UWC Changshu China: 10 Years, 10 Stories
Issue date：2025-11-07
In ten years, a seed can grow into a tree, and an idea can take shape.
At UWC Changshu China, the past decade has been shaped by students who embraced the values they learned here and carried them into the world. Today, they are working in diverse fields such as medicine, education, public policy, agriculture, the arts, and more. Each is pursuing their own path and contributing in their own way.
Here, we hear from ten alumni. Their stories demonstrate what a UWC education truly means.
Class of 2017
PhD student, Wake Forest University
"What life gives, we give back."
At eight, Siyuan Li was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a rare cancer. She has relied on crutches ever since, facing challenges from the start.
An activity on "privilege" at UWC Changshu opened her eyes. She realized that a healthy body and access to education are privileges many lack, which motivated her to use her resources to help others.
During Project Week in a rural village in Yunnan, she saw the stark gap in medical resources. This experience shifted her focus from becoming a doctor to pursuing medical research that could improve countless lives.
▲Siyuan at the Wake Forest Institute for
Regenerative Medicine Institute annual retreat
Today, Siyuan is a PhD candidate at the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, where she specializes in bone and cartilage reconstruction to repair tissue damage. She’s also co-authored a paper in The Lancet advocating for children with rare diseases. Her childhood illness never held her back; it shaped her into who she is today.
"Suffering is real, but it teaches courage, builds resilience, and fuels determination. It helps us appreciate life more deeply and inspires us to use our strength to bring warmth and support to others."
▲In 2024, Siyuan attended the Annual Meeting
of the Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES) in Baltimore
Class of 2017
Product Manager, Google DeepMind
"UWC gave me the courage to draw my own map."
As one of the founding students of UWC Changshu China, Huahao Zhou took a leap of faith. With only three days left before the application deadline, he discovered the school and canceled his Peking University interview. Early in his UWC journey, discouraged by language barriers, a teacher offered him a hug and invited him for tea and conversation.
"I used to think education was about gaining knowledge and becoming smarter. But at UWC, I learned it’s really about growing in courage and empathy." That connection shaped many of his future decisions.
▲First Mini-UWC team
From founding Mini-UWC, a student-led summer program, to working on AI at Google DeepMind, he focuses on connecting people across cultures and collaborating with diverse teams. What drives him is the curiosity UWC sparked and a belief he holds deeply: "My culture is just one of many; my experience is just one of many. That keeps me confident yet humble—ready to explore and belong anywhere."
▲A group photo of Huahao with
UWCers at Yale University
From a curious youth to an explorer at the forefront of AI, he builds both technology and community. UWC gave him a compass for his journey—and the courage to venture beyond the known.
Class of 2018
PhD student, Tsinghua University
"I choose a real life, in all its fullness."
In a UWC philosophy class, Matthew Nie rejected the "experience machine"—a device offering perfect virtual pleasure while disconnecting users from reality. He believed true meaning comes from engaging deeply with the world, even in the face of hardship.
Living with five roommates from different countries, organizing student events, and co-launching a national tech summer camp reinforced his commitment to real experiences.
▲Matthew, as the founder, delivered a speech at the opening ceremony of the first Columbia China Forum
After UWC, he studied at Columbia and Harvard Kennedy School, maintaining his focus on China. He founded the Columbia China Forum and helped lead the Harvard Kennedy China Conference. His master’s thesis, a 92-page study on Chinese industrial policy, grew out of immersive research.
▲Matthew at HKS
Now a PhD student at Tsinghua's PBC School of Finance, he reflects: "I've returned to understand real challenges in China. I’ll focus on research and use finance as a tool to drive change, with a shared purpose guiding me."
▲Matthew at Tsinghua University
From a UWC idealist to a scholar rooted in China's reality, he has turned global perspective into local purpose.
Class of 2019 | Psychology Teacher at UWC CSC & Mount Holyoke College Alumna
"I was once inspired here—now I work to inspire others."
Tongtong Yang has returned to UWC Changshu as a teacher. Influenced by the multicultural environment and opportunities to share Chinese culture at UWC, her education prepared her to teach psychology from a cross-cultural perspective.
