The People’s Daily publicly stated:
“Great undertakings call for great spirit, and lofty dreams require noble character. In this new era and new journey, we need the power of role models more than ever.”
Every person who lights the flame of hope for others is holding up a bright torch.
For children in remote mountainous areas, every book and every lesson can feel like a key to unlocking the door to their future. Through his own efforts, Zhang Chan has committed himself to the noble cause of education, passing on care and hope to children hungry for knowledge. In this philanthropic campaign, he not only discovered a new direction in life, but also established himself as a model of Chinese youth!
ICSO Outstanding Volunteer
Personal Profile
Name: Zhang Chan
University: Cornell University
Major: Education
Affiliation: ICSO·CN (China Division)
After graduating with a bachelor’s degree from Cornell, Zhang Chan fell into a period of anxiety and uncertainty about his future. He was torn between continuing with graduate studies or entering the workforce. Feeling lost, he decided to return to China to reflect and find clarity. Upon returning home, he proactively contacted ICSO headquarters and transferred from the U.S. division to the China division. He hoped to find meaning in education during this gap period, using his academic training to support children in areas lacking educational resources.
He soon became directly involved in the public welfare initiative “One Book, One Heart.” Together with the ICSO China team, he traveled deep into the mountains, visiting several impoverished primary schools. He vividly remembers his first visit to a Hope Primary School—how the children looked at him with wide, curious eyes, as if he were a messenger from another world.
He brought with him a large number of extracurricular books, including classic fairy tales, science books, and children’s storybooks. Seeing the children’s eyes light up as they eagerly held the books in their hands, he felt that the long journey and all his efforts had been worthwhile.
In the classroom, Zhang’s task was not only to teach the children the curriculum but also to show them how to read and enjoy these new books. However, he soon realized that although the children were intelligent and eager to learn, many struggled with basic literacy. Most could not recognize many common Chinese characters, and much of the vocabulary and sentences were too complex for them to understand.
Zhang understood that simply teaching the textbook wouldn’t be enough. So, he decided to use storytelling as a bridge. Each evening after class, he would stay with the children in the school dormitories. To help them better understand and enjoy reading, he adopted a very different approach from formal classroom teaching: telling stories in simple, relatable language. Through vivid and interesting plots, he conveyed profound life lessons about courage, perseverance, dreams, and resilience.
In these stories, the children glimpsed alternative ways of living. They began to believe that, through effort, they too could change their futures.
On one occasion, he read The Little Prince with the children, explaining its philosophy in a way they could understand: “The most important things in life are often invisible to the eye.” Though young, the children resonated with this simple yet profound idea. He noticed a little girl discreetly wiping away tears with the back of her hand.
At that moment, Zhang realized that while the children yearned for knowledge, they struggled even more to express their emotions and thoughts. Many were extremely shy, afraid to speak in class, and unable to articulate their feelings clearly. In his daily interactions, he could see the silent struggles in their facial expressions.
Some of the top-performing students spent most of their time at home in cramped, dimly lit rooms. It became clear to him that these children didn’t just need knowledge—they also needed emotional support and understanding.
To help them open up, Zhang created interactive activities like emotion-expression games and role-playing. Slowly, the children began to speak their minds and share their feelings.
He remembers one quiet boy who, during an activity, shyly admitted: “Sometimes I feel like college is so far away, like I’ll never get there.” Zhang’s heart ached at those words. Gently, he replied:
“You know, as long as we keep walking step by step, we’ll at least see farther and farther.”
His words warmed the boy’s heart—and strengthened Zhang’s own conviction:
Education isn’t just about teaching knowledge. It’s about helping children face life and express their emotions and thoughts.
On the last day of the project, the children were reluctant to part with Zhang. The once-shy students now gathered around him, thanking him in their small voices:
“Thank you, big brother!”
Looking into their eyes, filled with gratitude and sorrow, Zhang felt an overwhelming wave of emotion. He realized their relationship had evolved beyond teacher and student—it had become a bond of the heart, a shared journey of growth.
This experience quietly altered the course of Zhang’s life.
Back in the city, faced with the same uncertainty about the future, he decided to pivot toward studying psychology. He hoped to better understand the inner worlds of children and use psychology to help them find their voices and express themselves bravely.
After making this decision, he began preparing for graduate school applications. He chose to write about his rural volunteer experience in his personal statement, detailing the time he spent with the children—not only how he helped them build reading habits and express themselves, but also the deep insights he gained:
That the true power of education lies not just in knowledge transmission, but in helping children understand themselves and face life’s challenges with courage.
He wrote:
“This experience not only allowed me to contribute value, but it nourished me as well. The children gave me courage and confidence. In their eyes, I saw a glimmer of light I had never seen before—and I found my own path.”
To his surprise, Zhang’s personal statement moved admissions officers at top schools like Cornell University, New York University, and Duke University. When he received acceptance letters from all three, he was filled with emotion.
This was not just an acknowledgment of his academic abilities, but a powerful affirmation of his deep understanding of education and sense of social responsibility.