I turned on the lights, while others were sitting still. Heavy smog lingered outside the window, and the classroom’s dimness had made everyone’s eyes increasingly uncomfortable. Standing at the podium of Xinxin primary school, an underprivileged school in rural Beijing, I had complicated feelings about both the eagerness of my students to learn and their unawareness of Xinxin’s lack of protection against air pollution. During late nights at home preparing for lessons beside expensive air purifiers, I...

As 17-year-old Chinese citizen, I never thought US history would influence me such deeply. It opened up my mind like nothing else, changing me from a blind believer into a doubter and an independent thinker. How hard Americans fought for principles such as “No taxation without representative” “a law is legitimate only if the enactor is chosen by the people” pushed me into questioning whether the operational structure of my environment was reasonable. As a leader of our student council,...

My schools have little to no protection against air pollution. Jiaxuan and I, as leaders of our school’s Green Club, decided to take necessary actions to protect ourselves from Beijing’s air pollution. We came up with the idea of developing our own inexpensive, yet effective air purifiers. Using an air quality tester, we compared performances of models with different structures and materials, ranging from anti-carbon to HEPA filters. However, each model looked different, but all worked basically the...

Waking up the next morning, I felt like the whole ceiling was spinning, head aching and gastric juice tumbling. The colorful nothingness of the digital world I indulge myself in every night still burns in my retina. Addicted to internet, I felt helpless and shameful. I wanted to ask for help but was afraid of disappointing others. My schoolmates and teachers expected the best of me, and my parents placed their dreams in my future. The wall made of my...

Savoring crisp and juicy roast ducks, my friends couldn’t help but stare awkwardly at the vege burrito in my dish. Laughing, I calmly praised the supple texture of my burrito while mentioning the greenhouse effects caused by stock bearing. Over the years, I have learnt to deal with alienations caused by my two differences: my diet and my sexuality. Raised in China where people believe that “being different” is shameful, I struggled a long way to reclaim my identity....

Summer 2021, I graduated from the best STEM university program in the world. Packing up a custom plastic prototype of my contaminant separation system into the protective case, I arrived at my heavily polluted hometown in Hebei. With no time to lose, I immediately went to each local factory, introducing my well-engineered, mass-producible product. But I was ruthlessly rejected by every one of them. Their reasons left me speechless: Local governments seeking maximum economic profit have tolerated industrial pollution; therefore, an...

“There are tough professors and then there is Irfan.“ This was the first thing I saw, when I searched on Ratemyprofessor.com for professor Nooruddin, a political science professor whom I was selected by to conduct research within the Pioneer Program. I held my breath and read on. “Only take this class if it's your ONLY class and you are willing to read 100+ pages a night. You can't skim, you have to KNOW the material because every day he literally...

Actively participant in LGBTQ activities, I happened to come across the heartbreaking hardships of HIV carriers. Later I launched an anti-AIDS discrimination campaign wishing to make a difference. I and several like-minds made a mini-documentary in which we asked passersby on the street to touch a card, which was dipped on fake blood but claimed to be blood from HIV carriers. We also interviewed HIV carriers and experts to provide unbiased and accurate information to counteract prejudice. The video was...

The University of Michigan’s Ross school of Business offers me what no other college can. Ross not only offers a cost-effective, high quality education but also provides strong alumni network in China. Happened to attend a #ROSSTALKS on the topic of “Value Chain Climbing by Emerging Market Firms” in Shanghai，I was amazed by the closely knitted Umich alumni network and great learning and job opportunities thus derived. Believed in my own lifelong commitment to learning, I love that...

In a triangle there are three sides a,b and c then there must be a^2+ b^2=c^2 The formula is true regardless of what it surrounding is. I always believed that math is an eternal truth—a truth independent of space-time. Math is my soul mate. Skilled at math in China meant smart. I was sure about math; I was more sure about me. But that Gaussian Curvature changed everything. On a Gaussian Curvature, a^2+b^2≠c^2. In fact,...

I never set gender on my social media. Yes, I am never considered too ladylike. My plain locker contains only a calculator, an umbrella, a laptop and several textbooks. No makeups. No stickers or posters. Apart from keeping myself neat and clean, I put little attention on my own appearance. Short hair saves time. Simple t-shirts and jeans look perfect on “dress-up days“ and weekends. Minimalism and practicality ruled my life. The typical traits of my gender rarely shows. But...

Meat disappeared from my dishes at age thirteen. My researches on industrial agriculture‘s inputs and outputs industrial and stories of unethically raised chickens propelled me to become the first vegetarian in my family. Soon they realized they were wrong. Every day after school, I began to prepare my own vegetarian meals with my clumsy cooking skills. They thought vegetarianism was against human nature and would harm my health. To make my parents accept me, I tried to correct their...

Beijing No. 4 High School (BHSF) has participated in China’s rise and fall with its eternal commitment to freedom and democracy. From shedding blood to resist imposed Japanese classes to confronting tanks in Tiananmen Square, BHSF students have always been on the front lines of political activism. Unlike most schools in China, BHSF fosters student autonomy by allowing them to pursue whatever interests they choose and freely express opinions; petitions and protests happen almost daily at BHSF. Taking a leading...