About Me
It is a universal truth that one of the most daunting tasks is to give a self-introduction. Who is Sierra Tan and what is it about her that deserves your valuable time to check out her blog? To answer these questions, I think the best way is to begin with how other people view me. I will start with a couple of quotes from two of my professors in our International Education Management (IEM) program at Monterey Institute of International Studies (MIIS), taken from recommendations given in my LinkedIn Profile.
Upon completion of all coursework on May 17th 2013, I was honored to be deemed the “Most Fearless” student by the students, staff, and faculty of the IEM program.
Indeed, I am a person who is never afraid of taking up challenges. Born in a small village in Hunan province, China, I have come a long way to study at a prestigious graduate school in the U.S. Before coming to America, I was hired by the British Schools Group to help establish The British School of Beijing (BSB), an international school for children of expatriates, in 2003. Over the years, my responsibilities kept evolving as BSB grew, from Assistant to the General Manager (prior to BSB’s inception), Admissions Officer, Office Manager, and to Head of School Services and Facilities. BSB is a huge success: starting from scratch, it had a total enrollment of more than 1,000 students by the time I left in June 2011. This experience sparked my passion for international education, the reason why I left a much sought-after job in Beijing for the IEM graduate program at MIIS.
As Dr. Punteney indicates, I am also blessed to have very good people, problem solving, and networking skills, all of which have been developed over the years of my working in a number of industries including education, high-tech, catering, and manufacturing. It is through these experiences that I eventually figured out my passion really lay in the field of international education, and my educational and professional backgrounds have well prepared me to take up the great cause of promoting intercultural understanding, global citizenship, and everlasting world peace through international education.
Apart from excellent communicative, organizational, and management skills, I am particularly proud of my personal traits, such as being positive, kind-hearted, open-minded, curious, flexible, adaptable, responsible and hard working. Above all, I cherish the spirit of “Live to Learn”. With the rapid development of modern technology, the only constant in today’s world is change. Being a lifelong learner, I am able to stay tuned with the constantly changing globalized world.
I would like to conclude my introduction with my favorite saying, “Where there is a will, there is a way.” With all my professional skills and leadership character, combined with my unchecked enthusiasm for my dream field, I am certain I will be part of the solution to the challenges facing international education in the 21st Century.
If you would like to know more about Sierra Tan, please check out the next page “Resume”.
