05-26-2026
As a Huitong Class of 2026 graduate, Celestina Li received offers from Emory University, University of Hong Kong, Vassar College, UCL, University of Edinburgh, and multiple UC schools.
Back in Grade 7, she led her iGEM team to a Global Bronze Award - becoming the youngest team captain in the competition's history.
Before Huitong, she was a debate champion. But here, she started exploring genetic engineering, operating an atomic force microscope, and taking on iGEM - while still in middle school.
She was selected from over 1,300 applicants for the Tencent’s Aspiring Explorer in Science Programme (AXIS) and received a Research Potential Award. She competed in HiMCM for four years and took Huitong's Advanced Scholars courses.
But she never locked herself into STEM. She studied medieval literature, learned Latin, played Helena in A Midsummer Night's Dream, and sang lead in the jazz band. As a student teacher for Huitong Global History Project, she taught internet history to younger students. She also turned a 200-year-old family tree into a documentary that won Gold at the Hi World competition.
“My six years at Huitong taught me that the most meaningful growth happens when you stop trying to fit into preset boxes.”
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