For the greater good

Bai Hailun, a volunteer teacher at an NGO called Teach for China, stressed the importance of following one's heart.

"My most profound moments of fulfillment stem from being a role model to students, relying on my expertise to impart knowledge and wisdom to students," says Bai.

"A good education will always teach us to be ourselves, not to imitate others. If you are able to communicate with yourself, you will find out what you really love."

Eleanor Bedford, director of programming for the United States Peace Corps in China, says that one should cultivate authentic connections and embrace curiosity. As an international development professional with 25 years of experience in conflict and crisis management, Bedford says very little of her career was planned. Rather, she just let curiosity lead the way.

When she first entered the workforce in New York, she applied for every job that was related to the arts. However, she soon developed another passion when she became involved in a project campaigning for the rights of writers who have been imprisoned or threatened. "The arts seemed very boring compared to the work of a human rights researcher and fact-checker," she says.

Bedford has, since that moment, dedicated her career to the fight for human rights. Much of the work she has done prior to joining the Peace Corps includes founding an organization development consulting firm and working for the US Agency for International Development, the World Bank, and numerous international NGOs.