Xu Jiru:Shaped by Tsinghua

With short maroon hair, gentle voice and a bright smile, Xu Jiru makes everyone feel at ease. We met at Taoli Cafeteria and she arrived ten minutes early. Holding a cup of tea, she started to describe her story with Tsinghua University and Harvard.

A few months ago, Xu Jiru posted a diary entry on RenRen.com about her experiences as a Harvard exchange student. It received more than ten thousand clicks and was reposted more than one thousand times. Before attending Tsinghua, she was already well-known. Xu have several titles to her name: from Northeast Asia Champion of the UK Parliamentary debate to Number Six in the world's English Speech contest to Nanjing Youth Olympic Ambassador, her first thought when asked about these titles and her fame is her gratitude towards Tsinghua.

"Tsinghua is the one who shaped me. When I was in High School, the reason why I was accepted into Tsinghua might be due to my language abilities but it was Tsinghua who helped to realize my full potentials," Xu said. "Let me give you an example, I represented Tsinghua in the National and International Speech Contest. Professor Wu Xia from the Department of Foreign Language and Literature taught me what public speaking really is and that deep emotional resonance in the audience is the core appeal of public speaking. Tsinghua has taught me this."

Xu Jiru wrote in her diary entry that studying at Tsinghua was the right decision. In her opinion, the School of Law reflected her growth in many aspects: Dean Wang Zhenmin asked Xu to be his simultaneous translator and gave her the opportunity to attend academic conferences. Not only did she learn a lot about international exchanges from her Instructor Feng Xiang, she also learnt how to better withstand pressure from a new environment. Xu said: "At Harvard, Tsinghua's reputation gave me a lot of confidence."

During her time at Harvard, the Tsinghua spirit was always there. Xu's exposure and contact with many other International students made her realize that German students are very business-oriented, Swiss students are more free-spirited, Hong Kong students are like American students and that their education systems are more specific. Many of the students are exposed to a business climate at a young age which resulted in them being more matured in their thinking. Xu laughed and said, " It seems that Tsinghua is a lot more simpler. Tsinghua makes me feel like I'm always twenty."

(Contributor:Spotlight Group)