Lighting the way for others

A Chinese woman made history at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government in 2001, when she became the first visually impaired student to earn its master's degree in public administration.

In the eyes of Joseph Nye, then dean of the school, Yang Jia (pictured) was the future "soft power" of China. It was a fitting endorsement from the scholar, who first coined the term to describe the cultural influence of a country.

This month Yang, 45, vindicated the dean's confidence by becoming a member of the United Nations Committee for the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.