Meet Dr. Lin Lim, Author of "C for Curiosity" & Dean of Students & Communication for Bridges Graduate School
Dr. Lin Lim is an inspiring human pursuing educational equity for students who are exceptional learners. Her own journey raising children who were gifted outliers helped her recognize the gaps in our education system and fueled her desire to pursue a Doctorate degree. From a first gen student, to a doctorate, Dr. Lin Lim's wise perspective is full of insight for us. Today, we are honored to share her story with you.
Dr. Lin Lim, what events in your life prepared you for your current role at Bridges Graduate School of Cognitive Diversity in Education?
I am a first-generation Southeast Asian American who arrived at the age of 18 years old with my younger brother in the early 1990s. The cultural, linguistic, and social differences I have felt since my arrival has endured for more than 30 years. I am very fortunate to be the first in my family to complete a college degree in Economics, followed by a doctorate in Human Development Psychology focused on the interactions between our beliefs and behaviors.
I was and am still seeking a holistic understanding of humanity - what makes us who we are across our lifespan and how to live a fulfilling life. I felt that this required an interdisciplinary approach that did not exist during my doctoral studies in the mid-1990s. Therefore, after graduation, I entered the business world, transferring my academic interest into applications in the workplace. After I became a parent of two gifted outliers with very different needs navigating through the k-12 public school system, I turned my attention toward education and human development. My parenting journey advocating for my two gifted outliers exposed the large gap in knowledge, understanding, and options for twice-exceptional (gifted with a concurrent disability) learners. I became a k-12 substitute teacher in our local public school district for two years to experience the perspective of an educator before embarking on completing two graduate academic certificates: Mind, Brain, and Teaching (Johns Hopkins University) and twice-exceptional education (Bridges Graduate School).
My role as the Dean of Students and Communications for Bridges Graduate School involves nurturing a sense of community, belonging, and well-being in our graduate students. As a pioneer graduate school of education focused on cognitive diversity in education, our student body includes a wide range of diverse adult learners across the globe. My personal, professional, and academic experiences allow me to experience and synthesize different perspectives and approaches to dynamically connect with and support our graduate students.
Share with us a bit about your latest non-profit project, Quark Collaboration. How is this reaching towards your goal of equity through neuro-economic-socio-cultural dignity?
The idea to create a Quark Collaboration Institute non-profit began from the desire to connect lifespan stakeholders to conduct original, synthesize and translate existing research into holistic positive practical applications across our lifespan through a cohesive philosophical lens and common understanding of terns.
How can we find common ground to promote sustainable wellbeing across our lifespan for all equitably? We believe that by using a complex dynamic systems approach and the focus on dignity, which is a basic human right, that is considerate of individual neurobiophysiological, economic, social, and cultural interactions, we can begin moving toward a more equitable global community.
I have just published a children’s book titled “C for Curiosity” as an open invitation to share and dialogue on the different experiences of our human variability from the lens of a multi-cultural outlier child. In addition, Quark has also partnered with the Gifted Homeschoolers Forum to create and facilitate a free education series to empower parents with a dynamic framework to find applications that are positive and neuro-economic-socio-culturally dignified for their families.
What advice would you give to future Inclusive Inspirational Leaders?
To be truly inclusive, we must design and create education that nurtures learners from both outer boundaries of human variability. Education designed for the center will not be appropriate for outliers learners.
To hear more about the work Dr. Lim is doing, be sure to connect with her through social media!
Linkedin.com/in/linlimgoh
Twitter linlimgoh
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