Something about Xinying

When I was 15, I independently wrote a program in Visual Basic (VB) to mimic the game Whac-a-Mole. Like most digital natives, I liked playing video games; however, when I played my own game, the sense of accomplishment overwhelmed me. The feeling of transitioning from a player to a designer was fantastic, although the game was pretty preliminary. I continued to acquire VB programming skills while in high school. Each time I played computer games, I would investigate the ideas and logic behind the games from an insider perspective. This experience boosted my insights into computers and confirmed my decision to major in Computer Science and Engineering (CSE) at the Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech).

As a first-generation college student, I was shy and did not know what to expect at SUSTech. In the beginning, I experienced a rather bumpy start, and suffered in all aspects of college life—academically, socially, and emotionally. The majority of the courses at our university were taught in English, making it challenging to comprehend the materials quickly and accurately. Although my family has always supported my career and life, they can hardly provide constructive guidance due to their unfamiliarity with academia. Thus, to catch up, I spent most of my time on coursework and refused to socialize. Thanks to the weekly English Corner activities, the language help services, and all the warm-hearted seniors at the university, my situation gradually improved. In the Java Programming course, I implemented and presented a halma game as my course project. It was one of only 10 selected out of 150 projects and received positive feedback from professors and peers. That was a turning point for me, after which I became more outgoing, optimistic, and confident. I took great pride in any opportunity that came my way because I knew how hard I had worked to earn it.

Based on my own experiences, I am always ready to help under-supported students pursue their academic goals. I have been a teaching assistant (TA) for five semesters across four courses (more than 50 students involved in each class). I always strived to foster an inclusive environment to avoid stigmatizing any student in the class. For example, I set up groups for each class and conducted group discussions to intentionally notice and speak to students seated in the corner of the classroom. Some of our lab sections were not taught in English, and I translated the slides and demonstrated the content to international students. Besides this, I was proud to serve as the first female minister in three years at the student union, organizing activities to connect first-year students with seniors and charity events for underdeveloped rural areas. During COVID-19, I tutored medical workers’ children online, educating them on the history and potential of computers. Additionally, I served as a pen pal for 4 years in the Blue Envelope, an institution aiming to care for Left-behind Children. By helping others, I find myself better at standing in others’ shoes and solving problems.

In retrospect, my life at SUSTech has always been a challenging journey, but the challenges have made me a better person through persistence, hard work, and my passion for computer science. I want to apply my expertise and personal experiences to develop and support a warm, considerate, and just community wherever I go.

I am always on my way and never stop.