Graduates | 张宁远：自信大胆尝试，探索无限可能
2023年，广东以色列理工学院迎来第三届本科毕业生。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近广以学子，一同放飞青春梦想。
2023届毕业生
张宁远
毕业高中：成都市第七中学
本科专业：材料科学与工程
录取院校：苏黎世联邦理工学院、康奈尔大学、代尔夫特理工大学、卡内基梅隆大学、佛罗里达大学、圣路易斯华盛顿大学、伊利诺伊大学厄巴纳-香槟分校
生活中，他是“文武双全”的全能少年，萨克斯、滑板、长跑、X Culture商业挑战赛，他的身影活跃在各类活动中；学习上，他精益求精，在热爱的材料领域不断突破，获得GPA90+的好成绩，收获来自苏黎世联邦理工大学、康奈尔大学、宾夕法尼亚大学、代尔夫特理工大学等多家世界名校抛来的“橄榄枝”。在广以的四年，他积极探索、不断尝试，找到了属于自己的学术之路。
调整心态，低谷中迎头赶上
“我的高中母校倡导学生要具有全球化视野，所以相比于国内的教学模式，我更想体验一些不同的东西，感受不同文化，这恰恰也是广以可以带给我的。”国际化的教学模式和师资力量让宁远选择了这所在当时还非常年轻的高校。初入大学的他在预备学期课程的帮助下很快适应了全英教学的环境，但丰富多彩的校园生活让他在平衡生活和学习上还是遇到了不小的困难。
“大一这年我完全没有考虑学习，天天就想疯玩，只要是感兴趣的活动我都会去尝试。大二才发现学习上需要做的事情有很多，各种课内项目、实验，每天需要花在课业上的时间越来越多。”大二的学习压力让宁远意识到，为了出国深造的梦想，自己急需转变。
“大二是我的转折点。我放弃了很多课外活动，一心专注于学习，周一到周五几乎是满课的状态，休息日也常常在作业和项目中度过。”但有失必有得，在老师和挚友的帮助下，他逐渐补齐了大一落下的课程，成绩也迎头赶上。“在广以你确实会遇到许多压力和挑战，但这些压力和挑战无非是考试或者课内作业带来的，只要你认真学习并且付出努力，这些挑战最终都可以克服，只要你想做就能做到最好。”带着这种精神，在学有余力的前提下，宁远在大三就申请提前修读大四的部分课程，让时间安排变得更加游刃有余。
良师益友，前路皆为旷野
本科期间，宁远加入了祁原深老师的课题组，进行薄膜材料处理相关领域的研究。“祁老师是一位很有人格魅力的老师，第一次上课时，他的亲切和认真就给我留下了深刻的印象。尽管他的科研任务非常繁重，但仍然事无巨细的关注着组里每一位学生。”
在宁远眼中，祁老师是他前进道路上的“引路人”，也是他在迷茫困惑时的“明灯”。“我之前对未来有些迷茫。面对未来，我不确定现在的选择是否正确，也不知道自己是否应该按照现在的规划一直走下去。”针对宁远的困惑，祁老师与他相谈数次，用亲身经历为宁远解开心结；在深造道路的选择上，祁老师也找来相关领域的朋友，帮助宁远选择最适合自己的方向。
遇良师指引，得益友陪伴。好友在学业和生活上的帮助，也让宁远心存感激。“一入学，我便遇到了几位和我志同道合的朋友，其中就包括我的舍友们。我们一起学习、相互激励，虽然修读不同的专业，但一起学习总能让我获得更多动力。我和其中一位舍友同时都申请到了康奈尔大学，今年夏天，我们将结伴踏上深造的旅程。”
张宁远（中）和朋友
劳逸结合，开启精彩大学生活
“学业压力再繁重也一定要劳逸结合。”这是宁远给师弟师妹的建议，也是他大学四年的写照。提起参加X-Culture挑战赛的经历，他至今记忆犹新。“这是一个面向全球招募队员的国际性赛事。我们组有五位成员，分别来自美国、法国、瑞典等五个国家，大家在线合作完成一份商业计划书。”宁远介绍称，这个赛事所提供的商业项目来源于真实的公司案例，他在项目中负责社交App开发计划的撰写。“在这个过程中你需要考虑项目的市场定位、产品分析、宣传方案、客户群体等诸多因素，学习到很多商业相关知识。在和不同国家成员的沟通中能潜移默化的提升英语水平，了解各国的有趣文化。”
除了商业挑战赛，1500米长跑的比赛上、夏日Party的舞台上、校园环保文化节的比赛中、滑板社的日常训练时、篮球场和羽毛球场上都能看见宁远的身影，他还担任了2022级的朋辈助教，辅导学弟学妹学习，为他们答疑解惑。
张宁远（右一）在海报展上
不断尝试，不断探索，宁远确定了未来前进的方向，也收获了丰富多彩的大学生活。回顾大学四年，宁远给学弟学妹们分享了自己的申请经验，“积极尝试各项活动丰富自身经历，尽早加入教授课题组积累科研经验，提前开始准备语言考试给自己留下提升的空间，都能帮助你在申请中获得更多名校的亲睐。”
张宁远（前排左二）在校园环保文化节比赛颁奖典礼上
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.
