Alumni Stories
Jiefu Chen
Jiefu Chen, BSc in Financial Mathematics, Class of 2007, MSc in Financial Operations Research, University of Edinburgh, 2012, is now working as a senior product specialist in WING FAI HOLDINGS LIMITED. He is the founder of XJTLU Shanghai Alumni Group, also the Honorary President of the Shanghai Alumni Group, the Founder of the Alliance of Alumni Associations of Returnee Universities, and a member of the External Mentors of XJTLU.
He says "Most of the important ideas in my life were formed at XJTLU." He started the Maths Club as he enrolled and was actively involved in various clubs, which enabled him to develop many skills that would later be useful in job hunting and work, such as the courage to bend in the face of difficulties and the ability to adapt quickly to different environments. Later on, he worked in a Chinese overseas community and then in XJTLU alumni association after graduation. He has been working with XJTLU for over ten years and is currently working as an external mentor for XJTLU, continuing his close association with XJTLU.
Yan Ma
Yan Ma, BSc in Financial Mathematics (2006), XJTLU, MSc in Actuarial Science, Cass Business School.
Professor Daqing Fang, the first Executive Vice Chancellor of XJTLU, was the person who left the deepest impression on Yan Ma. President Fang would often catch up with students to talk about old times. After she and her classmates had gone to Liverpool, Principal Fang also warmly invited them to his home to find out how the XJTLUers were doing at Liverpool and to see if they were adapting to their current lifestyle and study environment. She exclaimed that all the headmasters, including the teachers, were very good and exemplary teachers. She felt that for students, school is not only a place to gain knowledge but also a place to nurture people.
During her time at XJTLU, Ma Yan also served as Vice President of the Student Council. From her perspective, there is no conflict between study and extra-curricular life, there is no time pressure and it can be balanced. So, there are all kinds of clubs, student organisations and practical activities that you can try out, and they are all precious memories worth collecting after graduation.
According to Yan Ma: the meaning of life is not only in thinking and imagining, but also in practising and trying. "I hope our school gets better and better, and also I hope our students get better and better."
Zhiming Mao
Ziming Mao is a 2014 alumnus of the Biological Sciences class at XJTLU, a Master of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, USA, and a PhD candidate in Immunology at Mayo Medical Center, USA.
Mao Zhiming initially learned extensively about various professions during his undergraduate years; for example, he visited the homoeopathic lab at XJTLU, had many interactions with his business classmates, participated in student government, and volunteered. As he continued to explore, he found himself interested in immunology. Unlike clinicians who treat patients, biomedical research can essentially explore more universal mechanisms, and he believes that the results of such basic research will make a significant contribution to human health in the accumulation and clinical translation.
In terms of his most memorable experience, he mentioned the three-day PhD interview at Mayo Medical Center, where he demonstrated his verbal and academic presentation skills. With his outstanding interview performance, Mao was selected as one of the nine applicants and the only international student accepted into the programme.
