Hanni始終在探索并培養(yǎng)的一個(gè)興趣是公眾演講。回想2021年夏季嘉年華，她曾意外地成為主持人，因準(zhǔn)備不足而倍感緊張。當(dāng)天表現(xiàn)雖不完美，但音樂老師卻給予了她鼓勵(lì)，并推薦她主持冬季盛典。受到鼓舞的Hanni持續(xù)練習(xí)，得以更加自信地在公眾前面表達(dá)自己。
“真正讓我印象深刻的是我得到的鼓勵(lì)，讓我走出自己的舒適區(qū)，讓我在公眾面前自如地表達(dá)自我。當(dāng)我意識(shí)到每一次在舞臺(tái)上演奏鋼琴、參加體育運(yùn)動(dòng)或領(lǐng)導(dǎo)同齡人的機(jī)會(huì)都有助于我的成長(zhǎng)，并使我成為一個(gè)更自信、更有‘彈性’的人時(shí)，我就感到無(wú)比自豪�！�
“回想起擔(dān)任學(xué)校游泳隊(duì)長(zhǎng)的那段時(shí)光，每當(dāng)我的隊(duì)友覺得無(wú)法再忍受疲勞的訓(xùn)練或比賽失利的失望時(shí)，我總是鼓勵(lì)他們，并且我會(huì)加倍努力地訓(xùn)練，以身作則，展示體育精神，激勵(lì)隊(duì)友們保持斗志�！�
很多人被問到關(guān)于向內(nèi)探索的問題時(shí)，會(huì)暫時(shí)陷入思考，而十七歲的Hanni在幾秒之內(nèi)給出了答案，顯然，她已經(jīng)在多次成為校園學(xué)生領(lǐng)袖的經(jīng)驗(yàn)中思考過這個(gè)問題。
“學(xué)校的多元文化環(huán)境塑造了我的開放思維和適應(yīng)能力。面對(duì)新事物，我會(huì)深究其背后的邏輯，而非直接拒絕，這種思維方式對(duì)于適應(yīng)日新月異的社會(huì)至關(guān)重要。多樣視角讓我們更全面地理解問題，尊重不同觀點(diǎn)不只是一種禮儀，更是智力成長(zhǎng)的重要途徑�！�
另一方面，Hanni其實(shí)從很早開始就已明確了自身的專業(yè)方向，在許多同齡人尚處于迷茫的狀態(tài)，沒有確定專業(yè)的時(shí)候，她就已經(jīng)進(jìn)入經(jīng)濟(jì)與商業(yè)的定向?qū)W習(xí)中。
商業(yè)因?yàn)樗c現(xiàn)實(shí)世界問題的聯(lián)系也同樣引起了Hanni的關(guān)注。她對(duì)商業(yè)的興趣最初是由家族企業(yè)激發(fā)的——建立企業(yè)不僅僅是為了創(chuàng)造收入和利潤(rùn)，更是為了對(duì)社會(huì)做出貢獻(xiàn)。
“我的生活態(tài)度不是在幾天之內(nèi)養(yǎng)成的。我相信這與我的童年和家庭教育有很大的關(guān)系。在競(jìng)爭(zhēng)激烈的教育體系中長(zhǎng)大，我無(wú)比感激父母為我提供廣闊的探索空間。他們鼓勵(lì)我嘗試與失敗，去體驗(yàn)世界，并始終保持積極的心態(tài)，這是他們對(duì)我最為殷切的期望�！�
“回憶童年，大多數(shù)時(shí)候我并不在輔導(dǎo)中心補(bǔ)課，而是在進(jìn)行沖浪和徒步旅行這樣的戶外活動(dòng)。就像我對(duì)音樂的純粹欣賞一樣，我還可以嘗試書法，而不必?fù)?dān)心我是否能在那些領(lǐng)域獲獎(jiǎng)。這讓我成為了一個(gè)有上進(jìn)心的人，會(huì)不斷地去發(fā)現(xiàn)和挑戰(zhàn)不同的領(lǐng)域，這也是我對(duì)學(xué)術(shù)長(zhǎng)期堅(jiān)持的理由，從學(xué)習(xí)中挖掘樂趣對(duì)我來(lái)說(shuō)并不困難�！�
Hanni無(wú)數(shù)次將答案落在“幸運(yùn)”。她從細(xì)節(jié)中感受外界的一切，記得每一份善意，并加以回饋，她對(duì)自己有著很清晰的認(rèn)知。
