In the movie "Forrest Gump", it is said: "Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what the next one will taste like." As an intellectual who was born and raised in Guanghe and went to teach in colleges and universities, he has completed the transformation from a rural child to a doctoral student through his own efforts and perseverance, and has also realized the counterattack from a small place to a big city, he is Ma Xiaohua, an associate professor at the School of Public Administration of Gansu University of Political Science and Law. In this issue of "Going South to North Guanghe People" column, let's learn about Ma Xiaohua's study and struggle.
Ma Xiaohua is a native of Baizhuangtou Village, Sanjia Market Town, and he was born in an ordinary peasant family. When he reached the age when he should go to school, his parents let him go to school nearby, and their wish was simple and simple, that is, they hoped that their children could learn knowledge and not suffer the loss of lack of education in the future. After going to school, Ma Xiaohua did not show unusual talent in learning, and his grades in primary and junior high school have always been at the middle and upper level of the class.
Gansu University of Political Science and Law
School of Public Administration
Associate Professor Ma Xiaohua
I always felt that I was confused in elementary school, and when I was in junior high school, I could be ranked in the top six or seven of the class in every exam. When I went home at that time, I never knew how to do homework or revise again.
Because the goal was not clear and he didn't work too hard in his studies, Ma Xiaohua was not admitted to the technical secondary school as he wished when he took the high school entrance examination. But after this big exam, watching the students who were admitted to the technical secondary school get the admission notice, it also means that these people may have a stable job in the future, and Ma Xiaohua really has a sense of crisis at this time. After entering high school, he is no longer in the same state as before, and he has a goal and direction in his studies.
Gansu University of Political Science and Law
School of Public Administration
Associate Professor Ma Xiaohua
In middle school, I had a habit of studying hard for the subjects I liked, and not studying for the subjects I didn't like. Then the way I entered high school changed, and I woke up all of a sudden, and I began to study hard. Especially in the first year of high school, I suddenly felt that I could be ranked in the top few, which encouraged me a lot. Before the college entrance examination, I had obsessive-compulsive disorder, I didn't do well in the college entrance examination, I didn't get into the ideal Northwest Normal University, and I was admitted to the Northwest People's University.
After entering Northwest Minmin University in 2001, Ma Xiaohua was not complacent because he was admitted to university, and he found that among his classmates, his college entrance examination results were in the bottom few places, which also gave him a sense of crisis. Since then, he has devoted a lot of energy to his studies. When he passed the CET-4 exam, even though he took the test four times to pass, he never gave up; After entering his senior year, with the support of his family, he planned to apply for graduate school.
Gansu University of Political Science and Law
School of Public Administration
Associate Professor Ma Xiaohua
Going to university is a process of internalizing knowledge, and many students think that what they learn in college is useless because the knowledge learned by undergraduates is superficial, and graduate students learn systematically. So when I saw others applying for graduate school in my senior year, I didn't tell anyone, I studied every day, and I took the exam after three months, and after the results came out, I went to Northwest Normal University to see the results, and I took the 374 exam, and I got the opportunity to study at public expense (for graduate school), which was basically a free graduate school.
In the past few years of graduate school, Ma Xiaohua has still worked diligently, not only gnawed the hard bone of the English Level 6 test, but also published 4 scientific research papers in a row, and his professional knowledge and theoretical level have also reached a great level. During his studies, he made a group of very good classmates, who not only put pressure on him but also gave him motivation. What makes him even more fortunate is that he has met many teachers who are knowledgeable and noble. It was also under the influence of these teachers that he was motivated to continue to be admitted to Lanzhou University for a doctorate after completing his master's degree.
Gansu University of Political Science and Law
School of Public Administration
Associate Professor Ma Xiaohua
When I got to the doctoral stage, it was really an eye-opener. You will find that some of them have been visiting scholars in Oxford, or have a good reputation in a certain field, or have made some special contributions. The classmates are also very good. Under these circumstances, I began to study seriously. In my second year of Ph.D., I have published 4 CSSCI journals ("Chinese Social Sciences Citation Index" is a key project of the state and the Ministry of Education). Towards the second half of my Ph.D. year, when some students were just starting to prepare their doctoral dissertations, the first draft of my Ph.D. had already come out.
