Former president of the Friendly Voices Club;

Participated in shooting and performing for public welfare MVs;

Organized a band in school and served as the lead singer;

Key player of the school basketball team, "Commanding the Storm";

Co-founded "WhatShub" (a unique public WeChat account) with classmates;

Initiator of the "Chorus Outside the Dormitory Building" during graduation season;

High scorer with a TOEFL score of 114, primarily applying to universities in the United States;

Planner and one of the lead singers for the graduation theme song MV.

For Myles Liu Zhenning, so many of his campus memories are related to "making a mess".

After graduating from Hongwen School Qingdao Campus in 2021, Myles enrolled at the University of California, Santa Barbara to major in mathematics and philosophy. During the two years that he has been at university, he has continued to "stir up trouble", but his field of endeavor has already moved beyond the school.

He is currently attempting to create a "sexy" cloud-based video material management product;

Participating in VC (Venture Capital) startup investment;

Venturing into the MCN (Multi-Channel Network) field;

Joining the China World Youth Summit to organize high-level forums...

Recently, after successfully preparing and organizing the Youth Development Summit (Shenzhen, China) and the 2023 Shenzhen-Hong Kong-Macao Youth Cooperation Summit in Shenzhen, he returned to his home in Qingdao for a brief rest.

Upon arrival in Qingdao, it was only natural for him to visit his alma mater. So, before flying back to the United States to start his new academic year, this "standout" alumnus squeezed out half an hour to give a wonderful talk to his senior classmates.

The title may seem a bit "bewildering" for a speech about university application advice.

Liu Zhenning said:

"I believe that as we are approaching the AS year, university applications are looming large. Whether it's choosing a major or the writing approach for your personal statement (PS), we need to recognize our own strengths and have the courage to 'believe in yourself'. Because in the near future, you will encounter many 'outstanding' individuals: such as university interviewers, your future university classmates, professors, and many other excellent individuals in society. Before establishing connections with these 'outstanding' individuals, whether as a 'newbie' or a 'junior', we must first see our own advantages and appropriately emphasize them. Psychologically, we should remind ourselves that we have unique strengths that they may not have, or cannot achieve. Of course, what I'm saying is a way to build self-confidence, but in communication, we should still revert to 'Be Humble, Stay Foolish'.

Moving on to mindset, I believe that both now and in the future when we attend university, we should 'Think bigger, do something sexier.' Find what triggers your inner passion or desire, and dare to boldly imagine and act on such visions. Another crucial point is to 'use all you can, not what you have.'

If you have a goal in mind, please go all out and don't just do your best. At the same time, it's important to reconcile with yourself and recognize your own positioning."

During my two years of university life, the academics were indeed profound and challenging; however, my greatest gains were outside the campus. I participated in numerous projects across different fields and worked alongside thought-provoking and down-to-earth individuals. This experience taught me a lot, and it has also redefined my career planning and entrepreneurial direction.

The feeling of being with outstanding individuals is truly "awesome".

When Liu Zhenning was standing on the podium, earnestly advising his junior classmates to "ask" for resources from their parents, many students in the audience looked surprised.

Liu Zhenning continued with a sincere expression on his face:

"Nowadays, everyone values 'background enhancement', and many people eagerly pursue platforms and resources, even spending considerable amounts of money to seek them out. But I want to remind you that perhaps the best resource right now is right next to you - your parents.

If you are interested in scientific research, and your parents have connections to professionals working in that field, ask them to introduce you to those industry insiders. Create opportunities to talk to experts about the topics you're passionate about, and let them guide you. That is a resource.

If you're interested in business operations, and your parents are successful businesspeople, there are undoubtedly individuals or topics within their network that you admire and want to learn more about. Communicate more with your parents, discuss business topics together, seek advice from the "big shots" in their circle, and leverage your status as their child. You can even create internship opportunities for yourself.

Remember, resources are not just limited to what you see on the outside. Sometimes, the most valuable resources are the ones closest to you. Don't neglect them."

"Never disregard the resources provided by your parents, as this is a very real aspect of life. It's important to recognize this reality and understand that resources and platforms can only come to life through communication and exchange, making them useful to you in accessing better resources and platforms. Even more importantly, parents are the most unselfish and least demanding individuals in the world towards us.

If your platforms and resources are merely limited to a certificate, what is the meaning of that? Prestigious universities look at how effectively you utilize these resources and platforms, your actions, thoughts, and conversations. They want to see how interested you are in the subject matter, your drive to explore, and so on. These demonstrations and improvements can be achieved by starting with what's closest to you."

Speaking about his academic abilities and the university he currently attends, Liu Zhenning said frankly, "If I had followed the advice of my college counseling teachers and been a compliant student during the application process, my acceptance would have been more impressive."

"Too much fragmented information can lead one to get lost, clinging to supposed beliefs and the notion that 'being young means being different, doing what you want,' and being unable to listen to others' opinions and suggestions. I was a typical example of this.

If I had listened to my teachers and dutifully applied for business-related majors based on my commercial background, instead of pursuing a completely unrelated field like 'philosophy,' my university acceptance results would have been entirely different... At that time, I foolishly believed that this was what university admissions officers considered 'outstanding' and 'unique' — said Liu Zhenning sincerely.

During his speech, Liu Zhenning repeatedly advised his junior classmates to fully listen to the opinions and suggestions of their teachers when applying to universities. Because teachers spend a lot of time with students and are the ones who understand them best, their advice often goes beyond standardised test scores. Their recommendations are often very pertinent and are made in consideration of your long-term interests.

Don't lose sight of your own reality, and even more importantly, don't refuse to listen to the advice of your teachers.

As for his own future, Liu Zhenning has already shown many possibilities during his junior years of university. Pure academic content can no longer satisfy his curiosity, and he enjoys being immersed in "work" and frequently interacting with outstanding individuals in different fields, keeping him always "with a sparkle in his eye".

During his return to his alma mater, Myles shared his experience of participating in the organization of the Shenzhen-Hong Kong-Macao Youth Cooperation Summit with the teachers without reservation, providing many insights and inspirations for the organization of alumni activities and talent pools for the future of his alma mater.

The growing alumni community at the Qingdao campus of Hongwen School is contributing to the creation of a more colorful and vibrant future for the school.

They often return to visit their teachers, generously answering questions from their younger peers and providing valuable suggestions for revising university application essays. They share their academic experiences, even offering complete sets of university classroom notes with teachers from relevant departments. Some even take the initiative to sign up for internships back at their alma mater. Everyone is contributing to the school in their own way.

They are approachable and optimistic, honest and sincere.

They show us what the future of this school looks like, and what we hope it will be.