Guizhen Jin-Day's Obituary
Dr. Guizhen Jin-Day, Professor Emeritus and Distinguished Professor formerly of the Beijing Institute of Technology, lost her year long battle with liver cancer. Both in China and the United States, the loss of this powerhouse in the fields of education and history of education will be felt for many years to come.
Jin Guizhen was born to farmers in Jiaxiang County, Shandong Province in China at a time when women were considered second class citizens. Her parents were highly enlightened people, giving her both pressure and support to excel in her studies to be self-sufficient and successful on her own. The parents believed that education was the key to success and should be available to everyone including their daughter equally as well as the men. As she grew up, she tested out of the hardest of exams and earned a teaching degree. She spent years as an English Teacher in the Jiaxiang County School District. She left Jiaxiang when her eligibility arose to earn a Masters' Degree at Beijing Normal University (BNU) in the Capital City. After her graduation, she obtained employment as an Assistant Professor at the Beijing Institute of Technology (BIT) in the areas of Education and History of Education. Her work as the Graduate Education Education Coordinator at BIT helped arranged for the first of 33 academic exchange students in Systems Engineering train at the Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, NJ for Masters Degrees in Systems Engineering. Stevens Institute remains the leader in Systems Engineering and Engineering Management in the United States. She returned to earn her own Ph.D. at Beijing Normal University, and gained the rank of Associate Professor at BIT.
Besides her work as Academic Exchange Coordinator at the Graduate Level, she was also China's main expert in the area of Gaokao, the Chinese equivalent of the SAT. She often described the exam, the meaning of its content, and rational for its existence on numerous interviews on Radio China International. As one well sought-after academic, she was a regular invited lecturer in her field, guiding students to success with this all-important exam.
On an academic exchange with Stevens Institute in 2007, she met a Ph.D. candidate graduating the same day that her group was receiving their Masters' Degrees. Over a few years, and many emails and visits, Dr. Thomas Day and Dr. Guizhen Jin-Day were happily married and settled in Herald Harbor, MD just outside of Washington DC. Dr. Guizhen Jin-Day retired from BIT, eventually taking a position as a translator and teacher of Mandarin for Berlitz Corporation in Maryland.
While in American, Dr Jin-Day spent many midnight hours speaking with students in China consulting them on how to take Gaokao effectively, including study tips, habits, and where to get assistance.
On a cold day in October of 2022, Dr. Jin-Day collapsed and was taken to the local hospital, where she was diagnosed with an incurable form of liver cancer. She was moved to the Johns Hopkins Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center for additional treatment. After an incredible fight that continued to amaze the doctors and caretakers as to her continued strength and steel will, she succumbed to the disease on 20 October 2023.
Dr. Jin-Day was the author of five (5) textbooks and over 20 academic papers, all still available in Mandarin at the BIT and BNU library. Much of her academic and professional work remains the subject of praise and high interest in the Chinese education community.
The world has lost a powerhouse of an academic and architect of one of the worlds' most difficult college entrance examinations. However, her love and dedication to her family and professional field will be felt for many years to come because of the kindness and selflessness she invested in it. She stands as a testament to the power of the individual against all odds. Dr Guizhen Jin-Day clearly shows that anyone can do anything they set their minds to do, if they have faith in themselves and invest the proper amount of energy.
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