Graduates | 叶佩佳：无痛苦，不改变；无改变，不受益
2023年，广东以色列理工学院迎来了第三届本科毕业生。他们心怀远大梦想、扎根祖国大地、叩问知识思想、勇攀人生高峰，以奋斗之姿书写一个个“有志者”的故事，从广以走向更辽远的广阔天地。广东以色列理工学院2023届本科毕业生系列采访将带大家走进广以学子，一同放飞青春梦想。
叶佩佳 YE Peijia
毕业高中：佛山一中
本科专业：生物技术与食品工程
录取院校：瓦赫宁根大学、威斯康星大学、乔治城大学、伦敦大学学院、约翰斯·霍普金斯大学、纽约大学、卡内基·梅隆大学、新加坡国立大学、曼彻斯特大学、昆士兰大学
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Embracing Meaningful Endeavors:
Finding Joy in the Face of Hardship
“如果这件事有意义，
再辛苦我也会做得很开心！”
四年前，叶佩佳希望能在大学自由探索最适合自己的学习方法，未来有机会出国深造。以色列的“虎刺怕”精神与广以鼓励学生主动思考、敢于提问的教育理念打动了她，以色列理工学院本部的国际影响力更为她的选择加上一道保险。她对自己信心满满：“我听说在广以学习充满挑战，这让我觉得很兴奋——因为能学到硬核的知识和技能。”
食品微生物实验结课仪式：一起品尝老师们酿的葡萄酒
在广以，叶佩佳迎来的第一道难关是物理课和工程课。“高中一直摸不到理综考试的窍门。”来到广以后，她曾非常担心自己在相关课程中的表现。Silvia Behar Harpaz老师的力学物理和Pinchas Shlomai老师的流体力学课成为她的突破口。“Silvia和Pini（老师昵称）讲课讲得太好了！物理和工程是‘失之毫厘、差之千里’的科目，不能有任何错漏。而他们不仅能将概念和原理深入浅出地讲得清晰易懂，并且能像一台精密的仪器，每步推导和计算、每个模型都准确地娓娓道来，跟着他们学习极其高效，我特别崇拜他们！”此外，Pini对业界也很了解，会结合实际案例帮助学生理解公式，深受BFE学子欢迎。
“虽然工程课难度不小，但我发现自己能彻彻底底学明白后特别喜欢、很有成就感——我是非常看重意义的人，如果这件事有意义，再辛苦我也会做得很开心！”
跳舞、游泳和摄影是佩佳的兴趣爱好
广以的课程帮佩佳打好了理论基础，实践方面也让她获益良多。“我很喜欢Efrat Barak老师教授的Molecular Biotechnology。我在华大基因实习，进行生物信息分析工作时立刻就用上了这门课的知识。和同学们讨论，发现他们的暑期科研项目大多也用到了这门课的内容，真是非常实用和及时！”
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Initiative: Where Changes Begin
主动才有故事
敢想敢做的“虎刺怕”精神在佩佳心中生根发芽，激励她不放过每一个机会，以行动追求真知，积累一个个“主动”的果实。从高中起，佩佳就有一个“医学梦”，在BFE就读时也常留意医学相关的项目。因此，在得知徐新鹏副教授课题组项目内容为研究癌细胞的定向迁移时，佩佳主动向教授毛遂自荐。这份主动也带给她许多宝贵的经验。“每周有博士学姐组织周会，分享、探讨文献和心得，解决遇到的难题，每个人还有自己独立的小任务。感觉像升级打怪一样，组内学习和工作的体验都非常好！”
最后一节教学实验课合影
课上遇到不懂的内容，佩佳也从不放过。她经常和朋友把不懂的地方记下来，约老师的office hour逐个攻破。让佩佳印象深刻的是梁嘉言教授，每次向他提问，他都能快速熟练地找到专业书对应的知识点讲解。“梁教授是非常有人情味的老师，虽然教学上很严格，但也会从学生的角度出发，用自己的经验帮助学生。”她曾坦承自己看不完课前的reading，梁教授就实际演示了如何高效预习：先看懂图示，再看图的标识，其他叙述大致过一遍就好。从此，佩佳对厚重的教科书再没有恐惧心理。
佩佳与梁嘉言教授（左）
佩佳的求学之路并非一路坦途。尽管前两年都取得了不错的成绩，大三临申请前却因时间管理问题，考试发挥失常，导致挂科。“当时一度觉得要延毕，即使不延毕也觉得申请不到好学校。”但佩佳并没有消沉太久，为了改变现状，她主动向学长学姐和教授们寻求帮助。“很感谢18级的杨粤欣学姐，她在知道我的情况后，和朋友一起帮我分析如何更高效地提高分数、申请季能争取到哪些院校等。”佩佳慢慢从焦虑中走出来，静下心去解决问题。而她的努力也得到了回报：斩获梦校约翰斯·霍普金斯大学的offer！
佩佳与18级学姐合影
回顾这段艰苦的经历，佩佳认为：“比起一路绿灯，这段经历反而让我更踏实。虽然在意结果，但在意也没有用。当时只够把所有力气都花在过程中，因此也发现——当你行动起来，情绪对你的影响就会减少。”
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Dream It, Do It
敢梦想，创未来
佩佳善于观察生活，从中总结经验，反刍为自己智识发展的养料。她曾担任朋辈导师（Peer Tutor），将自己的经验分享给学弟学妹们。“有个学弟告诉我，他也曾受挂科的困扰，我的故事拉了他一把，这就是分享的意义所在——我的认知不仅作用在我前进的道路上，还能帮别人一把，实现效率最大化！”她还定期组织学习小组，协助学习与生涯发展中心建立辅导站，为新生提供帮助与支持。这份热诚与努力让她收获了“2020-2021朋辈导师贡献奖（Outstanding contribution to the peer tutor program）”的嘉奖。
佩佳担任朋辈导师时组织的破冰活动
佩佳选择“生物信息”作为深造目标，是因为觉察到目前生物领域成本高、统筹效率低的痛点。梦校的生物项目位居世界前列，佩佳很期待在与优秀同侪的共事中得到新的刺激。
佩佳与室友、朋友合影
毕业寄语：
“谁痛苦谁改变，谁改变谁受益”是低谷时对佩佳鼓舞最大的一句话，她也想把这句话作为临别寄语激励学弟学妹们。“不成熟没什么好怕，可怕的是失去想成长和进步的心和行动力。我觉得人生根本没有限制，也没有正确答案，没有非要完成的目的。生活本身就是目的，敢想敢做本身就是意义，活在每一件事情里，就能写出人生的答案。仰望星空，大胆畅想，寻找自我；并脚踏实地，诚实地感受当下，切实行动，坚持自我。经历了充满难题的生活，也许有一天，我们会渐渐活出写满答案的人生。”