After graduating from his Ph.D. in 2011, many institutions threw an olive branch to Ma Xiaohua, who could enter the civil service, research institutes and well-known universities in other places to teach, but he finally chose Gansu University of Political Science and Law.
Gansu University of Political Science and Law
School of Public Administration
Associate Professor Ma Xiaohua
In the end, I still wanted to be a college teacher, so after graduating with a doctorate, I went to Inner Mongolia University, then to Ningxia Medical University, and also submitted my resume to Guangdong Ocean University, and finally contacted Gansu University of Political Science and Law in Lanzhou. There was a new School of Public Administration here, which had only been established for a year, and I said it was a good opportunity. If you think Lanzhou, it is relatively close to your hometown.
Ma Xiaohua, who entered the job, was very dedicated, and in the first few years of his entry, the faculty of the college was tight, so he took the initiative to undertake teaching tasks. In the year of substitute teaching, he has substituted for more than 580 classes as an associate professor, and has also completed many social science research tasks at different levels. As a college teacher, even if he has obtained the highest degree, he has not relaxed his studies, and it has always been his pursuit to make himself better.
Gansu University of Political Science and Law
School of Public Administration
Associate Professor Ma Xiaohua
I think the university itself is a place where intellectuals gather, and in such a place, you may meet more excellent people than in other places. In this state, you want to make yourself better and meet people who are better than you.
The realization of many life goals is a "natural success" after hard work. Ma Xiaohua's seemingly "open" and "counterattacked" life was not achieved overnight, and behind it was his countless hard work and sweat. Just as he continued to study on the way to study, he went all the way up and won the highest degree in one fell swoop, the difficulty can be imagined. Ma Xiaohua admitted frankly that he was average in talent, and his academic performance before college was not outstanding, and his most significant symbol was "ordinary". But he is born with the simplicity and diligence of the Guanghe people, and when the goal is determined and he catches up, the latter can also come first.
Gansu University of Political Science and Law
School of Public Administration
Associate Professor Ma Xiaohua
One of the things I often tell you is the "tortoise and hare race", the rabbit is faster than the tortoise, and the tortoise can never outrun the hare. But from my own experience, I think the tortoise can outperform the rabbit. When we are studying, many students are better than you, these people are rabbits, we are much worse than others, then we are turtles. But as an ordinary tortoise, we will not say that we are always slower than others, and one day we will throw off those rabbits step by step, stand at the end of the line, and outrun these rabbits. Therefore, for students who want to change themselves in a down-to-earth manner through their own efforts, as long as you don't stop, you will have hope, and as long as you never give up and persevere, victory will definitely belong to you.
After going out from his hometown for more than 20 years, Ma Xiaohua has a lot of feelings, diligent study, courage, and perseverance, these words run through his road to success. As he said, what kind of life you want to live is up to you. As long as you work hard, it's never too late. It's touching to see other people's stories of struggle, and that's because of the path they've walked, and we're going through it.
Gansu University of Political Science and Law
School of Public Administration
Associate Professor Ma Xiaohua
I've always felt like an ordinary Guanghe person. What I want to say to young people is that they should never be afraid of their hands and feet, bravely break through, let go and fight, or fight against the odds. Never think of failure as your worst enemy, it can be a stepping stone to your success, or an opportunity to push you to succeed. Be brave enough to face failure, then overcome it, and then break out of the world.
Reporter's Notes
Ma Xiaohua has been emphasizing his "ordinary", perhaps from his early achievements and performances, it is difficult to imagine that he can achieve his current achievements. "Ordinary" is actually the state of most people, but Ma Xiaohua's experience and achievements tell us that as long as we wake up and work hard, ordinary people can also counterattack. There are many factors for success, but the core factor lies in one's own choice and hard work, not that "ordinary" will inevitably "stand out from everyone", and "ordinary people" who work hard may also counterattack and become "kings".