10th anniversary writing competition winner announced

MRes Management student Huan Chen has won a student writing competition, held in celebration of Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University’s 10th anniversary.

She won an iPad Air 2 for her entry “An ideal life”, which depicts her future at the helm of a programme that connects farmers directly with urban consumers to increase agricultural production efficiency.

The contest, which was coordinated by the Writing Centre at the University, asked XJTLU students to write a personal narrative answering the question: ‘where do you imagine you will be in 10 years?’

All entries were narrowed down to a list of the top seven essays by Jessie Cannady, who coordinated the contest. These top seven all showed creativity and originality, and had minimum errors with regard grammar, language and mechanics. A team from the Writing Centre then read the seven and ranked their top three.

Huan’s essay was awarded first prize for not only telling a good story but also linking her future vision with the work she is doing at XJTLU.

Jessie, who led on the creation and development of the Writing Centre, said: “Huan’s essay demonstrates how XJTLU impacts the vision she has for her future self. The writing team appreciated that her vision was an extension of the mission and vision for XJTLU, incorporating innovation, engaging in international exchange, and working toward creating a better society for all.”

Huan, who also studied BA Accounting at XJTLU, decided to enter the contest as way of reflecting on the time she has spent at XJTLU. She was inspired by XJTLU’s emphasis on the importance of being a global citizen, as well as her research on social enterprise and a volunteering trip to Thailand.

“The competition was a great opportunity for me to contemplate the life I want to live in 10 years’ time. I am thrilled and feel so lucky to have won. I have been at here for five years and I am emotionally connected to XJTLU. Participating in the writing contest to celebrate the University’s 10th anniversary was definitely an enjoyable and meaningful experience for me,” she said.

Second and third prizes were awarded to biological sciences student Catherin Prayogo (pictured above and Renfei Huang, a financial mathematics student.

Read all three winning essays.

“As the University imagines the next 10 years, we asked XJTLU students to do the same. All the entries we received to the competition were a joy to read and showed some interesting insight into the future plans and goals for our students. Those who entered should be extremely proud of the efforts they put into their essays,” added Jessie.

The Writing Centre is a service offered through the XJTLU Language Centre and offers undergraduate students in Years Three and Four, as well as masters-level and PhD students, additional writing support through workshops and one-on-one consultations.

The centre also aims to increase interest and participation amongst all students in creative writing, as a way of encouraging exploration of original ideas and supporting critical thinking in student writing.