Review on the Event of “You Can” | Embracing Change and Breaking Free from the Cocoon-Esther Hall

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Review on the Event of “You Can” | Embracing Change and Breaking Free from the Cocoon

Sources of information： Release date：2023-02-28 Number of readings：times

Event Photo of the 6th“You Can” Speech

As the scattered summer sunshine accompanies another graduation season, the stories of growth of the“Her Role Model” continue with the 6th annual“You Can” graduation speech event hosted by Esther Hall since 2017.

This year, the outstanding female graduates, including Liu Kaixin, Zhao Jiaqi, Yang Yuqian, Zhai Yuting, Tang Yijie, and Long Zhiru, shared their stories around the theme of“Embracing Change.”

Liu Kaixin: Ability for me means better shouldering of responsibility

She is a medical student. The sudden outbreak of the epidemic brought unexpected changes that disrupted her work and study. To prevent and control the epidemic, the number of medical volunteers called up for duty increased, and the difficulty of their work intensified. The home isolation caused by the aggravation of the epidemic also made her worry about whether the insufficient internship hours would affect her graduation. Despite the repeated changes and sudden emergencies, she regarded them as catalysts for her growth.

She said, “I am not alone.” Someone once told her, “Because I have this ability, I should go and do it.” The power of “HerRoleModel” is gentle and engraved in people’s hearts. From then on, her professional beliefs and sense of identity became even more firm. The best way to adapt to change is to dare to change. Whether it’s breaking free from the shackles or comfort zone of life, there will always be worries or fears about the unknown. We need to learn to coexist with them and use them as a driving force to promote self-improvement, so that we can continue to move forward on the path to excellence.

Zhao Jiaqi: Rebellion is My Way of Coexisting with Anxiety

She went from being too afraid to speak at a simulated United Nations conference to successfully being elected as the chairperson and guiding representatives in their speeches; from not being the top student in class to becoming the first student in the School of Business Management in recent years to be admitted to a 985 university through non-traditional channels; from being too scared to apply for exchange programs to earning an A-level rating in the Cambridge University Future Business Leaders Program.

Throughout her journey, she has been able to overcome all challenges. Instead of seeking stability, she prefers to actively seek out change and embrace the unknown with courage.

Was this process smooth sailing?

No, it wasn’t. She said that fear and anxiety often accompany the process of embracing the unknown and change. Over time, they became her“friends,” and provided her with a steady stream of motivation. When people around her were advising her not to waste her time, and when anxiety and fear were almost overwhelming her, she chose not to compromise. Because she knew that the end of change and the unknown often meant a better version of herself, and that she was not alone on this difficult path.

Yang Yuqian: Embracing Imperfection inYourself

She is known among her friends as an“all-around person”. She has published six academic articles in international journals, obtained the American Heart Association CPR certificate, won awards in calligraphy competitions, and even earned a certificate as a outdoor leader in Snow Leopard Association.

From academic research and study to extracurricular interests and public service activities, she seems to be the type of person who can excel in anything she sets her mind to, but she also holds herself to exceptionally high standards.

During outdoor activities, she discovered her imperfections and fears of death, avoidance of challenges, and a tendency to only think about herself in critical situations. This made her question if she was too selfish and cowardly.

In reality, the pursuit of perfection and the acceptance of imperfection can go hand in hand.“What is the best choice?” Perhaps the answer to this question is: when an opportunity arises, seize it carefully, and when you realize your imperfections, strive to make improvements.

Zhai Yuting: Going to the direction of the heart with clarity and determination

Theattitude of“let it rot” brought by ignorance and thethought of“lying flat” brought by confusion have never appeared in her. As early as her freshman year, she had set goals for herself, and after carefully analyzing her personal abilities and interests, she embarked on a path of continuous exploration and experimentation. With clear planning and clear refusal, she obtained a rare internship opportunity. Because the work lacked creativity and her abilities could not be improved, she decisively resigned after four hours and at the same time fought for a more suitable opportunity for herself. Because of this clarity, she always manages to find what she wants.

Some may ask her about the almost adventurous choices she makes,“Aren’t you afraid of regret?” To this, her answer is,“Not doing it will lead to more regret.”

Carrying a sense of responsibility, she moves forward with courage to take on challenges. This may be accompanied by the pain of transformation, but the joy of growth will never fade.

Tang Yijie: Growing up through “playing”

Ranked first in her major and admitted to the architecture program at Beijing Jiaotong University through early admission, she is a student member of ASLA, the American Society of Landscape Architects, and has multiple titles. She is recognized as a “straight-A student” by many people.

However, she says that she is a person who loves to play very much. Her curiosity about Suzhou gardens, Shanghai villas, Britishblocks, and Japanese temples has brought her rich experiences. She never separates learning from entertainment, which has become one of the reasons for her rapid growth.

