Today's story is about Candy, a founding student admitted to both Rice University, ranked 17th in the U.S. News National University Rankings, and University College London, ranked 9th in the QS World University Rankings.
When Candy first arrived at Huitong in seventh grade, she was still the quiet student who was afraid to speak English and would quietly hide in the classroom.
Looking back over these years, her biggest change has been from "worry" to "believing in herself." We have witnessed her, over the five years at Huitong, gaining a sense of achievement through various activities and opportunities, gradually opening up herself.
The first impression Candy gave might have been that of an introverted and focused student. Yet beneath her quiet and demure exterior, lay boundless energy.
Candy achieved level seven in painting, once winning a gold award in the IYAC International Youth Art Competition; and level ten in playing the guzheng, winning the first prize in the Youth Group A Guzheng project of the "Meiyu Cup" Shenzhen competition.
During her years at Huitong, she participated in various international competitions and won numerous awards—she was a member of the smallest team in the history of the International Genetically Engineered Machine Competition (iGEM) and together with her team, won a global bronze award. She also received a Distinction Prize in the John Locke Writing Competition.
Over the more than five years at Huitong, she gradually opened up herself and became someone with endless possibilities for the future.
“Through experimentation, slowly opening up oneself”
Upon graduating from sixth grade and transferring to Huitong from a public school, Candy admitted that she initially felt a bit out of place.
"I never considered myself a top student, but I would diligently complete the assignments given by teachers and prepare for every test. That was my definition of studying before coming to Huitong."
After arriving at Huitong, I discovered that true growth lies in stepping out of one's comfort zone with each step.
For Candy, the first step in stepping out of her comfort zone came from an eighth-grade field trip to the city, titled "Resident Artist at Huitong: Museum Design Thinking and Curation Course."
The teacher took us into a urban village for a research project, where we found a large population of elderly residents. Most of them had mobility issues and carried a small stool with them wherever they went. The community lacked proper play spaces for children, prompting us to ponder: What can we do for the people in this community?
Over the course of a month, Candy and her classmates, along with teachers, ventured into the Haichang community in Shenzhen. After conducting interviews and research, they identified the lack of public seating as a problem in the community. The students collected old chairs and materials, and engaged in redesigning and creating new seating solutions.
"Candy is very skilled at hands-on work. She always enjoyed creating things since she was young. However, in the past environment and evaluation system, as she progressed to higher grades, she had less time for it. Anything other than studying was considered a waste of time. This project made Candy feel right at home, giving her a great sense of achievement in classroom learning during middle school for the first time. Soon, Candy also noticed that this sense of achievement was spreading to all her subjects. 'I feel like I'm getting into the zone, and I'm no longer nervous.'"
"The teacher asked us to conduct interviews on the street. Initially, being rejected by strangers made us feel awkward, but we soon got over it." Through extensive interviews, surveys, and teamwork exercises, she gradually opened up.
In the project, Candy and her team members fully utilized their artistic creativity. She discovered that through her knowledge and skills, she could directly help those in need. In this process, she gained a deeper understanding of what it means to "design for people."
“The colorful Huitong classroom”
At Huitong, the diverse and colorful interdisciplinary classroom format opened a new world of academic exploration for Candy.
Here, Candy, who loves art, experienced various art forms such as handicrafts, sewing, weaving, painting, ceramics, printmaking, book alteration, and more. The rich and diverse art forms further ignited her passion for art and expanded her understanding of artistic diversity.
In a high-grade English class, the teacher combined poetry learning with art classes, having students create collages and other works. This learning method was refreshing for Candy as she no longer confined herself to a single subject but combined art with literature, gaining a greater sense of involvement and multidimensional cognition.
Through this learning approach, I found myself particularly interested in the combination of literature and art. In the past, I might have simply memorized poetry, but now I can express the emotions and imagery in poetry through visual art like collages, which has deepened my understanding of art and literature.
“Breaking free from her inherent labels”
Since elementary school, Candy has been learning to draw and has a passion for the guzheng (a Chinese musical instrument). Throughout, she has been seen as the quiet girl labeled as a "humanities student" by everyone.
However, during her five years of study at Huitong, Candy continuously experimented and explored different fields.
As the youngest team in the history of the international Bio-Genetic Engineering Competition iGEM, she and her team achieved the prestigious Global Bronze Award.
During this endeavor, we interviewed professionals and professors from the field and participated in rigorous biological experiments. I was delighted to use my design expertise to create a logo and webpage for our team.
This experience deepened my understanding in the field of biology and helped me discover another potential within myself.
She began to make more breakthroughs and attempts both on and off campus. She conducted a calligraphy workshop at Huitong, joined the dance club, co-founded the Huitong Student Volunteer Association with classmates, and became one of the curators at the Huitong Art Museum.
Through each attempt, she shattered her inherent labels and became the undefined version of herself.
