WKU Graduate | HOU Sixun: Crossing Three Disciplines and Being Enthusiastic about Public Welfare. Love Can Outlast the Long Years

Maintaining a high GPA of 3.954 though changing disciplines in four years of university from business to psychology and receiving multiple awards such as the provincial government and Dean’s scholarships, the once naive boy in the business field has become a versatile senior student in psychology, balancing study and practicality. 

This is the story of Hou Sixun from WKU, a graduate student in psychology and recipient of the National Scholarship in the year 2023.

Graduate of 2024: Hou Sixun
Major: Psychology
Origin: Chongqing

A "Hexagon Warrior"  of Learning

Hou Sixun, who changed his major to psychology in his junior year, has always maintained a GPA of over 3.9 and has received honors such as the Dean’s Scholarship and the Zhejiang Provincial Scholarship. During his studies, he held an attitude of embracing diversity, eagerly seeking self-improvement opportunities.

Looking back on his four years at university, Hou said: “Thanks to the university’s policy on changing majors, after stumbling and trying repeatedly, I finally found the academic direction I’m passionate about.” Two years ago, while studying finance and global business, he first encountered psychology in selective courses. Since then, psychology has taken root in Hou’s heart. Therefore, he decided to switch to a psychology major. While others would take four years to complete the courses, he had to finish them in two years. Like a 100-meter race, while others had already run half, he was still at the starting line.

At first, the vast differences between disciplines made it difficult for Hou to adapt. Assignments shifted from whole pages of numerical calculations to various types of psychological case analyses, but he soon found his way of learning. Utilizing professors’ office hours, he constantly consulted teachers outside of class and put pressure on himself. The logical thinking skills he acquired from studying business enabled him to analyze psychological cases more systematically and methodically. “The learning of various subjects is interconnected. One must learn to change the way of thinking and broaden their perspective, instead of just memorizing and reciting.” Soon, he caught up with the learning progress of his peers in the Department of Psychology, and he conducted research in the field of psychology.

In 2022, Hou participated in The National Students as Partners Roundtable organized by the University of the Sunshine Coast in Australia, where he showcased his research results to psychology students worldwide and received recognition from the attendees. In October 2023, he collaborated with a professor to launch a SpF (Student Partnering with Faculty) project. He researched the reasons for differences in execution abilities among students under different educational backgrounds and study focuses, applying psychology learning to real life. Meanwhile, he also serves as a peer tutor in his spare time, guiding other students and imparting study methods.

“We gotta look beyond the current circle and do something meaningful in a larger context. We have to excel in all aspects and become a hexagon warrior of learning.” Hou said.

Being a "Contributor" to Society

Besides staying diligent in his studies, Hou is also involved in rich and colorful extracurricular activities, serving as the regional director for the southeast region in the “Youth Leadership Club” initiated by LinkedIn and volunteering at the Youth Scientists Summit. At WKU, he was a Student Member of the Board of Directors (BOD) and a student leader in organizations such as the International Honor Society in Psychology (Psi Chi).

Of all the above activities, an extracurricular internship at Wenzhou Kangning Hospital left a lasting impression on him. It was also during this internship that Hou realized the importance of details in psychological work. During the internship, Hou was assigned to work on brain function tests. “I encountered many cases requiring psychological testing for forensic evaluation, which gave me many opportunities to meet with criminals face to face. In the observation process, I found that many criminals exaggerate their symptoms during evaluation, requiring psychologists to have sharp eyes to discover subtle logical errors.

In addition, as a Student Member of the BOD, he diligently collected the opinions of other peer students, provided feedback at the BOD meeting and advocated for the rights of students, which built a communication bridge between students and the university’s decision-makers. In online cultural exchange activities, he organized exchange meetings with Nepalese students, helping students from South Asia and Southeast Asia to gain a deeper understanding of Chinese culture and making significant contributions to cross-cultural exchanges. In Psi Chi, he organized a series of lectures on environmental psychology, helping students understand and study psychology more easily. He believes these activities greatly enhance personal leadership and communication skills and broaden his horizons.

“Engaging in public service allows me to understand society better, recognize society, and give back to society. This is the true role of psychology in my heart,” Hou said. In the future, he will continue to pursue his passion for psychological research, deciphering the mysteries deep within human nature.