▲In 2018, Tongtong took part
in the performance on Chinese Culture Evening
In her psychology class, discussions and learning how to work like psychologists play an important role. Since learning mostly happen in safe environments where people connect, she uses the first five minutes of every lesson for learners to share their stories and cultures such as music and spirituality.
▲Tongtong shared at UWC Changshu's
10th-anniversary alumni reunion
"One of the best moments in UWC education is not about learning the content. It's when you see young UWCers get inspired like you once did." Tongtong's role has changed, but her purpose hasn't: to inspire and get inspired at UWC.
Class of 2020
Rhodes Scholar | PhD student at Oxford
"Young people are fully capable of daring to dream—and even creating change."
At 16, Bertha from Namibia gained UWC admission but gave up the opportunity due to family opposition. A year later, she applied again and finally made it to UWC Changshu. That winding journey convinced her of one truth: persistence always leads to arrival.
During her time at UWC Changshu, two moments left the deepest impression: delivering a speech as a DP1 student representative during the 2018 visit of the King and Queen of Norway, and receiving a scholarship Karen Mok, a UWC Italy alumna, donated.
▲In 2018, Bertha received a scholarship at
Karen Mok's Suzhou concert
"At UWC Changshu, I discovered that everyone carried a strong sense of mission, a passion for shaping the future, and a deep belief in their ability to make a positive impact," she recalls. Bertha always keeps her country's development close to her heart, planning to contribute meaningfully to Namibia's national progress.
Concerned that young people back home lacked support for innovation and entrepreneurship, she created Spotlight, a television program her university funded. The show, which aired on Namibia's largest TV network, highlighted the struggles and successes of local entrepreneurs and inspired many young people to pursue their own ventures.
▲Bertha as producer and host of Spotlight
In 2024, Bertha began her academic journey at Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar, embarking on deep research. She now pursues a PhD in Geography and the Environment, focusing on how corporate power shapes the labor geography of Namibia's emerging offshore oil industry.
Beyond her research, she serves as President of the Oxford University Africa Society, where she oversees the Oxford Africa Conference, creating a platform for dialogue and collaboration among African youth.
From UWC dreamer to Oxford PhD candidate, Bertha consistently ties her personal aspirations to her country's development. Every step she takes reflects her commitment to transforming academic research into a driving force for national progress, showcasing a new generation's wisdom and determination.
Class of 2021
University of Oxford Alumna
"I once focused on myself, until UWC taught me to connect with others."
At UWC Changshu, Marilyn Huang learned what being a global citizen truly means.
▲2018 UWC Day
Teaching in rural Henan exposed her to educational inequality. Late-night talks with her Malawian roommate revealed how much we share across cultures. These experiences made global issues real and immediate - pushing her to look beyond herself.
▲In 2018, Marilyn visited Siyuan School in Henan
with her classmates for the Project Week
She saw academics not as an ivory-tower exercise, but as a tool for understanding and improving the world. "UWC taught me education isn't just about knowledge - it's about becoming someone who drives positive change. That lesson guides all my choices."
This understanding took her from biological sciences at Imperial College London to global health modeling at Oxford. Her research now tackles vaccine equity and public health allocation - connecting her work to real-world health and well-being.
▲Marilyn at Oxford Laboratory
Class of 2022
Senior at Cornell University
"On a new path, I found my space."
While many classmates rushed from one activity to the next, Sky Xu chose to kneel in a campus garden, getting his hands dirty in the soil. As the only new student in the gardening Zhi Xing, he had spent a gap year working on farms in Zhejiang and Jiangsu, where he saw firsthand the degradation of soil and loss of biodiversity.
▲On the campus farmland in 2022
Today at Cornell, he focuses on sustainable soil and crop systems. In the soil health lab, he conducts research and has delivered seven outreach talks to local farming communities. Through hands-on irrigation demos, he shows growers how cover crops improve soil health and climate resilience, all while listening to their real-world challenges.
▲In 2024, Sky attended the
ASA, CSSA, SSSA International
Annual Meeting with classmates
"If growing things on campus was just a hobby for me at UWC Changshu China, it's now my field of study. I’ve found meaning in agricultural science—and learned that being an agricultural researcher also means sharing knowledge with those who work the land."
