Meet our new ISSA President!

Although it is the middle of the school year, 2011 brings a new face of leadership to the Instructional Systems Student Association at FSU. Lingyao Wang (Ling) is a first year Masters student from a coastal city China. Ling told me that Qingdao is similar to Tallahassee but not as hot in the summer.

Qingdao is famous for it’s seafood. Although Ling enjoys Tallahassee, she misses the food from her hometown as much as she misses her mom! In fact food seemed to come up no matter what we discussed!

 “Because of the difference of culture and habits among different provinces, there are many different kinds of food especially local flavors in China. Being a masterchef was one of my those fantastic dreams in my childhood.”

When I asked Ling her favorite thing about Florida she mentioned Disney World and of course the food (especially lobster)!  

“I love Disney world. I heard about it when I was just a little girl. I was amazed by the imagination of the artists and felt respectful to Walt Disney who created this magical world. It makes me believe that there is a kid living in everyone's deep heart.”

At home, Ling enjoys gathering with her friends, playing cards and Chinese chess. Elsewhere she enjoys traveling with her friends and family and finding all of the hotspots for the best food. So far here in Florida, her favorite thing to do is enjoy the sunshine on the beach. Since starting school, she finds a relaxing weekend on the beach as a wonderful way to unwind from the busy week. 

Ling chose to study abroad and attend FSU for a number of reasons and of course our world-renowned reputation and amazing Mary Kate were two of those reasons!

           

“There is no doubt that our department has the strongest faculty background and best support for students. And of course there is a story. It was almost the deadline when I was applying for FSU in 2009 and at that time I got a lot of help from Mary Kate. She always answered my questions timely and with patience. I believe that an individual is affected by the culture she is involved in. And at that moment I thought that FSU was definitely a right place for me.”

I asked Ling why she chose to study Instructional Design for her masters and like so many of us that choose this field, she wanted to help learners and improve training.

“I first noticed this field when I was volunteering on a website to help the English learners several years ago. As time passed I was thinking that a better and effective way to help learners would be to improve the trainers' abilities. Then I found this field. I see myself as a happy little bee. I could take a rest but I could not stop working without a potential date with a new challenge…I am not a ‘sitting’ person. I am a ‘walking’ person. I found that my personality fit into this field since I could always be inspired by different problems in a learning or instructional system. I could always try to find a new way to solve the problem and help others. I would like to live a life filled with learning.

To conclude our post, Ling had a welcome message to all of our students, faculty, staff, and alumni.

Hi everyone,

This is Lingyao Wang but you can call me Ling.:D I am so happy to be elected as the President of ISSA!  I come from China, and this is my second semester in IS master program. I love what I have experienced in our program so far since everyday I find myself learning something new! There is nothing better in the world than growing up everyday!:)

I appreciate everyone's efforts for our program. I would be excited to receive any feedback and suggestions as to how we can improve our program so please contact ISSA with feedback and suggestions.

Hope everyone's enthusiasm in our program could make this cold winter a warmer one!:)

Best wishes to all,
Ling