Education, Culture, and Society: Master's Capstone
By Hongyang Zhao
About Me
Hi! I am Hongyang Zhao, a master's student in Education, Culture, and Society at Penn GSE. I graduated as a triple major in Social Studies Education, History, and Psychology from Boston University in 2023. A social studies teacher by training, I came to Penn GSE to hone my pedagogical skills and examine issues that are of interest to my teaching career.
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In my experience as a student teacher and education intern in China, I have made the concerning observation that a lot of the students in my classroom were troubled by mental health issues to various degrees without adequate support from the school. Although I put an overwhelming emphasis on classroom teaching, I am deeply concerned with the pernicious exclusion of mental health education from the core curriculum at the school where I have taught. Psychological services were sidelined in service of financial well-being and college admission. Since then, I have been looking for a way to integrate effective mental health interventions into the official curriculum at schools in China. To this end, I have put together this portfolio to make the case for SEL programs based on the CASEL framework.
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Outside of school and work, I am an avid traveler looking for novel experiences around the world. I enjoy hanging out with friends and exploring the vintage stores in town.
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Education
Boston University 2019-23
B.S. in Social Studies Education
B.A. in History and Psychology
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During my time at BU, I was able to have some hands-on experience in the classroom as part of the teacher-preparation program. My student teaching experience, along with several internships in the education sector, allowed me to further my passion for teaching and identify the problems of interest that I wanted to examine at graduate school.
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Graduate School of Education, University of Pennsylvania 2023-24
​M.S.Ed in Education, Culture, and Society
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The reputation and academics of Penn GSE brought me to Philadelphia, a place I had never been to before. Here I found like-minded peers and stellar scholars and practitioners who shared my commitment to equitable and student-centered education. I enjoyed the close-knit community and the camaraderie that we built through collaboration and reciporacal support. It has been a rewarding experience so far and I can't wait to apply what I have learned to my upcoming career as an elementary school teacher.
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