Manila, 7 October 2017 — White coat ceremony at Amsterdam’s Vrije Universiteit for Steven Wang, a remarkable medical student who builds bridges between China, Japan, and the Netherlands.

What is Steven's leadership secret to getting where he is now?

From hours of discussion with him during a train trip from Amsterdam to Münster in Germany, I discovered about his curiosity, focus, and perseverance during years of intensive study. With a Chinese father and a Japanese mother, he also has an attitude of demanding extraordinary results from himself all the time.

After arriving in the Netherlands in 2012, Steven opted for a road less traveled when he invested in Dutch classes during his bachelor studies at Amsterdam University College, where the academic program is conducted in English. This allowed him—after countless hours of late-night work—to start studying medicine in Dutch rather than in English. 

Taking years of studies in medicine in a language other than your own is a tall order, it seems to me, and Steven is happy to have completed his academic studies. With a white coat, he is ready to start his next phase of clinical practice. 

"Now I listen and relate to the Dutch patients I help and can learn everything possible from the experience," he said, pointing to the benefits of learning the Dutch language.

Our world today needs more leaders like Steven who build bridges of curiosity and understanding among countries as far apart culturally as China, Japan, and the Netherlands.

What bridges are you building?