Migrant worker Li Jun studies hard for years and finally fulfills his doctoral dream
On August 2, when the reporter met Li Jun at South-Central Minzu University, he had just returned from a research trip to Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture in Hubei. "It is a project on economic development in ethnic minority areas, exploring solutions to the development challenges of my hometown," he said.
He dropped out of junior high school, dropped out of high school four times, and was dismissed from university because he could not afford the tuition. This Tujia boy, who wears black-framed glasses and stands 1.6 m tall, endured both poverty and illness while working and studying at the same time, and became an outstanding doctoral student. This "National College Student Self-Improvement Star Model" has moved many people with his story of pursuing an education.
?Plagued by illness
The road to education was arduous
In Li Jun's hometown, a poor mountain village in Lichuan City, Hubei Province, the villagers make a living by growing corn and local tobacco. "Education is the only way for children in the mountains to get out," Li Jun said. Since childhood, his father had taught him to study hard.
In Li Jun's simple home, award certificates covering the wall are the best decoration. In junior high school, Li Jun was still always first in his class; in the second year of junior high, he also won second prize in the National English Competition, the highest award ever won by a student at his school.
In April 2004, Li Jun suddenly fainted and was diagnosed with cerebral vascular blockage. His father sold the old yellow ox he had raised for many years and scraped together more than 1,000 yuan to treat him. But after more than a month of hospital treatment, Li Jun's condition did not improve much, so he had to go home and farm.
He was unwilling to give up his studies just like that. Wearing straw sandals woven by his grandfather from straw and fertilizer bags, he walked alone 50 km from home to Lichuan No. 3 High School to ask for help. His persistence moved the principal, and his three years of high school tuition were waived. During that time, because local crops suffered natural disasters and his mother also developed severe rheumatism, Li Jun dropped out of school four times, each time pulling through with donations from teachers and students and by working part-time while studying.
In 2007, Li Jun was admitted to Huaibei Normal University with the top score in his class. But the hardship of his family circumstances, his mother's serious illness, and his younger brother's and sister's schooling weighed heavily on his mind like three great mountains. In the end, Li Jun chose a vocational school in Beijing.
The hardships of being a "Beijing drifter"
Studying hard by himself in the gaps between work
In March 2008, Li Jun was dismissed from school because he could not afford the tuition, but his dream of studying did not die there. That summer, Li Jun squeezed into a work shed with more than 10 people every night to study, reading until midnight. With a monthly wage of 600 yuan, besides buying study materials, he also had to send money home. Li Jun lived frugally, and during 3 years of working, he did not go home even once. Severe malnutrition left this young man weighing less than 100 jin.
In the factory, the dark, thin "educated man" Li Jun seemed out of place, and was even fired by the factory supervisor on the grounds of not doing proper work. But no matter how hard the conditions were, he persisted in studying. He once sneaked into his former school to attend classes. Because he had long worked in a factory, he carried an lingering smell of stinky tofu, which drew the attention of students and the school security guards, and he was warned not to come again.
Later, Li Jun rented a single-story house on the outskirts of Beijing, doing odd jobs while reviewing. Traveling 30 km every day, Li Jun rode a bicycle with broken wheels between the farmyard and the county town factory. The intense physical labor and constant tension crushed his body. The day before the self-study exam, he had a high fever of nearly 40 degrees Celsius, and the next day he still gritted his teeth and took the exam while ill. His arduous efforts finally paid off. In two years, while working and studying, Li Jun obtained 3 self-study exam diplomas in survey and analysis, economics, and Chinese language and literature.
Going south to pursue his dream
A self-study exam student became a doctoral student
In March 2011, Li Jun came to Guangzhou with the dream of taking the postgraduate entrance exam. Many employers did not recognize self-study exam qualifications, and he ran into obstacles everywhere and could not find a job, and for a time could not even afford rent. His former high school homeroom teacher took him in. In July of that year, a higher vocational school offered him a job with a monthly salary of 4,000 yuan, and Li Jun finally had a stable environment to review for the postgraduate entrance exam.
In June 2012, Li Jun received the admission notice for a master's degree at South-Central Minzu University. Two years later, he continued studying for a doctorate at the school. Now, Li Jun has published 4 C-class journal papers and 1 paper in a national authoritative academic journal. His doctoral supervisor, Li Zhongbin, director of the Institute of Chinese Ethnic Minority Economics at South-Central Minzu University, said: "Li Jun has long met the standard for doctoral graduation. It would not be an exaggeration to say he is one of the best doctoral students in the whole school."
At present, Li Jun is writing the book "The Doctoral Dream of a Migrant Worker," hoping to inspire and provide reference for more people through his self-study exam experience.
Cheng Yuanzhou Chen Ruoqing