Holly Ming

Headmistress, Diocesan Girls’ Junior School, Hong Kong

Dr. Holly Ming currently serves as the headmistress of Diocesan Girls’ Junior School in Hong Kong and has an extensive background as an education researcher.

With a genuine passion for nurturing young minds across cultures and socio-economic backgrounds, Dr. Ming’s first ventures in education began as she led volunteers from Harvard University and neighbouring institutions to serve in after-school enrichment programs for the children of migrants in Boston’s Chinatown. This formative experience prompted her to study the economics of education and migration during her university years, eventually culminating in her pursuit of PhD studies in the field of education mobility among migrant workers’ children in Chinese cities. She eventually wrote a book “The Education of Migrant Children and China’s Future: The Urban Left Behind,” based on her dissertation research.

Dr. Ming is dedicated to bridging research and practice in education. Complementing her initial quantitative training as an economist, she invested several years in in-depth, qualitative research in the field, visiting the homes and schools of many migrant workers’ children in China. She actively contributed to the design and delivery of a number of intervention programs for migrants through the Youth Foundation. Her years of working at the youth-focused non-profit organization also expanded her interests and knowledge in promoting leadership and holistic development among young people.

The arrival of her four children introduced Dr. Ming to the realm of preschool education. She is particularly intrigued by the Reggio Emilia approach and is an ardent supporter of an emergent, child-centered learning curriculum that actively engages the community, regarding both teachers and students as researchers.

Dr. Ming holds an undergraduate degree in Economics from Harvard University and a PhD degree in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School. Prior to her academic pursuits in the United States, she completed her secondary school at Diocesan Girls’ School in Hong Kong, where she now has the privilege of serving as the junior school headmistress.