確實(shí)，這樣的經(jīng)歷可能需要一些運(yùn)氣。但我們知道，“幸運(yùn)”或許是每一個(gè)樂觀且努力的孩子在回想自己心路歷程時(shí)都會(huì)用到的謙辭，因?yàn)楹芏嗍虑榻^不止是運(yùn)氣而已，她所付出的努力已超過了所謂的“運(yùn)氣”。
我們也相信來(lái)日于Hanni而言遠(yuǎn)不止于此。音樂、學(xué)習(xí)、運(yùn)動(dòng)、遠(yuǎn)行……被一個(gè)個(gè)微小目標(biāo)與細(xì)節(jié)填滿的，是由她自己掌舵的，那剛剛啟航的理想人生。
我很高興在過去的兩年里能夠見證你的成長(zhǎng)歷程，這也是所有教育工作者的快樂與驕傲。我希望你在碩果累累的畢業(yè)季也能夠花時(shí)間為自己慶祝，不僅是為你收獲的優(yōu)異錄取成果，也是為自己一路走來(lái)的不易。
在你接下來(lái)的人生旅途里，你或許還會(huì)感受在大學(xué)圖書館里趕due的凌晨，或是在異國(guó)他鄉(xiāng)飄雪街頭走過的孤獨(dú)，就如高中生涯一樣，我和其他的老師們不能代替你成長(zhǎng)，但是能陪伴你走過這一段成長(zhǎng)的路，能在你的黑暗時(shí)分為你提一盞燈，而未來(lái)你自己的光芒已經(jīng)足夠?yàn)槟阏樟燎奥贰?/b>我相信在大學(xué)階段，無(wú)論是繼續(xù)深耕你的商業(yè)理解，還是擁抱不期而遇的轉(zhuǎn)折，你在高中積累的綜合素養(yǎng)與能力都會(huì)是你一往無(wú)前的助力。
最后，我對(duì)你的期望是無(wú)畏地去迎接人生的無(wú)限可能，愿你保持對(duì)學(xué)術(shù)上下而求索的熱忱，也愿你擁有自由不受禁錮的思維，希望你記得現(xiàn)在身邊的伙伴，是他們和你一起從青澀到成年，以及包括我在內(nèi)永遠(yuǎn)愿意為你指引方向的老師，你還有無(wú)條件愛你的父母，身前有燈塔，身邊有同伴，身后有后盾，請(qǐng)放心地去追逐你的夢(mèng)想！
我非常榮幸能成為你的經(jīng)濟(jì)學(xué)老師，做老師最幸福的時(shí)刻，就是看到每位學(xué)生把學(xué)習(xí)融入了自己的生活。不管是課堂內(nèi)還是課后，你都愿意與我分享最近看的新書，新的財(cái)經(jīng)類視頻，亦或是一部電視劇大背景中的證券市場(chǎng)細(xì)節(jié)，并分享自己的所感所悟，以及提出一些疑問。教學(xué)相長(zhǎng)，這就是當(dāng)老師的幸福時(shí)刻。
現(xiàn)在，你即將踏上前往美國(guó)的求學(xué)之旅，這條路將會(huì)充滿挑戰(zhàn)，但我深信，你的廣博閱讀、堅(jiān)實(shí)的學(xué)習(xí)基礎(chǔ)以及與人為善的品格將是你最閃亮的明燈。它們將指引你，在異國(guó)他鄉(xiāng)的校園里，找到自己的定位，與來(lái)自世界各地的伙伴們交流切磋，共同進(jìn)步。兼容并包的胸懷讓你理解世間萬(wàn)象，良好的學(xué)習(xí)習(xí)慣是你砥礪前行的動(dòng)力，而你的善良和熱情將是打開任何一扇門的鑰匙。未來(lái)的路上，無(wú)論遇到什么風(fēng)浪，請(qǐng)記得，每一步的跌跌撞撞都是成長(zhǎng)的印記。
愿你在美國(guó)繼續(xù)書寫精彩篇章，不忘初心，繼續(xù)追求夢(mèng)想。無(wú)論何時(shí)何地，不變的是那顆熱愛學(xué)習(xí)、渴望知識(shí)的心。在那遙遠(yuǎn)的地方，愿你保持好奇，持續(xù)發(fā)現(xiàn)，讓自己的世界更加豐富多彩。祝福你，未來(lái)可期。相信自己，你一定能夠在人生的道路上，創(chuàng)造出屬于自己的輝煌！
Meet 2024 graduating pupil Hanni 
A free-spirited adventurer or a thorough thinker? Can these seemingly conflicting traits be found in one individual?
