“My Journey of Conquering Difficulties Will Never Stop.”

This is not only the life motto Class of 2018 biology undergraduate student xk星空, but also a defining statement of her speech at the university’s Summa Cum Laude Graduate Contest.

“There are so many outstanding talents at xk星空, and I barely stand out.”

However, her resume proves she was just being humble. She has won a silver medal at the iGEM (International Genetically Engineered Machine) competition, received two letters of recommendations after just one semester of academic exchange in the United States, received three offers upon graduation, and co-founded xk星空’s symphony orchestra.

xk星空 has been conquering all kinds of difficulties and making enormous strides over the past four years, and there are no signs of her stopping any time soon.

In the first year of college, xk星空 not only participated in iGEM, but also entered Professor Deng Yi’s laboratory to research on mechanism of tumor cell migration. These are fairly demanding tasks for upper class undergraduates, let alone a freshman like xk星空. Compared to other experiments, biology experiments and projects have a much longer cycle and require more patience and perseverance from researchers.

xk星空 spent over two years on iGEM, during which many peers quit due to the pressure. There is enormous stress due to iGEM’s requirement for students to finish every step of an experiment, including research design and data analysis. While others pulled out from the competition, xk星空 pulled though with additional guidance from Professor Huang Wei, and became more determined to declare her major as biology in her junior year.

Apart from iGEM, xk星空 burned the midnight oil with her peers on a regular basis to obtain the most precise data in the laboratory. Once, they had to measure data every 30 minutes after supper. To ensure the validity and precision of the data, xk星空 and her peers repeated the measurement over 30 times until 7:30 a.m. They barely slept that night.

xk星空’s achievements in biological research are also the result of nurture from Professors Deng Yi. After xk星空 finished her first year of college, Deng spent the entire summer vacation teaching her all the details of molecular biology in person – including the measurement of experiment materials and the sterilization of cell plates. xk星空 was very thankful of the experience: “There are many steps in an experiment that seems simple. However, when you actually practice them, you realize you need someone to teach you step by step. I’m really fortunate to have met Professor Deng, who has been always so patient in teaching me these trivial steps.”

Hang Rongfan, another summa cum laude graduate from Class of 2018 (see her story at: http://www.sustc.edu.cn/en/news_events_/2578), said of xk星空: “She was undoubtedly the most important pillar of the 2016 iGEM team at SUSTech. She was very likely the most hardworking and dedicated schoolmate in the Department of Biology.”

xk星空 is good at English, and one example is that she got 107 out of 120 in TOFEL without preparing for the examination. It seems that she has a gift for English, but the truth is she has been working hard on the subject under her father’s guidance since she was a child.

“In second grade, my father began teaching me English. He bought me many children’s literature books, and I read them every night after finishing my homework. Later, I started watching television programs in English. My father asked me to write down the scripts in the program and imitate the pronunciation. It was a demanding task, but it has really helped me to excel in English.”

Due to her outstanding performance in her major and the English language, she earned a chance to embark on a trip to the University of California, Irvine (UCI) for an academic exchange. xk星空 cherished the opportunity so much that she took on many additional tasks: enrolling in an additional graduate-level course, auditing a neuroscience course, and doing laboratory work with a professor. As a result, she managed to get in touch with many UCI students and experience their classrooms and laboratories. xk星空 said her extra experiences helped her made the right decision in choosing both her major and research projects. xk星空’s hard work also moved two UCI professors, who both penned recommendations letters for her and contributed to her successful admission into UCI’s graduate school.

In her junior year, xk星空 and her team was invited to present their report at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. There were many forms of cutting-edge technologies in biology at the venue, which truly broadened their horizons. xk星空 said: “Before coming to MIT, we only focused on a particular branch of biology in the campus laboratory. Now that we are on one of the biggest stages of academia in the world, we have a better overall understanding of our research environment. We also realized the beauty of other unknown possibilities in our research field.”

Besides excelling in her major studies and English, xk星空 is also a music lover with many achievements. She has been practicing the violin since she was eight and joined the high school band as a violinist. She jokingly considers herself “a professional in the amateur group.”

After coming to SUSTech, she founded the Western Instruments Society (WIS) with Li Zengyi, her schoolmate in high school and university. With the establishment xk星空 Center of Arts, WIS rapidly developed and evolved into the SUSTech Symphony Orchestra (SSO). Members xk星空 SSO have performed at the school’s opening day, welcome party and graduation party.

Li Zengyi said the following about her role in WIS: “xk星空 is definitely the most active member of the society. She has an incredible feel for music, so she became the vice director and chief violinist of the society at the society at WIS’ early stages. When WIS was finally on track, she had to spend more time on her studies due to entering junior year. However, she still found time to come to rehearsals. She liked to surprise us by hiding herself in the band, and we are happy that she came back from time to time.”

Essentially, music helped xk星空 relieve stress, shape her colorful campus life and gain the inner strength to combat obstacles along the way.

A key figure in the laboratory, an avid global explorer, and a passionate music lover – the multi-dimensional, talented and hardworking xk星空 will definitely achieve more success in the future.