Sky has carved out his own path. UWC didn’t just support his unconventional choice—it helped him realize that true diversity includes diverse life paths. His road may wind through fields, but it leads to a sustainable, thriving future.
The Turning of the Anemo and Earth
"The road I walked was built by many helping hands. Now it's my turn to build bridges for others."
Api Shige's journey—from speaking Yi as his first language to learning in English, from China's southwestern mountains to a global stage—reflects a story of crossing divides. At UWC Changhu China, he discovered a world woven from different languages, beliefs, and identities, united by shared empathy. Challenges became his teachers, teaching him to face difficulty with hope.
▲UWC Day
He regained confidence and turned values into action: organizing hikes inspired by Yi environmental traditions, becoming a certified first-aid instructor, and leading cultural exchanges to share his heritage. "In China, nearly half a million people die from cardiac arrest each year. I want to help raise the national CPR training rate by 1%."
▲During his studies in the US,
Api Shige hiked with classmates
Now at Bates College, he carries UWC's lessons with him: "Success isn't about being recognized—it's about making things better." He continues building bridges—volunteering in Maine, teaching students online from Liangshan and Yemen, and speaking in rural schools each summer. He wants children in remote areas to have more opportunities and to be seen. "UWC taught me to dream big—and to stay grounded and make things happen."
Class of 2024 | Sophomore at the University of Pennsylvania
"Care More, Dare More"
For Kyrie Fu, UWC Changshu's deepest lesson was the spirit of care. While at school, he joined service projects, working with local people with disabilities to design tools that made daily life easier. That experience gave him a clearer understanding of marginalized groups' needs and inspired him to launch the school's first sign language initiative—encouraging students and teachers to pay attention to the deaf community and build communication between hearing and non-hearing peers.
What stayed with Kyrie most from his time at UWC Changshu was its spirit of care. There, he participated in community service, co-designing assistive tools for people with disabilities. This experience inspired him to launch the school's first sign language Zhi Xing, Sign by Side, which was dedicated to bridging the deaf and hearing communities.
▲Sign by Side Zhi Xing
Mock trial sparked his concern for Deaf legal rights. Later, interning at a Deaf-specialized law firm, he witnessed a Deaf girl struggle to defend herself due to communication barriers—deepening his resolve to advocate for the voiceless.
On campus, Kyrie also started a martial arts initiative to promote peace, drove the "Special Meal" program for cross-cultural dinners, and during Project Week, stood on a Nanjing street in a stereotype-covered robe, inviting passersby to tear off unwanted labels.
▲Kyrie's entrepreneurial team at UPenn
Now at Penn, majoring in Math and PPE, he continues turning care into action. He's co-developing a startup creating accessible online content and tools for the visually impaired—breaking barriers one gesture, conversation, and effort at a time.
"When one voice isn't enough, create a system for everyone to speak."
At UWC Changshu China, Lulwa from Lebanon transformed her cultural identity into a source of connection and strength for her community.
She led the Middle East and North Africa Week under the theme "Beyond the Known", working to challenge stereotypes and broaden understanding. When conflict erupted in her homeland, she spoke out at the Global Issues Forum, reminding her peers that paying attention to and engaging with world affairs is a shared responsibility.
Later, as a chairperson of the College Council, she worked as a bridge connecting student concerns with the school administration's resources, creating spaces where people from all backgrounds could connect and be heard.
▲Lulwa as host at the MENA Opening Ceremony
Her role as a bridge-builder extended beyond campus. For two consecutive summers, she joined UWC alumni in Kenya as a volunteer teacher, putting the principle of diversity and inclusion into practice across communities. These experiences taught her that genuine collaboration and shared progress come from respecting and embracing differences.
Now studying International Relations and Affairs at the University of Hong Kong, Lulwa carries the passion for global understanding and social responsibility UWC instilled in her. She continues to engage with peers from around the world, deepening her perspective on international issues and preparing for a future career in Lebanese diplomacy.
▲Lulwa at HKU
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