During October’s National Holiday, seven high school students and I went on a nine-day school trip, organised by YWIES Shanghai, in the United States.

We arrived in the US on September 25 and we met the students from Shanghai and Guangzhou in the Sheraton Hotel. The next day was a Saturday and we visited the Universal Studios. The students were amazed by how advanced the cinematic technology has become. On Sunday, we participated in an activity in a church led by local students. On Monday, the school trip officially started. We first visited the Pepperdine University in Malibu. Pepperdine is a private, research-based university. Each of its five academies admits around 8300 students every year. In 2011 Pepperdine University’s ranking in the states was 53rd, and its Business Study was in the TOP 100, and its LL.M Dispute Resolution was ranked as the best. The head of the student admission department of Pepperdine University came to meet us, talked to us about the qualities students need to apply for Pepperdine, and possible careers after graduating. He also answered our questions patiently and carefully. Then we walked around the campus. In the afternoon, we went to the famous Malibu Beach, where we started to get to know each other and all the students from the three Yew Wah schools became much closer.

Over the next few days, we visited UCLA, USC, UCSD, UCI, Concordia, CAL ART and seven other schools. Each university is special and unique in its own way. Many of our students have found the universities they want to go to. As they talked to the heads of the student admission department, they are now fully aware of the conditions they need to get into the universities they like. Now all they need to do is to work hard to meet those conditions!

It was also a great opportunity to connect with former students. I met Solomon and Noah, who graduated from our Yew Wah last year, in UCLA. In the meantime, I learnt from them that Enoch, who graduated from Yew Wah in 2013, finished all his courses in UCLA within only two years, and now he is studying in FSU for his graduate degree.

This trip allows our students to have a better and more direct view of these schools, so now they have a much clearer picture of their near future. Our alumni showed that such success is within reach.

Rita Zhao
Secondary Head

English translation by: Ameily Zhang