After Hanni received her twelfth offer, we once again looked back at her growth over the years. Hanni, a soon-to-be university student heading to the United States, is someone who has navigated these two identities perfectly.
If she were to be labelled, Hanni would prefer to be known as an adventurer rather than a top student.
"Wellington College Hangzhou has inspired me to become a curious adventurer, with a zest for life and eagerness for knowledge. Having an open mind towards infinite possibilities is the belief that propels me to move forward."
Returning from a successful adventure, you will find in retrospect that her every step laid a foundation for her victory.
When Hanni first started at WCCH
As one of the founding pupils of the Wellington College Hangzhou, Hanni cherishes every moment that helped her to grow. She holds herself to high standards. Even after achieving a TOEFL score of 110 and 8 A*s in IGCSE, she maintains her curiosity about everything and proactively participates in various competitions, cross-disciplinary activities, school activities, and student council, instilling her unique energy in the school community.
Being an articulate pupil, Hanni loves to share her insight fluently and smoothly on every topic raised. However, she sees herself as an INFJ with a ‘social phobia’ and other anxieties. Nevertheless, she always finds a way to overcome them with calm and positivity.
Despite her ‘social phobia’, she warmly welcomes and gives feedback to all exchanges of ideas, and she is attentive to others. This is how she operates at Wellington College Hangzhou, so for us, she is a gentle, caring, and empathetic soul. Over these six years, she has served as swimming captain, music ambassador, and Head of College, taken on various responsibilities, received an academic scholarship, and conducted a one-to-one campus tour for the Pro-Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge. In various school events, she has fully demonstrated what it entails to be a pupil leader.
Hanni gave Professor Cardwell,
Pro Vice-Chancellor of Cambridge,
a tour of our campus
One interest Hanni has always explored and cultivated is public speaking. Thinking back to the 2021 Summer Carnival, she became an unexpected host and felt nervous because of the lack of preparation. Although her performance was not perfect that day, her music teacher was encouraging and recommended her to host the winter festival. Feeling inspired, Hanni continued to practice and became more confident in expressing herself in public.
“What truly impressed me was the encouragement I received, which allowed me to step out of my comfort zone and express myself freely in public. I felt extremely proud to have realised that every opportunity to play the piano on stage, participate in sports, or lead my peers contributed to my growth and increased my confidence and resilience.”
This girl is well-versed in the rules of the world and is always willing to step beyond her own boundaries. She has obtained strength from the world and hopes that she can use such strength to empower more people.
"Looking back on my time as the swimming captain, whenever my teammates felt that the fatigue of training was overbearing or felt discouraged from losing a fixture, I always encouraged them and redoubled my efforts in training. I led by example, demonstrating sportsmanship and inspiring my teammates to maintain their morale."
"How have you become your remarkable self of today?"