Class of 2023
Zhang Ningyuan
High School: Chengdu No. 7 High School
Program: Materials Science and Engineering
Offers: ETH Zurich, Cornell University, Delft University of Technology, Carnegie Mellon University, University of Florida, Washington University in St. Louis, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
In daily life, he is a multiple talent. He actively took part in various activities, such as playing the saxophone, skateboarding, long-distance running and the X-culture project. In study, he always tries his best, achieving good grades with a GPA of 90+ and receiving offers from many world-renowned universities such as ETH Zurich, Cornell University, University of Pennsylvania, Delft University of Technology and so on. Throughout his university time, he kept trying and found his own academic path.
Adjust himself and
back on top form
"My high school advocates that students should have global views. This is why I was particularly interested in experiencing something different from the domestic teaching model, especially a different culture. And this is exactly what GTIIT offers," says Ningyuan, who attributes his determination to this young university’s International teaching model and faculty. After coming to GTIIT, he quickly adapted to the English-medium teaching method with the help of preparatory semester courses. However, the rich and colourful campus life made him encounter a lot of difficulties in balancing life and study.
"In the first year of university, I didn’t prioritize my studies; all I wanted to do was playing. I took part in many activities that I am interested in. However, it was not until the second year that I realized that there were many things to do in my studies. I need to finish my class projects and experiments, and I need to spend more time on my homework." The pressure of study in the second year made Ningyuan realize that in order to pursue his dream of studying abroad, he urgently needed to change.
"The second year was a turning point for me. I gave up many extracurricular activities and focused on my studies. From Monday to Friday, my schedule was filled with classes, and even on weekends, I devoted my time for homework and projects." No pain no gain. With the help of teachers and friends, he gradually made up the knowledge he missed and his grades also caught up. "At GTIIT, you do face a lot of pressures, but they are nothing more than exams and homework. As long as you study hard and try your best, you can overcome these difficulties. You can be the best if you want." Fuelled by this mindset, Ningyuan applied to study the course of the senior year in his junior year, so that his time arrangement became more flexible.
Good teachers and friends
create a bright future
During his undergraduate period, Ningyuan joined Associate Professor Qi Yuanshen’s research group to do the project in the fields of thin film materials. "Dr. Qi is a very charismatic teacher. His kindness and seriousness left me a deep impression during the first class. Although he is very busy in his research, he still pays much attention on every student in his group."
In Ningyuan’s eyes, Dr. Qi is not only his "guide" in research but also a "beacon" when he is confused. "I was unsure if my current choice is correct or not, and I also don’t know whether I should keep following my current plan." In order to solve this, Dr. Qi talked with him several times and drew from his personal experience to give Ningyuan some suggestions. As for Ningyuan’s further direction, Dr. Qi also finds some friends in related fields to discuss with Ningyuan and help him find the way that most suitable for him.
Ningyuan also feel grateful for his friends'help. "The first time I came to GTIIT, I met many like-minded friends, including my roommates. We studied together and encouraged each other. Although we are in different programs, studying together always gave me more motivation. One of my roommates and I both got the offers from Cornell University, so this summer we will go together for our further study."
Balance study and life,
start a wonderful university life
"No matter how heavy the academic pressure is, you must balance your study and life." This is Ningyuan’s advice for juniors, and also a conclusion of his GTIIT life. He still remembers his experience of X-culture project. "This is an international event that recruits participants all over world. There were five members in our team from five different countries, including the United States, France and Sweden. We worked together to finish a business plan." Ningyuan said that the business projects of this event are all based on real-life cases. He was responsible for writing a Social App development plan in his team. "During this process, you need to consider many factors such as the marketing position, product analysis, promotion plan, customer group and so on. You can not only learn a lot of business-related knowledge after finishing the project, but also improve your English skills and learn about interesting cultures when communicating with your teammates."
In addition to the business project, Ningyuan also took part in the 1500-meter long-distance race, the GTIIT summer party, Campus Environmental Protection Cultural Festival, the skateboard club and also basketball and badminton training. He is also the peer tutor for cohort 2022, helping them with their study.
Through constant trying and exploration, Ningyuan found his direction and also gained a colourful university life. Ningyuan shared his application suggestion with young GTers, "Try various activities to enrich your experience; join the professor's research group as soon as possible to accumulate scientific research experience; and start preparing for the language test in advance to leave time for improvement. These can help you get more offers from world-renowned universities in your application."
推荐阅读 · 优秀毕业生专访
Graduates Interview
文/图：张宁远、GTIIT传媒与公共事务部
Text/Photos: Zhang Ningyuan, GTIIT News & Public Affairs
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