Here is the story of Cheng Huichi, a student of the Class of 2022 from Biotechnology and Food Engineering Program.

High school: Shenzhen Foreign Language School

Program: Biotechnology and Food Engineering

Awards:

GTIIT 3rd Class Chancellor's Scholarship (2020&2021)

GTIIT Dean's list (2020&2021)

Received offers from:

Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Biology

Wageningen University, Food Technology

University of York, Biotechnology

University of Sheffield, Molecular Medicine

Technical University of Denmark, Biotechnology

University of Ottawa, Microbiology and Immunology with research

Looking back at her university years, Cheng Huichi used to feel confused and struggling under pressure, catch up industriously to break through herself, and be satisfied with her success. If there is no special talent, just work hard with diligence. "When you want to be better, you will find your potential infinite," she said.

Run to the sun when you are in the dark

In the first year at GTIIT, Huichi experienced a period of confusion. "When I was a freshman, I didn't find the right way to study and adjust my mind well. I was under a lot of pressure at that time. I wanted to get good grades, but I didn't have the ability to stand the pressure. Things were in a mess."

"Recognize yourself, calm down, focus on the plan, and let the sense of achievement and frustration come from whether you have achieved your plan, rather than others' evaluation" is the first step for Huichi to turn around adversity.

"I keep a planner every year. I write down my plan for the day in the morning, force myself to stick to it strictly, and review my previous work at the end of the week or the month. This habit has helped me focus on my abilities and value, and reviewing them from time to time helps me understand myself and make a better plan for the future."

Execution and perseverance are the keys for Huichi to make the breakthrough. "At the beginning, I always made a lot of plans for myself. Even if I stayed up late, I had to finish them in one day. Gradually, I figured out how to manage my time so that I could balance schoolwork, research and other extracurricular activities. From a vicious cycle to a virtuous one, I stuck with it for two months. I got into the habit of completing my schedule on time, and living each day in a meaningful way."

In her sophomore year, her GPA was ten points higher than that of her freshman year, and she passed the IELTS test with a high score in one go, which gave Huichi the first taste of the benefits of planning. "During the epidemic, I was taking classes at home and trying to catch up, while preparing for the IELTS test at the same time. I only slept four or five hours a day in order to complete my tasks. When I found that my grades were improving every year and I gradually realized my dream of doing scientific research, I deeply felt that when a person wants to be better, his or her potential is infinite!"

Love leads the way, practice makes perfect

Her interest in biology since childhood made Huichi eager to study a related program in the university. "I am attracted by the world-class teaching and high-quality lab resources at GTIIT. The curriculum arrangement also makes me understand that to learn biology well, I need to not only broaden my knowledge, but also have the ability to use what I have learned. It's not enough to learn biology just by memorizing the textbooks."

Huichi said that the curriculum at GTIIT followed the current trend of scientific research. What she learned in class helped her understand relevant academic papers, and could be applied to her postgraduate interviews. "Introduction to Molecular Biotechnology was the first specialized course I learned, in which I found biomolecular interesting. It is the trend in biology around the world today, and there is a lot of interesting research going on."

Huichi (left three) with her research team

In the first semester of her junior year, Huichi joined Prof. Ka Yin Leung's lab of Environmental Molecular Microbiology and conducted a comparative study on the horizontal transfer efficiency of bacterial plasmids. "During the year in the lab, I learned a lot of experimental techniques in microbiology, and Prof. Leung gave me a lot of opportunities to practice. In the summer of 2021, we conducted a comparative study on the horizontal transfer efficiency of different species of bacteria. Throughout the process, Prof. Leung gave me great freedom from the experiment design, protocol writing, to experiment planning and data analysis. I experienced the whole process of scientific research and the effort behind it, and also understood the importance of teamwork. It made me more interested in scientific research and started to find my goal."

Live up to youth for the better future

According to Huichi, the real meaning of university is to make people grow up; while at GTIIT, she achieved her unexpected growth.

Speaking of her university life, Huichi summed it up with the word "enriched" without thinking. "My freshman and sophomore years' schoolwork filled up my week, and my holidays were spent preparing for language exams and internships. In my junior and senior years, besides studying, lab work began to take over my life. At first, I would complain about how hard it was for me to study, but when I found that I had learned a lot and the knowledge was really useful for my future development, I found the hard work was worthy."

In the steady learning process, Huichi gradually found her passion, and the research experience in GTIIT's lab made her more determined. "I've got in touch with a professor at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology and passed several interviews. He was very impressed with my ability and wanted me to pursue a master's degree there. His lab is about 'Transcription Factor Binding and the Regulation of Gene Expression'. I've received the offer and Technion will be my next destination!"

"Run to the sun" is the motto of Huichi

"Four years go by so fast. Try to stop procrastination and laziness. Once you know your goals, you need to make and implement your plan as soon as possible. It is better to keep your GPA above 85. Internship and language exams can be arranged during the holidays of freshman and sophomore year for applying for graduate school. In the junior year, if you want to pursue scientific research in the future, you can apply to the professor to accumulate experience." In her opinion, when it comes to university, grades are important, but it's more important to find out what you like and try to shine in it.

"Be more organized, more independent, more targeted and fuller of passion" are the goals that Huichi sets for herself. She also encourages the junior students to cherish their time and live up to their youth.

Huichi (right two) with her friends

Text: GTIIT News & Public Affairs

Photos: Cheng Huichi, GTIIT News & Public Affairs