At Participate Learning, we offer dual language and global leaders programs. We believe that our program offerings will help to create a more equitable and inclusive learning environment for all students by uniting the world through global education.

This mission is our motivating factor behind all the work we do, and it would not be possible without the dedication and support of our Global Schools team. Read on to learn more about the experiences and expertise of our education programs manager, Judy Ouyang.

Path to Participate Learning

Judy was born and raised in Nanjing, China, which is the capital of Jiangsu Province. She went to Nanjing Foreign Language School and then continued on to get her undergraduate degree at Guangdong University of Foreign Studies in Guangzhou. After she graduated, she moved to the U.S. to pursue a master’s degree in elementary education at the University of Toledo in Ohio.

Once she finished her schooling, Judy moved to Chapel Hill, North Carolina, where she taught in a dual language (DL) classroom at Glenwood Elementary School for 12 years. Glenwood was the first school in North Carolina to implement a Mandarin DL immersion program. Judy also spent a year teaching in Singapore at the Singapore American School.

During her time teaching in Chapel Hill, she taught multiple grade levels and is well-versed in K-5 curriculum and instruction. Her expertise in Mandarin dual language immersion programs provided her with the opportunity to present at the National Chinese Language Conference twice in her career.

Her experiences in the classroom, both as a higher education student and as a Mandarin DL teacher, made her the perfect fit for the role of our education programs manager on the Global Schools team.

A Day in the Life

On a typical workday, Judy spends most of her time working with our Mandarin immersion schools. She observes Mandarin classes, provides instructional feedback for Mandarin ambassadors, checks in with school administrators, and provides program support. She also facilitates professional learning communities (PLC) for our ambassadors so they can gain valuable insight from her foundational knowledge and personal experiences.

One of her favorite memories working with Participate Learning was also one of her first! This past summer, Judy was able to attend Participate Learning orientation (OT) for our new-arrival ambassadors. This experience showed her how to support teachers from the first day they arrive in the US and allowed her to build strong foundations for lasting relationships with all of our first-year Mandarin ambassadors.

Currently, Judy is working on developing a middle school Mandarin dual language program called Quan Qiu Hua (全球化). This program is an innovative, linguistic, and developmentally appropriate DL curriculum targeted at middle school students. It actively builds global citizenship in students and ensures growth in Mandarin proficiency throughout all of middle school.

Looking Ahead

Judy’s professional goals include continuing to develop knowledge and expertise in DL education. Specifically, she wants to learn more about Spanish immersion programs, as so much of her current background is in Mandarin. Beyond language immersion, she wants also to learn more about global education programs in general.

The quote that inspires Judy’s work every day is,

“The more you read, the more you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” —Dr. Seuss

This quote shows Judy’s passion for learning about other cultures and perspectives, as well as her value on the importance of global education opportunities for students. Judy also is working on gaining new Spanish language skills and wants to eventually become trilingual!

Thanks to the hard work and commitment of employees like Judy, we are able to bring the world to our students and create open-minded and accepting global citizens. To learn more about how our global programs can support your school, check out our global programs webpage or read this blog post about the benefits of becoming a global school.