This summer, the Class of 2023 graduated from Guangdong Technion – Israel Institute of Technology (GTIIT). They have big dreams and thirst for knowledge; they keep their eyes on the stars, but feet on the ground. The young "Aspirants" grow from GTIIT to a wider world. Let's follow the interview series of the graduates from the Class of 2023 to know their stories.
YE Peijia 叶佩佳
High School: Foshan No.1 High School
Program: Biotechnology and Food Engineering
Offer:
Wageningen University and Research
University of Wisconsin
Georgetown University
University College London
Johns Hopkins University
New York University
Carnegie Mellon University
National University of Singapore
The University of Manchester
The University of Queensland
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“如果这件事有意义，
再辛苦我也会做得很开心！”
Embracing Meaningful Endeavors:
Finding Joy in the Face of Hardship
Four years ago, Ye Peijia had a clear objective – to discover the most fitting learning techniques for her own personal growth while keeping open to the possibility of expanding her horizons abroad. The educational philosophy of Guangdong Technion – Israel Institute of Technology (GTIIT), as well as the Israeli spirit of “Chutzpah” that it embraced, captivated her. Moreover, Technion’s esteemed global reputation reassured her choice. She said in confidence, “I’ve heard that studying at GTIIT is demanding, and that’s exactly what excites me – the opportunity to learn true stuff!”
Tasting the wine brewed by the teachers together
Upon arriving at GTIIT, Ye faced her first major challenge: physics and engineering courses. She candidly admitted, “I was not good at integrated tests in high school.” She once found herself at a loss regarding how to address this particular weakness. However, Silvia Behar Harpaz’s and Pinchas Shlomai’s courses became a turning point for her. “Silvia and Pini, as we fondly call them, are exceptional lecturers! Physics and engineering demand flawless precision, leaving no room for mistakes or oversights. They can explain complex things in a simple and vivid way, and guide us through each calculation and model with unwavering accuracy. Following their teaching methods has proven to be incredibly effective for me.” Additionally, Pini’s profound understanding of the industry, coupled with his knack for utilizing practical examples to aid student comprehension of formulas, has earned him immense popularity among BFE students.
“Engineering courses are challenging though, I enjoy them and feel a sense of accomplishment after understanding them. I’m someone who places a high value on meaning and purpose, so even if it means working hard, I am willing to put in the effort. Doing so brings me great joy!”
