grew up in rural areas, an immigrant who fled to the US due to national conflicts, and a middle-class white person who grew up in the city. Although they come from different backgrounds, one thing is certain: they all believe that leadership value and leadership are influenced by their own experiences.

I also asked a question to a DKU professor, which was "What should I do as a team leader?" He said that as a team leader, you first need to determine the shallow and deep values of what your team is doing and communicate them to your team members. For example, as a teacher at DKU, their shallow value is to receive a salary, so if they have the opportunity to try a new job, they may switch. But if they consider their deep value, they will still stay at DKU to help students get better teaching resources even if they have the chance to get a higher-paying job.

The second insight into college life is that DKU can be considered one of the universities in China that is closest to American-style schools. In their dormitory buildings, there are two conference rooms every few rooms (so is it in the dorms of HC), which can help students discuss their projects anytime, anywhere. The school also provides students with enough time for independent research, such as using the free time on Fridays to participate in club activities or to talk to professors about their research. In addition, freshmen at DKU do not need to declare a major, so students can try majors they have never considered before. After talking to some of their students, many choose to study in-depth in majors they had never thought of before. Moreover, many college courses' content is actually different from what we imagine, which left a deep impression on me.