“Exploring her passion in depth”
In 10th grade, Candy actively participated in a studio course offered by Professor Jia Jun at Renmin University of China - the John Locke Essay Competition workshop. She chose a topic from the field of psychology: Can happiness be measured?
At that time, Candy had not taken AP Psychology courses at school. However, with a solid foundation in writing laid down in grades 7-9, she quickly organized her research ideas: after a systematic literature review, she found several methods used in academia to measure happiness and categorized these different measurement methods.
After several revisions, the paper was submitted, made it to the shortlist of the John Locke Essay Competition, and received a Distinction award.
As her research delved deeper, Candy continued to maintain her passion for gender studies and applied the theoretical knowledge she acquired to the preservation of Nüshu, a unique writing system used by women in China.
At the time, Candy was participating with her classmates in the "China Great Wisdom" competition. This inspired them to organize an event promoting the preservation of Nüshu on their campus.
To prepare for this, Candy and her classmates organized a Nüshu workshop in the 8th grade. They delved into the history and writing rules of Nüshu, and using this system, they wrote a "coded message" on a blank fan as a letter to a friend, integrating this nearly extinct script into their lives in a fresh way.
I remember a younger student once excitedly telling me that she had just discovered this unique script created specifically for women, thanks to our workshop.
Watching her earnestly write in Nüshu, I suddenly realized that what we were doing was not just about imparting knowledge but also about opening a new window for these children, allowing them to see a broader world.
The Nüshu works created by the students were exhibited in the latest exhibition "You will never walk alone" at the Huitong Excellence Center Art Gallery, providing students of all grades with opportunities to learn and understand.
By showcasing this once secretive and exclusively female-used script in a graceful and illuminating manner, these works have brought greater attention and understanding to the hidden female perspectives and culture embedded in history.
“Becoming a Positive Force Influencing the World”
Huitong has always been committed to nurturing students who care about social issues and are willing to tackle challenges, empowering them to become positive forces influencing the world. Through her actions, Candy has gradually grown into a responsible and proactive student.
In the higher grades at Huitong, students have the opportunity to create their own clubs, focusing on subjects they want to explore in depth or engaging in activities they are passionate about.
Thus, in 11th grade, Candy and Coco founded the Huitong Student Volunteer Association, aiming to engage in meaningful activities during their free time.
Upon Swing's recommendation, they participated in a charity exhibition at the convention center. This exhibition brought many unexpected insights for Candy. They learned that there are many organizations and children in need of help right in our local communities.
The first visit to the welfare home left a deep impression on Candy and the association members:
"Actually, the first time we went there, we could feel that our classmates were quite nervous. Because we had seen videos and knew that their situation was quite severe. When we actually arrived there, we found that the environment was indeed quite closed off, with many windows sealed. The children were dressed in anti-wandering clothes, and we didn't know what their future would be like."
However, understanding the real situation of these "star children" motivated Candy and her classmates to genuinely want to do something for these children.
At the welfare home, Candy and her classmates utilized their individual strengths. Some students taught the children how to paint, while others were responsible for communicating and creating corresponding products for charity sales.
As we painted together with the members of our association and the children, each child showcased a unique creative style. Some adorned the paper with various colors, some drew buildings, and one little girl created two starry sky artworks. The children's innocent creativity deeply moved everyone in our association.
Thus, the students published informative articles on their public account to help more people understand these children. Offline, they transformed the children's creations into postcards, notebooks, bookmarks, and canvas bags. They conducted charity fundraising and sales at various on and off-campus events.
3000, 6000, 8000... They donated the funds raised from various charity activities to the welfare home, aiding in repairing bathroom doors, supporting children's rehabilitation, and constructing fences and pathways. These small gestures gradually improved the lives of the children at the welfare home.
Although I have always been a hardworking individual, my understanding of the significance of learning was somewhat vague in the past. It began to take shape at Huitong, and I hope to grow faster and help more people.
“To explore, to try, to create”
During this application season, Candy received offers of admission from top universities in the UK and the US, such as Rice University and University College London.
We believe that this stroke of luck is not a coincidence. Just as Swing, Candy's college counselor, shared in his recommendation letter:
"I have had the privilege of witnessing Candy's remarkable growth and transformation. Initially, she may have seemed like a quiet, introverted, and focused student. However, I quickly discovered that beneath her quiet exterior lies a student with depth and independent thinking.
Over her 5 years at Huitong, she has demonstrated outstanding academic abilities and unearthed her potential in this diverse and friendly environment, becoming a young woman who positively influences the world.
I believe she will continue to thrive in a university environment that values academic rigor, diversity, and community engagement, becoming a positive force in the community.
Currently holding acceptance letters from dream schools in the UK and US, Candy has yet to decide on her future path. However, she is full of anticipation for the future and believes in her unlimited potential.
Huitong firmly believes that no matter which university she ultimately chooses, she will carry with her the passion for exploring the world, constantly striving to try and create."