Many would pause when asked to introspect, but the seventeen-year-old Hanni delivered her answer within a few seconds. She must have contemplated this question through her experiences as a pupil leader.
"Our dynamic school environment has shaped me into an inclusive and adaptable person. I delve into the logic behind new things rather than rejecting them outright. Such a way of thinking is crucial for adapting to an ever-changing society. Diverse perspectives allow us to understand the world more comprehensively because respecting different viewpoints is essential for intellectual growth as well as a matter of etiquette."
Leadership, peer influence, and community impact - the attributes that university admissions officers are looking for have been fully demonstrated by Hanni with the support of Wellington College Hangzhou.
Hanni has had a clear plan for her university course from an early stage. While many of her peers were a bit lost as to course selection, Hanni had already embarked on a focused study in economics and business.
She noted that economics is a discipline with vast dimensions, extending beyond the mere concepts of supply and demand to serve as a tool that spans multiple fields. She finds immense joy in data exploration and analysis and is keen on gaining a deeper comprehension of the economic dynamics in the complex global economy.
Hanni is also interested in business because of its tangible link to the real world. Her fascination with commerce was first ignited by her family's business, knowing that founding a company is not merely about financial gain but also about making a meaningful contribution to society.
"I genuinely want to improve the world we live in."
This aspiration has endowed Hanni with a perspective that transcends her years.
What also impressed us was Hanni's application essay.
While many might boast about their own accolades or tailor their writings to meet the demands of the university and course they're applying to, Hanni took a different approach. She began with a recount of a disheartening experience at a school piano competition, softly delivering her insights and understanding of failure, and eloquently narrating her life philosophy.
"The outlook on life I carry was not shaped in a day. It's deeply rooted in my upbringing and the nurturing I received at home. Raised in a cutthroat educational system, I am immensely thankful to my parents for allowing me to explore extensively. They have encouraged me to venture and falter, to explore the world, and to be always positive. This has been what they want to see in me."
"Looking back on my childhood years, I was often out surfing or hiking rather than attending training institutions. Much like my unadulterated love for music, I was free to practice the art of calligraphy, unburdened by the pressure to claim accolades in these domains. This has cultivated in me an enterprising spirit, always on the quest to explore new horizons and push the boundaries of my abilities. Such a spirit is the cornerstone of mydedication to academic pursuits; for me, unearthing the joy in study has always come naturally."
As part of WCCH's first graduating class, what message would you like to leave for current and future students at our campus?
Decide your major earlier, so you have more time to prepare. Your personal statement can be more detailed and demonstrate your enthusiasm for this field.
Be brave, do not be afraid to receive a rejection. You might regret not giving it a try.
Encourage everyone to communicate with senior pupils, so that they can understand the school better.
As the interview drew to a close, we thought of one more question:
"Do you consider yourself as lucky?"
"In terms of my family, I've been graced with fortune, and I'm deeply thankful to my mum and dad."
"I am not sure whether it is my own aura or sheer luck, I can't think of any individuals or incidents that saddens me particularly. That must qualify as being blessed."
"I think I have a knack for convincing and comforting myself, always seeking the silver lining."
Time and again, Hanni concluded her answer with the notion of luck. She feels the pulse of the world through details, cherishing every gesture of goodwill and giving back in kind. She possesses a keen self-awareness.
Indeed, such a journey might just be a stroke of fortune. Yet, luck is often a modest phrase used by every optimistic and industrious soul when looking back on their path, it's clear that it's about more than just luck.
We're also convinced that what Hanni stretches for is far beyond this. Music, academia, athletics, voyages... her life is filled with small goals and details, all navigated by her capable hands.
Time has taken away this young girl's innocence, but left the core values of Wellington deeply rooted in Hanni's heart - "Kindness, Responsibility, Respect, Courage and Integrity". The six years of campus life in Hangzhou has been a wonderful prelude to her career as a global citizen. We believe that these core values will accompany her to excel herself and move forward in the wider world.
