When Shuang Liu ‘18 traveled more than 7,000 miles from China to Kettering University, she learned far more than what was taught in the classroom.

Liu, who came to Kettering to earn her Master of Business Administration, will be the first student to successfully complete Kettering’s English as a Second Language (ESL) Program. On Saturday, June 16, Liu will walk across the stage at Commencement knowing she has many things to be proud of.

“I will never regret taking the ESL program at Kettering. I learned a lot from from the staff here," Liu said. "I can learn beyond my expectations. I learned how to learn outside of the classroom and how to study not only for the language, but also study in my master’s degree courses." 

Liu started the ESL program in winter term of 2017 and completed the program in Spring 2017 before moving on to her MBA at Kettering.

The ESL program at Kettering helps to provide a pathway for students who meet college admission requirements, but have lower English ability and to provide English training that allows students to go on and successfully obtain their degree. So far the program has provided Technical English classes for 68 Chinese delegates; Business English classes for 52 German exchange students and ESL classes for three students.

“Having an ESL program shows that the university is committed to diversity and meeting student needs. We aim to help bring in people from diverse backgrounds and provide them with the tools they need to be successful here academically, professionally and socially. We feel this has benefits not only for the students we directly serve, but for everyone at Kettering,” said Kevin Fedewa, director of the English as a Second Language program at Kettering. “Shuang Liu is driven and motivated, and we look forward to seeing where she goes in the future.”

Liu’s dream job is to be the president of a university. After graduation she hopes to continue to learn from her education at Kettering and apply in the workforce and then eventually go on to earn her Ph.D.

“I’m ready to apply what I learned at Kettering in my career. I want to apply to a new higher position, but then I want to continue to study my Ph.D. I don’t want to stop learning,” Liu said. “When I was a child my favorite dream was a teacher. I would teach friends with a blackboard in my house. Before coming to Kettering I worked in a university. Ideally I want to be a president of a university. That would be my proudest moment. This is why I continue to study for my Ph.D. This is my dream.”

Kettering’s ESL program started her journey on that path. And now on commencement day, Liu will be one step closer to her goal.

“I’m so excited. Time went by so quickly. I learned a lot. I learned leadership, operations management and financial and supply chain management. I’ve benefited from all the classes. I also learned from case studies with a real company and real situations. The professor taught the students to analyze the question and how to make solutions,” Liu said. “I was busy with my studies. But I was also involved in clubs at Kettering like International Club and was always going somewhere new. I feel like my time at Kettering is rich, colorful and busy.”