Convocation

On the morning of September 2, 2018, the Convocation of Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech) in 2018 was held in the newly completed SUSTech Runyang Gymnasium. At the beginning of the new academic year, every freshman has a vision for their university life. The faculty members and experienced seniors have suggestions for them. The Student News Agency reporters interviewed a number of people after the Convocation to understand what was going on in their hearts and minds.

“If you want to live a happy life, you will be successful.”

2018 freshman Alexander Aizezi spoke at the Convocation as the freshman representative. Although he is from the Uyghur ethnic group, he is a Shenzhen-er. He started to prepare his speech during the military training. With the guidance and support of the tutor, he revised the speech four times. Alexander said that the opportunity to speak allowed him to think more about his goals in the university and his plans for the future. Just like he said at the end of his speech: “Live your life and be generous while learning.”

Alexander said that he wants to study biology-related majors. The reason he chose SUSTech was that SUSTech has excellent faculty and many opportunities to connect with the industry. SUSTech’s tutor system also allows students to get in touch with the faculty members earlier and get more guidance and opportunities. Moreover, Shenzhen itself is also the center of biological sciences, an area that is more useful in Shenzhen. For Alexander, the campus life of SUSTech officially started two weeks ago, and he said that he had enjoyed everything so far.

“Everyone at this university is creating history.”

Sofia from Russia spoke as a representative of international students at the Convocation. She has been in Shenzhen for a week. Despite the rain falling across all of Shenzhen, she could still feel the enthusiasm of everyone and believes that she will enjoy her life here.

When talking about why she chose SUSTech, Sofia said that she thought she could learn best in a new university like SUSTech. Everyone is creating history and will gradually become a part of history. At the same time, SUSTech is also an international university, where people can reach out to different cultures and languages in order to broaden your horizons.

Like many of the students who just entered SUSTech, Sofia has not yet decided what she wants to study. She wants to choose one in computer science or mathematics. In the four years of university, she hopes to find something she truly enjoys. She believes that academic achievement is only part of it, and more importantly, it is to be exposed to touch new things and challenge herself in a new environment.

“Consider the development of interest and find what you like to do.”

As an opening act, the CONC Acapella Choir brought two works to the audience. They performed “The Curving Moon,” and “The Taoxiang,” with their soft melodies filling the stadium with a refreshing harmony. 2017 Voice of SUSTech Winner Wang Zhenming said that this was their first stage performance at the Convocation. “We have been rehearsing for more than two months, rehearsing two hours per week and every night for the last three weeks. I hope that I can bring you a good feeling on this day.” When asked about suggestions for the freshman, this senior said: “I am glad to meet more 18-year olds. I hope they don’t just study; they must balance the development of their studies with their interests. They should try to find something they like to do and enjoy it.”

“I hope that children will harvest their dreams here.”

On the day of the Convocation, many parents also came to see their children become part of the SUSTech community. The parents of new student Li Shichen talked about their impression of SUSTech: “We are all very happy. It is not just the beautiful environment, but also the unique teaching concept that attracted us. The management of the campus is very user-friendly, the teachers and students have developed close relationships, and there are plenty of resources and equipment for my children to develop.” When asked about the future, the parents of Zhicheng College freshmen Wu Simong expressed that they hope that their children will achieve their dreams here and develop in a well-rounded manner. The parents of Zhicheng College freshmen Zhu Hanyu also said: “We are very confident about the development prospects of SUSTech. I believe that children can meet mentors and tutors here that will help them have a clearer understanding of their future planning.”

“Think more about what you want to come to SUSTech.”

The peer tutor system is one of the characteristics of our residential college education. Every year, students will select outstanding students from the senior students to serve as peer tutors for their younger residential college classmates. The peer tutors provide practical life and academic guidance to the junior students. Shuli Peer Tutor Zheng Shuxin said: “I know that everyone who has entered college is relatively new, and many people are far from home for the first time. When we started university last year, our peer tutor braved the heavy rain and brought umbrellas to pick us up. I discovered that Shuli College still has such a warm tutor, and I want to give the freshmen a similar experience when they came this year.” When talking about how to adapt to the life at SUSTech, she said: “I think the more important point is to first think about what you want to do when you come to SUSTech. Once you work that out, the second thing is to learn to search for some information independently, solve some problems on your own.”

“Doing a good job in every experiment.”

Zhang Ziyi spoke on behalf of graduate students at the Convocation. She graduated from the Department of Chemistry of Beijing Institute of Technology. After coming to SUSTech, her professional direction changed from chemistry to biomedical engineering. Asked why she changed her professional direction, she said: “Biomedical engineering is an interdisciplinary subject that combines fields like biology, chemistry, electronics, and mechanics. I hope to make some breakthroughs in some scientific questions and gain some knowledge through chemistry and other fields.”

The cordial attitude of the faculty members of SUSTech left a deep impression on Zhang Ziyi. She studied under Professor Wu Changfeng, whose research direction was biophotonics. Zhang Ziyi also revealed her goal: “Under the guidance of my instructor, I want to do a good job in every experiment, with the ultimate goal of developing medical-grade results for clinical use.”

“Its innovation and vitality can always surprise people.”

Liu Lingyu was a graduate of SUSTech in 2017. He is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in inorganic chemistry at Oxford University. He spoke as the alumni representative at the Convocation. He has his own opinion on SUSTech: “Oxford has more resources for experimentation than SUSTech, but SUSTech is good, as its scientific equipment is very new. Oxford has been around for a long time, so it has many cultural traditions. SUSTech is a newly established university, so its innovation and its vitality can always bring different surprises to people.”

For the 2018 freshmen, Liu Lingyu gave two suggestions: “One is to remain modest, whether it is facing the teacher or classmates; a modest attitude will always give people a better impression. The second is to pay attention and communicate with our teachers. The professors have some resources and opportunities that are of great benefit to students. If you seize these opportunities, they will definitely benefit your university life.

“Keep exploring, challenge yourself.”

When talking about the Convocation, Executive Vice Dean of Zhiren College Bao Chuanwen said: “This Convocation was full of information and students ought to digest all the information they have received today. First, the Convocation was held in the newly-built stadium, marking a new stage of construction for SUSTech. Secondly, President Chen’s speech shows a rich and colorful university life with a deep perspective and has high hopes for the development of new students. From the perspective of the University, millennials can inject fresh blood into SUSTech and bring unlimited creativity.”

Although Executive Vice President Bao Chuanwen is a newcomer to SUSTech, he had an important message to students: “Through the understanding and innovative spirit of SUSTech, give yourself more challenges, constantly explore and try to get out of the comfort zone so you can create unlimited possibilities.”

“Plan properly and enjoy scientific research.”

Department of Physics Assistant Professor Shi Xingqiang said that undergraduate students have just stepped into SUSTech. This is a very important stage, especially to clearly understand their goals and the struggles associated with achieving their goals. They need to think about life planning. “I hope that in the new semester, they will be able to determine their own interests as soon as possible and find your own life goals.” After studying, he hoped that they would also “pay attention to self-management and their work-life balance.”

The curtain of university life has been drawn for these freshmen, and the wonderful life of SUSTech has opened up to the freshmen. I hope that the students will dream big and live in a beautiful and enjoyable four-year university life.