Ye's hobbies: dancing, swimming and photography
What GTIIT taught Ye is both theoretical and practical. “I really enjoy Molecular Biotechnology taught by Efrat Barak. I immediately applied the knowledge from this course during my internship at Beijing Genomics Institute, where I conducted bioinformatics analysis. Through discussions with peers, I discovered that most of their summer projects also incorporated the content from this course. This has proven to be very practical and relevant!”
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主动才有故事
Initiative: Where Changes Begin
Ye embodies the essence of "Chutzpah" deep within her. This inner drive pushes her to seize every opportunity and actively pursue true knowledge, accumulating the fruits of her proactive actions. Since high school, Ye has had a dream of medicine, and has always been attentive to medical-related projects while studying at BFE. Therefore, when she learned that Associate Professor Xu Xinpeng’s research team was conducting a project on directional migration of cells in response to stiffness gradients, Ye took it upon herself to recommend her own candidacy to Xu. This has not only provided her with invaluable experience but also granted her the opportunity to learn and work within a remarkable group dynamic. “Every week, there is a meeting organized by a doctoral student, where we discuss research insights based on literature, solve problems we encounter, and each person has their own independent tasks. The overall experience of learning and working within the group is excellent!”
Ye never lets any unfamiliar content in class slip through her mind. She often takes note of the parts she doesn't understand and books office hours to conquer each one. Professor Ka Yin Leung has impressed Peijia. Whenever she asked him a question, he would quickly and adeptly locate the corresponding knowledge in the textbook and explain it to her. "Prof. Leung is a teacher with great empathy. Although he is strict in teaching, he also approaches things from the student's perspective and uses his own experiences to help them," she said. Ye once admitted that she couldn't finish the required reading before class, and Prof. Leung demonstrated how to efficiently preview the material: first understanding the illustrations, then examining the labels on the diagrams, and finally skimming through the rest of the text. Since then, Ye has never felt intimidated by hefty textbooks again.
Ye and Prof. Leung
Ye’s academic journey was not without obstacles. Despite achieving good grades in the first two years, she struggled with time management in her third year, leading to underperformance in exams. "At that time, I felt like I might need to extend my graduation, and even if I didn't, I wouldn't be able to get into a good university." However, Ye did not stay discouraged for long. In order to change her situation, she sought help from senior students and professors. "I am grateful to my senior Yang Yuexin from the Class of 2018. After learning about my situation, she and her friends helped me analyze how I could improve my grades effectively and which university I could strive for in the application season." Ye slowly emerged from her anxiety and focused on solving the problems at hand. Her efforts paid off, as she received an offer from her dream school, Johns Hopkins University!
Ye and graduates of Class of 2018
Reflecting on this challenging experience, Ye believes, "Compared to a smooth journey, this experience actually made me more grounded. Although I cared about the outcome, caring alone didn't help. At that time, I had to put all my efforts into the process, and through that, I realized that when you take action, the impact of your emotions diminishes."
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敢梦想，创未来
Dream It, Do It
Ye is adept at observing life and extracting valuable lessons from it, using them as nourishment for her intellectual development. She has served as a peer tutor, sharing her experiences with younger students. "A sophomore once told me that he had also struggled with failing a course, and my story helped him get through it. That's the true meaning of sharing - my knowledge doesn't just impact my own but can also assist others, maximizing efficiency!" Ye also organized study groups regularly and helped establish counseling stations in collaboration with the Career and Learning Center to provide assistance and support to new students. Her enthusiasm and efforts have earned her the "2020-2021 Outstanding Contribution to the Peer Tutor Program" award.
PT organized icebreaking activity
Ye chose to pursue further studies in the field of "bioinformatics" due to her realization of the high cost and low overall efficiency in the current field. The bioinformatics program at her dream school is recognized as one of the tops worldwide, and Ye is eagerly looking forward to being stimulated and challenged by working alongside exceptional peers.
Ye and her peers
Graduation Message:
"From pain springs transformation, and from transformation, rewards arise." This is the phrase that inspired Ye the most during her low moments, and she wants to leave it as a parting message to motivate her younger peers. "Immaturity is nothing to be afraid of, what is truly fearful is losing the desire for growth and progress, both in heart and action. I believe that life has no limitations and no correct answers. There is no predetermined purpose that we must achieve. Life itself is the purpose. Dreaming it then doing it is the meaning contained. Living in every moment allows us to write the answers to our lives. So, let's aim for the stars with bold imagination to find the true self, while also staying grounded, honestly embracing the present, and taking practical actions. Living a life filled with challenges now, perhaps one day, without even realizing it, we will gradually live a life that is filled with answers. "
推荐阅读 · 优秀毕业生专访
Graduates Interview
文/图：叶佩佳、GTIIT传媒与公共事务部
Text/Photos: Ye Peijia, GTIIT News & Public Affairs
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