Soon the UIC Class of 2021 will be leaving the campus for a bright future. During their four years in UIC, what has the Liberal Arts Education brought them, and how did they constantly develop themselves? Here are the stories of some fourth-year National Scholarship winners.
Li Xinyue: Self-breakthrough
Majoring in Data Science Programme, Year 4 student Li Xinyue has won the First Class Award for three consecutive academic years, the National Scholarship (2019-2020), Mr Fung Sun Kwan Scholarship (2019-2020), and the second prize in the Contemporary Undergraduate Mathematical Contest in Modeling.
Under Dr Xuanyuan Zhe’s supervision, Li Xinyue chose the topic on collaborative mapping of multiple vehicles in autonomous driving for her final year project. She admitted that this was an unfamiliar field for her; yet, she bravely challenged herself out of curiosity and interest. Thus, she made lots of planning and preparation in advance. Xinyue believed that doing research is a process of constantly encountering problems and then trying hard to solve all of them.
Li Xinyue (second from right), her partners, and her supervisor Dr Xuanyuan Zhe (first from right)
Xinyue specifically mentioned the improvement of her leadership skills when she was talking about her changes and gains at UIC. Often working as a team leader, Xinyue gradually learned how to communicate with group members and organise the task more effectively. She believed that these knowledge and abilities gained outside the classroom would play important roles in her career and life.
In addition to her excellent academic performance, Xinyue also actively participates in club and college activities to challenge herself in areas she has never tried before. In her view, only when one jumps out of the comfort zone can one get more opportunities and make self-breakthrough.
Li Xinyue (back row, first from right) and members of the Sports Department of Student Union
Currently, Li Xinyue has received an offer to study for a Masters in Data Science from the University of Michigan.
Su Ziqi: Those unforgettable first-times
Su Ziqi, an Applied Economics graduate-to-be, is also the winner of the National Scholarship (2019-2020), two First Class Awards and a Second Class Award. She hopes that through learning economics, she could develop the ability to identify the core of the problem and find the optimal solution to solve more social problems.
Su Ziqi explained that instead of solely learning knowledge at UIC, it is more important to master self-learning abilities. She also mentioned how it is crucial to broaden one's world outlook and learn new skills in different fields.
Many of her first experiences gained at UIC left her with a strong impression. During her year-one’s Chinese course, she made a video for the first time. At that time, all her group members did not know how to edit videos. She then took the initiative in undertaking the task, studied on her own and completed the editing task.
In Su Ziqi's first group presentation, she remembers that one group was graded zero by the teacher on the spot due to its overtime presentation, which taught her a severe lesson. Since then, she and her team members have been very strict with their group tasks and tried to do their best every time.
Su Ziqi learning to play Guqin at UIC
Su Ziqi has participated in two summer programmes and has rich experience in community service, internship and club activities. In her opinion, it is one of the most fulfilling things in college to make appropriate long-term and short-term plans, as well as to strike a good balance between study and extracurricular activities.
At present, Su Ziqi has received offers to study for a Master's from some renowned institutions, such as the University of Edinburgh and the University of Hong Kong. She will continue to study economics in the future.
Zhang Zhen: The best state for college
Majoring in Government and International Relations Programme, Year 4 student Zhang Zhen always has a clear goal and plan for his study. When he was in high school, he was very interested in international politics and diplomacy, and planned to study abroad. At UIC, he finally realised his dream and has already received an offer to study for a Master's at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE).
Zhang Zhen is the winner of the National Scholarship (2019-2020), First Class Award, Scholarship for Internship and Social Practices, and Ching-Fai Shuk Wah Scholarship (2018-2019). Zhang Zhen believes that it is not enough to have a high GPA score to apply for the Group 5 Super Elite Universities like LSE, but also practical experience plays a crucial part.
Zhang Zhen maintains that teachers at UIC have given him much positive influence and help in terms of academic ability, social resources and personal planning. He is very grateful for their support.
Zhang Zhen speaking at a Student Leaders Forum
To achieve his goal, Zhang Zhen also paid great attention to details. He took every paper of his major courses seriously and revised them multiple times. Zhang Zhen said that he would ensure that all the grammatical expression, sentence structure, and logical cohesion are appropriate and accurate before handing over the final version. Furthermore, he often sought teachers of the English Language Centre for advice and making contacts with teachers in his programme frequently to listen to their opinions about his paper.
When doing a presentation, Zhang Zhen always emphasised the typesetting and art design of PPT. He never referred to scripts when delivering a speech. He also broadens his knowledge and vision by keeping the habit of reading. Zhang Zhen believes that actively reflecting, accumulating experience and improving oneself in daily study and life would be the best state for college.
Zhou Zitao: Keep exploring and growing
Studying Cinema and Television, Zhou Zitao mentioned that although she is not that kind of talented person, she would always gain a sense of achievement by constantly making efforts to improve herself. From learning film aesthetics to screenplay writing, filming, editing, and finally making her own work, she paid practical efforts and greatly enhanced herself.
During her internship in Guangdong advertising group Co., Ltd. and Netease Youdao, Zhou Zitao turned what she learned in class into practice and achieved satisfactory results. In her Final Year Project, she plans to complete a short 3D animation film by herself, using the knowledge she learned in scriptwriting, editing and other courses.
Zhou Zitao achieved the National Scholarship (2019-2020), First Class Award, Second Class Award (2018-2019), and an award from the Student Leadership Path Programme. She also participated in a Micro-film Festival for College Students as an assistant director and was nominated for the “excellent film award” and the “best director award”.
Group photo of Zhou Zitao (first row, fifth from right), volleyball team members and their teacher
Apart from the curriculum, Zhou Zitao also joined the volleyball team. She suggested that junior students keep fit by flexibly combining work and rest.
She believes that everyone has his/her own path for study and life. The vital thing is to keep exploring and learning and never put limits on oneself.
From MPRO
Reporter: Xia Meng
Editors: Covee Wang, Samuel Burgess, Deen He
