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The “Developing Personal Strengths for Future Success Program” is a 6-day, 5-night initiative offered by Duke Kunshan University (DKU), designed to holistically enhance high school students’ critical thinking, communication, collaboration skills, emotion management, and other vital aspects of personal growth. This program lays a solid foundation for their future career development and personal skills enhancement. Participants will engage with top-tier educational resources from China and beyond, fostering intellectual exchanges with peers from diverse cultural backgrounds. This cross-cultural interaction not only broadens their horizons but also cultivates lasting friendships.
In today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape, where information technology has intertwined cultures and ideas into a diverse global society, future leaders must possess not only a strong academic base but also critical thinking, innovation, adaptability, digital literacy, and adept social skills. High school students access global information and resources via the internet, expanding their knowledge and perspectives, they also confront fierce job market competition, intricate interpersonal dynamics, and heightened psychological pressures. Thus, our program is tailored to comprehensively elevate students’ overall qualities, bolster their social adaptability, and equip them for the future through international educational resources and methodologies.
He teaches academic writing courses focused on intercultural communication and argumentation across disciplines. He also teaches oral communication electives in debate and public speaking. He received his M.A. from Pennsylvania State University in Teaching English as a Second Language in 2015, where he focused on Second Language Writing and Theories of Second Language Acquisition. He served as an English Language Fellow sponsored by the U.S. Department of State from 2015-2018. In that capacity, he traveled through China providing training in teaching methodologies. His primary interests are in debating, public speaking, and teacher development. His personal interests include independent language learning.
Joseph Davies is Assistant Director for Graduate English for Academic Purposes and Senior Lecturer of English language at Duke Kunshan University’s Language and Culture Center. His current research interests are in higher education assessment, focusing on feedback, specifically second language student feedback literacy, teacher feedback literacy, and feedback culture within Sino-foreign higher education contexts. His research has been published in leading academic journals such as Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education. Joseph has a First Class B.Sc. (honors) in forensic science, an M.A. in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages with Applied Linguistics (distinction), and a Post Graduate Diploma in TESOL (DELTA). He is also a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA) and has extensive experience designing, managing and teaching academic and professional English-language courses throughout China. Joseph has lectured at NYU Shanghai and previously served as The University of Central Lancashire’s business development lead, establishing, managing, and enhancing transnational academic partnerships throughout China.
As the Associate Director for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Duke Kunshan University, Dr. Liqi Ren leads the development of the innovative and entrepreneurial culture across campus by initiating and strengthening various programs, topics, and resources. Dr. Ren also serves as a faculty on Design and Innovation with teaching and developing pedagogy around the themes of creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurship. She is specialized using design thinking as a trans-disciplinary method to drive innovation, creative expression, and entrepreneurial success. She received Ph. D degree in Design from Arizona State University in 2018. Her research focuses on the culture and creative industry, design innovation and entrepreneurship in contemporary China.
For Chinese Students:
For International Students:
* Program fee included: Tuition, visit fee, accommodation, partial catering costs, study materials, insurance, etc.
* Exclude: Travel to and from Kunshan, personal expenses and expenses not mentioned, etc.
For Chinese Students:
For International Students:
– Current high school students (grades 10-12) with excellent overall qualities and good listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills in English.
– Open to all arts and science students and admission is based on merit according to batch.
Applicants must complete the information requested within the link in its entirety which includes:
The high school transcript must affix an official seal or the academic affairs department seal. Chinese students are recommended to use the transcript template provided by the program team. Transcripts should include end-of-semester grades for each semester since high school (full marks for individual subjects must be indicated). Please also provide overall rankings or rankings by arts/science and indicate the total number of students If there is a grade ranking. You can find the transcript template here:
Please introduce yourself in English with no more than 200 words (e.g. personal background, reasons for choosing the program, academic interests, leadership experience, extracurricular activities…).
Notes: While these materials are not required, it is recommended that you merge them into a PDF file before uploading.
Email: international@dukekunshan.edu.cn
