"Honors College , Dean’s Evening Talk / November 11, 2022".
"Alumna Zhuang Jiajia, who graduated from our university's Master's program in Competitive Sports, and is currently a PhD student in the Department of Physical Education and Sport Science, shared her journey from being a national representative athlete and team coach to becoming the Director of the Taoyuan City Sports Bureau at the College Day lecture on October 17."
"Director Zhuang Jiajia is a national taekwondo athlete who started receiving continuous, solid training from a young age. Throughout her career as an athlete, she won numerous medals and eventually reached the pinnacle of sports—the Olympics. After achieving thismilestone in her dreams, she returned to her hometown, Taoyuan, to work as a coach. Unexpectedly, one day after missing an unanswered call, she received a text message from Mayor Cheng Wen-tsan. Initially thinking it was a scam, she didn’t pay much attention to it. However, after being contacted by several people, she realized that the mayor was offering her the position of Director of the Sports Bureau. Such a rare opportunity couldn’t be missed, so she immediately agreed.
"However, things were not that simple. The new environment and new field were full of challenges, and it took a great deal of effort and time to learn and adapt. After facing a difficult inquiry just ten days into her new position, the director realized that there was no other way—she had to accelerate her pace and quickly get on track."
"As the saying goes, 'What is the most difficult thing? Managing people is the hardest!' As a young leader with limited experience, it requires a lot of effort to gain the trust of the team. Director Zhuang thought to herself, 'If a public servant responsible for managing sports affairs doesn’t exercise, how can they promote it?' So, she started by inviting her colleagues to exercise together. With her background as an athlete, the director inspired her colleagues, gradually igniting their passion for sports. This helped build stronger relationships among everyone. Through mutual understanding, the department heads of the Sports Bureau began to work together on shared projects, and the director often considered the needs of the public, which led to the community’s positive recognition of the Sports Bureau."
In the process of changing careers, she was faced with many new things she had never learned before—such as giving speeches at events, leading meetings, and handling parliamentary inquiries. It was full of challenges, but everything had to be learned from scratch. Only through continuous attempts and breakthroughs could she improve and reach the next level. Summoning the courage and seizing opportunities was the first step toward her new journey. In the end, the director encouraged us: 'Make the most of your strengths, continuously learn new skills, and seize every opportunity. Everyone can create their own new heights.'"
Link to the news report by our campus reportershttps://pr.ntnu.edu.tw/news/index.php?mode=data&id=21110
