{"id":30013,"date":"2024-02-01T12:28:06","date_gmt":"2024-02-01T17:28:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/?p=30013"},"modified":"2024-02-05T13:24:01","modified_gmt":"2024-02-05T18:24:01","slug":"xiaoman-dong","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/xiaoman-dong\/","title":{"rendered":"From China to New York and academia to the U.N., alumna\u2019s journey continues"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cTry everything in your 20s\u201d was a philosophy Xiaoman Dong \u201914 adopted early on \u2013 and as of the eve of her 30th birthday, she had followed it impressively. A decade spent mostly in academia has now led her to a position at the United Nations (U.N.) in New York City and the impressive title of Associate Communications Officer at the U.N.\u2019s <\/span>Youth Office<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"

Xiaoman Dong \u201914 (standing far right) works with the Young Leaders for the Sustainable Development Goals program in the U.N. Youth Office.<\/p><\/div>\n

The job she has held since March 2023 \u201cdiverges from the typical academic path,\u201d she said, \u201cbut that makes it all the more valuable for broadening my worldview and deepening my understanding of how human society works.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

She began her 20s as a Furman senior, having arrived in the United States from Xi\u2019an, China, four years earlier as a first-year <\/span>international student<\/span><\/a>. \u201cFrom very early on, I knew I was going to go abroad to study,\u201d she said, \u201cand the United States is obviously one of the most competitive countries in education.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

She received offers from larger universities but was attracted by Furman\u2019s liberal arts and sciences approach and low <\/span>student-faculty ratio<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cEvery professor I met made sincere efforts to help students however they could – a level of dedication I did not encounter again later in my academic journey,\u201d said Dong, who thrived under the mentorship of advisors Eiho Baba, an associate professor of philosophy and Asian studies, and Aaron Simmons, a professor of philosophy.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cXiaoman is a philosopher in the deepest sense of the word,\u201d Simmons said. \u201cShe understands that genuine confidence is grounded in humility. She was the kind of student who makes her professors look good because she views them as not only instrumental aids in getting a job, but as mentors in lives well lived.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Dong adopted another philosophy during her Furman years: \u201cWhen in doubt, ask everyone, because I could always walk out of a professor\u2019s office with something new learned.\u201d She received advice and encouragement from Baba, Simmons and others, including philosophy faculty members Erik Anderson, David Gandolfo and Mark Stone; Katherine Kaup, the James B. Duke Professor of Asian Studies and Politics and International Affairs; and Carl Kohrt, then Furman\u2019s interim president.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAll of them led by example and offered valuable wisdom about how to live more meaningfully,\u201d said Dong. \u201cI carry their lessons on moral courage, cultural empathy and speaking hard truths with benevolence in all I do.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"

Xiaoman Dong \u201914 at the Beijing Foreign Studies University<\/p><\/div>\n

After graduating in Spring 2014, Dong headed to the London School of Economics and Political Science for her master\u2019s degree in anthropology, then returned to China to work briefly at the U.N. Office for Project Services in Beijing before entering Peking University. Focusing her research on refugee issues, she earned a Ph.D. in international relations in 2020 and <\/span>joined the faculty of Beijing Foreign Studies University. Dong taught courses in philosophy and the U.N. for three years before moving to New York and her U.N. Youth Office position in March 2023. There, she works with the <\/span>Young Leaders for the Sustainable Development Goals<\/span><\/a> program, which recognizes young people who work to find lasting solutions to the world\u2019s greatest challenges.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFurman was instrumental in paving my path to a fulfilling career,\u201d she said. \u201cThe nature of liberal arts and sciences education equipped me with versatility across disciplines, which proved to be invaluable as I navigate the dynamic priorities and ever-evolving initiatives at the U.N. Furman also nurtured the resilience, adaptability and cultural sensitivity vital to thriving within this extremely diverse institution.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

While Dong celebrates her first year at her new job and begins life in her 30s, there is at least one more career advancement she might consider, Simmons said.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI would vote for her right now to run the world because she is the sort of person who does not seek out power, and thus is virtuous enough to bear the weight of responsibility that power bestows,\u201d he said. \u201cI was honored to be her teacher, but much more honored now to be her friend.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A decade spent mostly in academia has now led Xiaoman Dong \u201914 to a position at the United Nations (U.N.) in New York City and the impressive title of Associate Communications Officer at the U.N.\u2019s Youth Office.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":265,"featured_media":30015,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,60,56,70,36,47,30],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-30013","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alumni","category-alumni-profiles","category-asian-studies","category-diversity-equity-and-inclusion","category-philosophy","category-study-away-and-international-education","category-top-stories"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30013","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/265"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30013"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30013\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/30015"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30013"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30013"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30013"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}