In the face of the stereotype that “art majors graduate easily,” her first reaction is always, “Shouldn’t I demand more from myself?” She never thinks of herself as a talented player. The “love of playing” and “relaxation” displayed on the surface are backed by the determination of having seen “4 am at Shantou University” and “losing five pounds in three days.”

In fact, there are never so many people with extraordinary talent, and outstanding people always work hard to overcome obstacles.

Long Zhiru: Led by the lighthouse, the heart goes to the military camp

Due to her uncle being an outstanding soldier, she was deeply influenced by her family since she was a child, and a seed of joining the army gradually sprouted, broke through the soil, and sprouted. However, from a young age, various “authoritative” objections from relatives and friends made her constantly doubt herself, “What kind of soldier can a girl be?” She gradually became unable to express herself. Opportunities that came after she entered university constantly reignited the flame of joining the army in her heart, but under the “advice” of others, she gave in and compromised time and time again. When the new military service law was promulgated, and she hoped to reignite her hope, she resolutely chose to adhere to her ideals.

Everyone can have different colors, so why can’t she be a “camouflage blue”? Passion and ideals should never be extinguished in the ordinary reality, no matter how long it takes!

Students who are listening

Girls’ Feast

On the evening of May 21^st, following the6^thOutstanding Female Graduates Speech Contest of“You Can”,Esther Hall held a banquet themed“Growth and Change”. The elegant Waterside Library was brightly lit, with laughter and joy filling the air as teachers and students gathered together to share their stories of growth.

Dr. Luo Minjie, representative of the Li Ka Shing Foundation, shared her message:

Dr. Luo Minjie, representative of the Li Ka Shing Foundation

Time flies and the years slip away. After sharing her own experiences of studying, Dr. Luo hopes that her students can firmly grasp their youth, pursue their dreams, make the most of their time, constantly explore and advance towards their ideal direction, and not waste their youth in regret. At the same time, Dr. Luo also believes that one should never stop learning, even as they grow old. While wishing the graduates a bright future, she also hopes that students will maintain a lifelong learning mentality and continue to create brilliance.

Message from the Dean:

Esther Hall, Den Cai Yinghui

Since its establishment, Esther Hall has been committed to encouraging and promoting female college students to enhance their professional literacy, innovative consciousness, teamwork spirit, labor creation, and innovation ability through practical activities and explorations. This has effectively cultivated the practical abilities and social responsibility of female college students, and has nurtured many outstanding female college students with ideals, achievements, and responsibilities. The dean stated that each“You Can” session will be a far-reaching motivation for students, and hopes that after understanding these“Her Role Models”, students can also firmly and bravely pursue their dreams, constantly try, challenge themselves, embrace changes, and step by step break free like a butterfly emerging from its cocoon. At the same time, the dean also wishes all graduates to continue carrying their shining dreams into society, realizing their self-worth, and achieving a more brilliant life!

Outstanding Graduate Sharing

by Ma Wenying

After taking the college entrance exam, Wenying chose to major in English. She thought she would spend most of her time practicing listening, speaking, reading, and writing like most English majors. However, during her four years in college, she did not give up her other interests. Instead, fueled by her passion for non-monetary rewards, she founded her own public account and became the head of a national-level innovation project live broadcast team, among other achievements. The challenges brought by these new endeavors helped her acquire new skills and even secured her internships at Tencent and ByteDance. The dots planted in her youth have gradually connected into a line, even though it is still unclear where this line will bend in the future. There is no need to worry about an uncertain future because an unclear future means that your future has unlimited possibilities!

Yao Han

Yao Han believes that one should strive for their passion, but as she had not found her own passion, she decided to continue her studies in her junior year and gave herself three more years to learn, explore and search. Whether it was applying for graduate school, taking the national entrance exam or seeking employment, she tried them all. Despite knowing the possibility of failure, she did not give up, and instead continued to strive forward, embodying the courage to embrace change. Although there were many unknown difficulties in the process, she also gained different experiences and personal growth. Change may not be as scary as one imagines, and embracing change can make it clearer which path is most suitable for oneself.

Yang Zicheng

Looking back on the past four years, Zicheng’s transformation has been enormous. In the past, she was like a butterfly in a cocoon, building barriers around herself to protect herself and avoid getting close to others. But here, she met a group of people like“little suns” who constantly warmed her and made her start to trust and be curious about the outside world. She gradually began to believe in love and even started to warm others. Although her transformation was long and arduous, the results were gratifying. On the road of growth, everyone experiences helplessness at some point, but luckily there are always people around us who offer support and encouragement, helping us step by step towards transformation. Therefore, no matter how far we go, we must always hold onto love and gratitude.

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