Principal Yuan-Yuan Su and Dean of Student Affairs Wan-Ting Chen of Chiayi County Zhuqi Senior High School were both honored with the Ministry of Education Special Award for Model Teachers (Shi-Duo Award). Both outstanding educators are alumni of National Chung Cheng University (CCU). Bringing the professional nourishment and rigorous academic training accumulated at their alma mater to a rural school campus, they were long dedicated to advancing science education and technological innovation, successfully guiding rural students onto the international stage.

One of the awardees, Principal Yuan-Yuan Su of Zhuqi Senior High School, graduated from CCU's Graduate Institute of Computer Science and Information Engineering. He firmly believed that "Education determines talent, and talent determines a nation's future." At Zhuqi Senior High School, Principal Su promoted the "TiT" educational vision. The first "T" emphasized Technology and Humanities—in the face of a rapidly changing and demand-driven society, future work would increasingly demand logical analysis and social communication skills. Principal Su stressed that technology would become an essential skill used to give children a competitive edge. The "i" stood for Innovation and Interdisciplinary Learning, utilizing technology to create fresh learning landscapes for students while cultivating their visual learning, physical well-being, and civic capacity. The final "T" represented Trilingual Internationalization; alongside establishing specialized experimental classes in mathematics/IT, AI, and pre-medicine, the school also balanced fine arts classes and experimental language and traditional music classes to cultivate interdisciplinary talent with dual skill sets.

To overcome the equipment and budget limitations typical of rural schools, Principal Su actively raised millions of New Taiwan Dollars annually from enterprises and community sponsors. This funding fully supported the school's FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) international team. During the year, the students not only won the Engineering Inspiration Award at the New York Regional in the U.S., but also successfully advanced to the World Championship in Houston. Furthermore, Principal Su connected with resources from CCU's College of Humanities to integrate bilingual instruction into the school's existing "Zhuluo Exploration" school-based curriculum, deepening the exploration of local community heritage.

Reflecting on the educational nourishment provided by CCU, Principal Su recalled enrolling in CCU's Graduate Institute of Computer Science and Information Engineering while teaching at a secondary school, gaining invaluable learning opportunities under CCU's rigorous academic climate and strict thesis quality standards. The solid academic guidance from professors such as Prof. Chin-Chen Chang and Prof. Pao-Ta Yu not only helped him build a systematic scientific research mindset, but also laid an exceptionally strong foundation in his academic discipline—one that directly converted into practical momentum for driving technological reform in secondary education. Principal Su expressed his heartfelt gratitude to the faculty and mentors at CCU for their long-standing guidance and support.

The other recipient, Wan-Ting Chen, then serving as the Dean of Student Affairs at Zhuqi Senior High School, was an alumna of CCU's Institute of Molecular Biology. Wanting rural students to experience genuine scientific inquiry, she drew upon what she learned at her alma mater to build a complete Drosophila (fruit fly) mutation experimental system inside Zhuqi Senior High School's biology laboratory. This system enabled students to conduct frontline research during their spare time; students even enthusiastically rushed into the lab during recess to observe and collect fruit flies, fostering a deep curiosity and practical skills in scientific research.

Inspired by CCU's advanced laboratory instruments and research environment, Wan-Ting Chen actively brought university-level equipment concepts into the high school campus. Over several years of dedicated effort, she progressively upgraded the lab specs—replacing traditional halogen-lamp microscopes with LED equipment and achieving a teaching environment where every student had access to an individual microscope. Later, she established a digital biology lab equipped with large-screen, smart-connected digital microscopes. This setup allowed the teacher's display to sync seamlessly in real time with each student's screen, pioneering a highly efficient and in-depth digital science teaching model.

These two CCU alumni cultivated rural education in Chiayi with immense passion, proving that students in community high schools—when provided with proper guidance and resources—could demonstrate outstanding potential in scientific research, international robotics competitions, and cross-border exchanges. Looking forward, both educators would continue leveraging resources from their alma mater, National Chung Cheng University, and local communities to create more opportunities for rural students to explore the world, continually transforming rural education through the power of teaching.