“When I reflect on my Yali and Xiuning Middle School experiences, I’m deeply grateful for the transformation and growth I experienced. I can only hope that the impact I had on students and other teachers is a fraction of what I have received. It started with Coach Walter inviting me to practice with the Yali football (soccer) team. Their views of me as a role model on and off the field (华人 (ABC) who played at Yale) forced me to shed my own self-view as a 6-year-retired player who failed to go pro. Besides teaching English and organizing the musicals, I found an embodied purpose serving as their football coach with the responsibility of encouraging the students to strive for more. After moving to Xiuning for the 2nd year, in the absence of a school football team to coach, I returned to playing football myself. What started as just casual play with students and teachers turned into a renewed passion for the game to push past my own previous limits. I stayed in China for 2 more years, continuing to coach, train, and play in Chinese football. I ended up living out a childhood dream of playing professional football by trialing with Chengdu Rongcheng of the Chinese Super League. I’ll be forever grateful for the Yale China fellowship for introducing me to the world of Chinese football and coaching - and showing me firsthand how an educator who believes in their students can really transform their lives.”
— Allen Wang, Yale-China Fellow (Xiuning, Yali 2021-'22)
