At the graduation ceremony of the 2025 class held at Queens College on May 29, Tam Miaoping, a mother of three children and an immigrant from Taishan, Guangdong for 22 years, was recognized as a representative of thousands of graduates for her perfect GPA of 4.0. She went on stage to participate in the “cap and gown” ceremony.
In an interview, Tam Miaoping mentioned that as her three children grew older, she returned to campus during the pandemic four years ago to fulfill her dream of attending university. She first studied at Queensborough Community College (QCC) for two years before transferring to Queens College. Her major was accounting, and she earned a Bachelor of Business Administration. Due to her excellent grades, she received scholarships for the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and Certified Management Accountant (CMA) exams, paving the way for her to pursue a master’s degree next.
She shared that being an immigrant who came to the United States as an adult, entering the university campus in middle age presented significant challenges, with language being the biggest one.
“As a Chinese immigrant, my language skills are much weaker compared to local people or young individuals born here, which made me feel quite inferior,” she said. In her daily life, her lack of proficiency in English made her fearful of interacting with the outside world, even requiring her husband’s company when going out. “I used to be afraid to speak, worrying that I wouldn’t know how to handle situations in English if something happened.”
She needed a considerable amount of time to adapt when initially attending classes and communicating, even questioning whether she could complete her studies at one point. “I really couldn’t believe I could do it. In the beginning, when I first entered school, I found it very challenging.”
However, through relentless effort, she graduated with a perfect GPA of 4.0, which filled her with immense pride.
On campus, she encountered other middle-aged students like herself who were studying diligently, which motivated her to continue her education at the master’s level. “I’ve also considered whether to persevere, but seeing the efforts of my classmates, I decided to pursue a master’s degree, find a part-time job, and work to earn tuition fees while studying for my master’s.”
The process of pursuing her education has enhanced her professional and language skills, as well as rebuilt her confidence. “I believe there is still room for improvement, especially in my English. That is my goal. After graduating with a master’s degree, I aspire to become a Certified Public Accountant. That is an even greater goal.”