Learning is far beyond classroom teaching and is intrinsic to our lives. The series of “Versatile XieHe” report aims to help discover a diverse life in school education from different perspectives. “Whilst Mr. East and Ms. West move one step towards each other, the gap between the two will be getting even smaller, and I believe they will finally meet up.” Sticking to the value that “unity in diversity, innovation through collaboration”, XieHe is always dedicated to cultivate world citizenship with a great open vision, where east meets west. In Wanyuan, lives are enriched with colorful and versatile elements, which provide huge enrichment to academic achievements.
The story of SUIS and I started with a coincidence. I was a lazy person who did not like to meet challenges. Therefore, I never predicted that I would decide to go abroad one day. It all started with a conversation; I met a neighbor in the elevator who mentioned the school selection issue for further education; which is the first time I had ever heard about S.U.I.S. He said the school was a unique and famous bilingual school in Shanghai. I still remember the words he said before he left: “If you have not decided which school you will attend, you can go and take a test to give yourself more opportunities.” In this way, I attended the SUIS placement test. The test day arrived: after completing the test, I came out of the examination room, then I passed the pavilion garden, next I stopped at the open canteen, and finally stood on the field. Standing there and watching the greenery surrounded me, I felt vaguely satisfied. At that moment, SUIS caught my heart with its magical power. There was a word that came to my mind: this is the place I am looking for. From then on, I became a SUISer.After receiving the offer letter from Chapman University, many people asked me what I liked the most about my high school in these years. My answer is very simple – like its name, it has made me find many beautiful people and things in a very “harmonious” campus atmosphere. My middle school time is an essential part of my study life. There are many activities in my middle school, such as monthly themed learning and weekly extended courses. In my three years of middle school, I experienced rigorous teaching, rich activities, amiable teachers and friendly classmates, which helped me to grow as a person; I have infinite and beautiful memories of it. My class is the best class. Therefore, after three years studying in SUIS, I had a strong sense of belonging.My middle school experience was so profound that I chose to continue studying in the high school program at SUIS Wanyuan without choosing to apply to other schools. Now I think it’s the right decision. The teaching mode in SUIS High school is: Classified Classes Teaching, selecting courses and accumulating credits. The courses are taught by foreign teachers except Chinese language course. It is very helpful for me to understand international culture and adapt to international teaching in advance. The learning in middle school is mainly to increase knowledge and skills. Based on these skills, high school has added essay writing, debate and group cooperation, which further cultivate my critical thinking ability and emotional values. Every research project has benefited me greatly. The most important thing for me is that I become confident and generous. When I first entered SUIS, I was a shy and timid little girl. Now, as one of the representatives of the school, I have enough confidence to face the parents and the future students who visit school on the school open house day. I am excited to show them how the school has helped students like me to achieve their dream in the past seven years.I have the pleasure of having Vanessa in class during her final year of high school after having taught her two years ago in grade 10. It’s amazing to see the progress she has made both academically and socially, blossoming into such a sincere and dependable student. This year I have her in my AP Psychology, which is quite a rigorous course. However, Vanessa is no stranger to hard work, so I am very pleased with how well she is handling the challenge. I don’t doubt that she will face her post-graduation challenges just as well, and I look forward to hearing about her future success!For me, the most significant impact of SUIS was that it allowed me to discover my talents and dreams. A video assignment in 9th grade thoroughly changed the steps of my life. Before that, I did not have anything to pursue in the past. Nevertheless, I suddenly became so passionate and enthalled at the first time I experienced film production. I stayed up for two whole nights for that project, trying to finish the advertisement video perfectly. SUIS is a diversified school, with many courses not offered in other schools. To find out if that passionate was just an impulse or not, I selected the film course at 10th grade, which strengthened my belief. After one and another video assignment, I gained valuable and insightful experiences and improved my skills step by step. Last year, I finished a music video project in drama class, and the film teacher, Mr Goodman, chose to upload it for an online film competition called S2F2. Because of this opportunity, I was lucky enough to get fourth place. It was not very high, but it was the first ward I received in filmmaking. From that moment on, I finally had a permanent goal in my life.When choosing a college, I mainly considered the ranking of the major instead of the university ranking. Film production is an art major that is not very popular in United States. Although rankings are important when deciding a school, I don’t think they were the only reference. Due to various considerations, I finally spent my only ED opportunity on another university—-Chapman University. Chapman University is not a very popular school, but the film production major is one of the absolute choices for any student who wants to specialize in film. The Dodge College of Film and Media Arts in this university ranks among the top in United States and also the world. It gathers plentiful talented film major students globally. Also, Chapman University has an extremely open, non-commercial, caring community. Just as the similar aspect of SUIS, Chapman showed me a sense of belonging. Sitting in bed, I can imagine from morning to night where I should be and I enjoying thinking about my future, which seems like a beam of sunlight.
Under the guidance of my teachers, the support of my family, and my personal efforts, I received the admission letter as I wished. The dream finally came true. This made me understand a principle: if you want to apply for your ideal school, you need to recognize your needs, make your own plan, clarify your goals, have faith, and directly strive for it. In addition, remember to treat the whole application process with a calm mind and believe that all the good things will come to you.In my opinion, having a big dream is a very beatific thing. It appears as a distant destination for your life and can foster you to stop wandering, and start running. I am so fortunate to meet my dream at the right age;it is what most of the people expect to happen. So, I will carry this hope, and rush towards my future.