Mar 8 is International Women’s Day. In honor of all the Queens who are crushing it and living their best lives, Jingkids will be profiling some of Beijing’s fiercest female entrepreneurs. Like Queen Beyonce says, “Who run the world? Girls!”
If you know a Girl Boss you think we should profile, don’t hesitate to shoot us a message at editor@beijing-kids.com.
Meet Sophie Su, an Australia-raised expat who has been living in Beijing with her family for 15 years. She and her husband started Pingo Space six years ago as a place for children to develop creative and critical thinking skills as well as explore their own passions and potential. Or as Su puts it, “helping people confidently discover their unique purpose and develop the skills to pursue it.”
She does that through a form known as Project-Based Learning, or PBL. It’s incredibly popular in the West but surprisingly few places offer it outside of international schools here in China. Rather than teaching to a test or simply inputting knowledge, her programs present kids with real-world scenarios or problems while guiding them to develop potential solutions.
But the unique content hasn’t insulated Pingo Space from all the changes and challenges of the past few years. The one-two punch of the pandemic and new government regulations for the education sector have been difficult. Likewise, figuring out how to pivot from in-person to online programming that stays true to the mission has been no easy task. Given the turbulent and volatile nature of the times, some education companies have been forced to compromise on their original missions, attempting to stay afloat in these choppy new waters. But Su has a different perspective. “I’m not trying to be everything to everyone. We have a really loyal base of students and parents who have really transformed through our programs and need the structured, creative space we provide. Our team has remained focused on that despite pressure to become more general in our programming and service.” Despite the curveballs, Su and her staff have remained positive. In fact, it’s the people she gets to work with that represent the real upside to entrepreneurship for her.
“I believe we have an amazing product and a dedicated team. I love that I can hire the people that I really want to collaborate with and together paint the future of Pingo Space.”
Ironically, however, it also represents the downside. “I love that I can decide on the direction of my company fully without any outside distractions…[but]the pressure of giving the wrong direction which may lead to failure is difficult.”
When asked about the future of education in China, Su says it boils down to “developing the whole child, a unique happy individual who is confident and a true global citizen.”
For Su that doesn’t just mean focusing on the kids and families she serves – she wants her staff to be active global citizens as well. Each member of her team is more than just an educator or administrator. They are actively engaged members of the community, with their own side gigs and passion projects. Members of her team sit on local charity boards, run food blogs, organize local book clubs, are pursuing additional advanced degrees, and are involved in community theatre and music projects. “How can I expect kids to learn how to be engaged citizens if their role models aren’t?” asks Su. “We encourage our team to have outside interests and pursue them. It makes them better educators, better colleagues, and better community members.”
Her passionate team and the kids they serve are what get Su out of bed in the morning. “I wake up every day because I have the passion to help develop the untapped potential of children. I am attracted to education as it allows me to see kids grow in real-time and offer them something unique.”
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Images: Sophie Su
