Pyschology

Era Wu

Ms. Zong Min holds a master's degree from the University of Pennsylvania and a PhD from Fielding University. She is also the first Chinese student of Martin Seligman, former President of American Psychological Association and founder of positive psychology. She has rich experience in corporate leadership and team development training, and in psychological counseling for adults and teenagers. She is also the founder and general manager of the International Development Group. In the past decade, she has been committed to promoting positive leadership and positive education in domestic enterprises, schools, and communities.

Through this sharing, I felt that Ms. Zong is a person with clear motivations but without losing her initial passion. She balances her time and energy well, for learning and pro bono work and for running a company. In other words, some people study psychology purely to make money, while others do it to help others. However, Ms. Zong can find a delicate balance between them. As she said in the interview, "Being able to do what you love and make a living at the same time, isn't that a great job?" What's more, a considerable number of people who study psychology are forced to listen to unpleasant venting, by which they might be affected and become negative. However, the positive psychology that Ms. Zong has studied makes her look friendly and shining. Through her, I felt the charm of psychology and wanted to explore more in this field.

Through today's lecture, I learned more about psychology. In fact, everyone is mentally sick in some sense. Mental problems are as common as physical ailments. Nevertheless, there are still people who instinctively reject to admit mental problems, which indicates that these people may not understand psychology or dare not face their inner world. Now people are facing increasing pressure, and there is still a big demand gap for professional psychiatrists, especially in China. In the future, I also want to make some achievements in this area.

Photography

Jessie Wang

Mr. Huang Yiyan, who has been a professional photographer for 11 years, has rich experience in commercial and magazine shooting. Having worked in many famous studios, he has holistic experience in studio management and coordination. Having served plenty of domestic and foreign brands, he has cultivated his own unique way of shooting and expressing, especially in commercials.

Mr. Huang introduced his ups and downs and many turning points along his way of becoming a professional photographer. He pointed out that being a professional photographer needs certain qualities and abilities which are not innate but to be learned and accumulated through experiences. You may start photography as a hobby, but to turn a hobby into a career you need to learn professional skills. There are many professional skills to learn, for example, the use of camera, preparation of pre-shooting, editing after shooting, guidance of models’ posture and emotion, and aesthetic knowledge etc. Secondly, the skills of communication, coordination and arrangement, adaptability, operation and self-discipline are all very important. In addition, you must make good use of your spare time to study and create in order to enhance your self-value.

Besides the introduction of professional knowledge of photography, Mr. Huang emphasized "live". By this simple word he conveyed to us that photography not only symbolizes modern people's taste of life, but also reflects people’s love for life. The most essential thing of photography doesn't lie in the techniques itself, nor post-production, but that it can capture scences and convey ideas, and freeze the specific moments into eternity. It can be the rapid footsteps of pedestrians or the successive falling leaves in autumn. In order to capture beauty through camera, we should learn to oberve and live our life sincerely and thoughtfully.

Coffee Professional

Han Lin & Melody Xu

Ms. Lu Min studied in the Department of Management, Shanghai Normal University and the Department of French, East China Normal University, and then obtained her Master's degree in Sociology from City University of Hong Kong. She has many titles in the coffee industry, such as International boutique coffee Q-Grader, Cup of Excellence International Coffee Competition judge, SCI certified coffee professional, Versailles Coffee Guest House manager, etc.

Ms. Liu said her previous majors were not related to the coffee industry at all. It was her love that propelled her to become a "coffee professional". "How about starting with a good cup of coffee, and then drinking the best coffee in the world!" It was a goal she set for herself. She also shared with us her previous work experience and how she used to taste coffee, make judgements, and get training in many places. Moreover, she also introduced various fields related to coffee: barista, coffee education, quality control, industrial research and development, social media, professional players for coffee competitions, etc.

Coffee has become more than a refreshing drink for people, but a way of life. In the gentle and romantic light, by a clean and comfortable sofa and a wooden table, with a stainless-steel spoon, tearing open a bag of sugar and listening to the sound of sugar into coffee, you can feel the coziness of life.

Through this lecture, I gained a deeper understanding and interest in coffee, and realized that coffee professionals are not limited to baristas. I was deeply moved by Ms. Liu’s courage to change her career because of her passion for coffee. She showed us with her own experiences: don't be afraid; don't worry; just do it. Although setbacks are inevitable on the way of pursuing our passion, as long as we carry on with it, we will create our own success.

Catering Industry

Felicity Yang

Mr. Peng Gang holds a bachelor's degree in World Economics from Fudan University and a master's degree from Harvard Business School. Mr. Peng is the co-founder of more than a dozen start-ups in various fields. In catering industry, he once ran Qingfeng Renjia Teahouse chain for eight years, managing 34 direct/franchised stores. He also invested and helped manage many other chain brands like Grandma’s Kitchen, Huali Flower shops, etc.

Mr. Peng gave the students two pertinent pieces of advice. First, do not start a business blindly, especially in the catering industry, because the requirements of the catering industry are relatively high. Besides the requirements of the Administration for Industry and Commerce and the Tax Bureau, it also needs to meet the relevant requirements of the Food Administration and other government departments. One also needs to manage the purchase and storage and consumption chain well, since the ingredients only have a very short shelf life. In addition to the initial cost to start the business, if the daily turnover does not reach the break-even point, one will lose money every day. Therefore, before one decides to start the business, one needs to know his strengths and know where to get the customers. Second, before starting a business, one should first work in the industry, to evaluate whether it fits and get familiar with the work of various departments and the skills required. The most important thing for starting a business is to first understand the industry, learn and accumulate experience, and explore one’s strengths and business model.

Great thanks to Mr. Peng.  I not only have a more comprehensive understanding of entrepreneurship in the catering industry, but also have some thoughts on entrepreneurship in all fields. I admire Mr. Peng's courage and wisdom as a senior entrepreneur and investor so much.

Many thanks to all the guest speakers for their generous sharing sessions, which have helped students broaden their horizon with their wisdom on life. They also encouraged students to keep exploring. We will keep helping students better plan for their future. Besides, thanks also go to the members of SHBS Parents & School association for their support and the valuable resources they helped find for the development of kids!

【From：Shanghai Hongrun Boyuan School】