To date, Hanni has received 12 offers from world-renowned universities, including the University of Melbourne, the University of Sydney, and Boston University. She is still waiting for admission news from other top universities, we look forward to more good news for her.
Sherley Zhao
Lead University Counsellor
Dear Hanni,
I am thrilled to have witnessed your growth over the past two years, to the joy and pride of all educators. I hope that during this graduation, you will also take time to celebrate yourself, not only for the excellent admission results you have achieved but also for the difficulties you have overcome along the way.
Despite having an absolutely outstanding academic performance, you are not just the stereotypical "good student". You possess not only a curiosity for scholarship but also a rich inner world, a tenacious spirit, a love for the art of living, concern for the community and a sense of social responsibility – these are the highlights I see in you. During the past you struggled with exhaustion from academic exams and language scores, in those nights and weekends when we brainstormed online and revised your essays over and over again, what I saw was the more mature and determined you that would emerge from these experiences. I look forward to seeing you shine in your chosen field.
In the next phase of your life journey, you may still experience the early hours in a college library rushing for deadlines, or the loneliness while walking through snowy streets in a foreign land. Just like your high school days, your other teachers and I cannot grow for you, but we can accompany you on this part of your growth journey, to light a lamp for you in your dark hours; and in the future, your own light will be sufficient to illuminate your path ahead. I believe that in college, whether you continue to deepen your understanding of business or embrace unexpected twists and turns, the comprehensive qualities and abilities you have accumulated in high school will be the force that propels you forward.
To conclude, my hope for you is to fearlessly meet the infinite possibilities of life. May you maintain your passion for seeking knowledge, and may you have the freedom of unconfined thought. I hope you remember your companions now, as you have all grown together from adolescence to adulthood, and include teachers like me who are always willing to guide you. You also have parents who love you unconditionally. With a lighthouse ahead, companions on the side, and support behind you, please pursue your dreams with confidence!
Dear Hanni, happy graduation!
Chloe Zhang
Economics and Business Teacher
Dear Hanni,
I am truly honoured to be your economics teacher. There's no greater joy for an educator than witnessing pupils weave learning into the fabric of their lives. Whether it's in the classroom or beyond, you've always been eager to share with me your latest reads, intriguing financial videos, or the nuances of the stock market depicted in a TV series, along with your reflections and questions. This mutually complementing teaching and learning is the epitome of a teacher's bliss.
As we bid farewell, I want to let you know that your graduation is more than a finale; it's the dawn of a new chapter in your life and a fresh voyage of learning. Reflecting on the past, you've been such a good learner for diving into the abstruse financial theories and a substantial reading list, all of which have served as the nutrients that have fed your intellectual growth. You've approached every course assignment with diligence, be it An Analysis of The Social Costs and Benefits of The Asian Games In Hangzhou, A Contrastive Study of the Social Development of India And Japan, A Look Into the Types of Unemployment and Policy Measures, or A Study of the Causes and Impacts of Trade Deficits. You’ve delved into the minutiae of learning wholeheartedly, and your warmth and generosity towards your peers have won you friendships and respect.
Now, as you prepare to set sail for your academic pursuits in the United States, the journey ahead is bound to be challenging. However, I have no doubt that your voracious appetite for books, solid academic foundation, and kind nature will light up your path. These attributes will serve as your beacon, guiding you to find your place in a new environment, to engage in fruitful exchanges with peers from across the globe, and to grow together. Your open-mindedness will enable you to embrace the world's diversity, your exemplary study habits will propel you forward, and your kindness and enthusiasm will unlock many doors for you. On the journey that lies ahead, no matter what the challenges are, remember that every stumble is a badge of growth.
I wish you continued success as you pen new tales of achievement in the United States, staying true to your roots and relentlessly chasing your dreams. Wherever life takes you, may your passion for learning and thirst for knowledge remain unquenched. In that faraway land, may you remain inquisitive, keep discovering, and enrich your life with new experiences. Cheers to you, for a promising future. Believe in yourself, for you hold the key to crafting a bright chapter of your own.
