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Judy Zhou
Dalian Huamei School 12th grader
The Pennsylvania State University
Judy began her journey at Dalian Huamei School in the ninth grade. At DHS, she learned for the first time that there can be so many student organizations, ASAs and different courses at school for her to discover her career interests.
During her four years at DHS, Judy participated in many student organizations and developed many interests. In the 10th grade, Judy joined the DAISMUN. During MUN classes and conferences, teachers encouraged Judy to express herself, which also gave Judy great confidence. "At MUN, we are discussing unsolved real-world issues. We have to write amendments and deliver speeches ourselves. By doing so, MUN offers me a platform to express myself,” said Judy.
After a few conferences, Judy realized that she has more knowledge and experience to push herself to the next level. She is experienced in digital media and graphic design, so she applied her skills into her new role as the Press and Publication Officer," By serving as the Officer, I can share my experience with new members, I am very confident to be qualified for this position." At the time of her taking over this role, the MUN website was still blank. Under Judy's management, the website was successfully set up and updated.
With her cheerful personality, Judy had the idea of majoring in media and communication studies early in mind. In the 11th grade, at the invitation of her classmate Peter Zhang, she co-founded the DAIS/DHS broadcast station. In the earlier phase, they had to overcome many difficulties. Broadcasting across the school had many restrictions. For example, the program must not disturb teachers in class, and it needs to be broadcast when students are free. "These difficulties conflicted greatly with our original intention of establishing the broadcast station," Judy described the situation at that time. Fortunately, she has strong problem-solving skills. Through persistent communication with teachers from various departments and search for alternative solutions, the broadcast station programs have been transformed into video mode for weekly broadcasts during advisory. This experience became a huge bonus for Judy's leadership and organizational skills.
I feel I was lucky to have Judy in our MUN program because she exhibits all the character traits I admire in person. Judy is responsible, inclusive, and courageous. Judy started her MUN experience by demonstrating responsibility by often asking questions with the intent to understand the debate process and terminology. It's refreshing to teach a student like Judy who wants to learn new things and challenge her areas for growth. Judy was quiet and shy during her first debates and now she is a role model for others. It was amazing to watch her grow through the years and become more confident in public speaking. Our MUN program has grown in numbers and popularity over the years because of the hard work and courage of students like Judy Zhou.
—Mr. Bryan Mcloughlin
DAISMUN teacher
Judy has powerful management and organizational skills. Since we first got the idea of establishing the broadcast station, we encountered so many troubles such as equipment issues and communication barriers. I even thought about giving up, but Judy always got my back and supported me, and together we turned our dream into reality. Judy often takes on the mentor role, she always listens to others' troubles and gives the sincerest advice. She is always reliable, and our team becomes more cohesive because of her.
— Jasmine Zhao 同学
Broadcasting station co-founder
During her leisure time, Judy enjoys theater performances, playing the piano and singing. At the end of 2021, Judy received a college admission offer from Syracuse University, which has one of the best communication programs in the United States and is also Judy’s dream school. When asked how she balances studying with her student leadership duties, Judy describes herself as a "multi-core processor". "I’m good at time management, which means I can handle a lot of things at the same time. I like to prioritize my tasks, make plans and finish the right thing at the right time," Judy said. She encountered and successfully resolved troubles in her studies too. For example, she faced the pressure of her schoolwork, especially in AP courses, "My previous study method is not applicable to the AP courses, so the most important thing is to find suitable study methods for different courses". DHS focuses on fostering students' independent learning ability and guides each student to gradually develop their own study habits, so that they can become more independent when studying abroad in the future.
Judy’s DHS experience transformed her in many ways. After transferring to DHS from a public school, Judy realized that DHS offers many more opportunities and a broader platform. Studying at DHS shaped her way of thinking. The teachers here encourage students to solve problems from multiple dimensions. Judy learned to look at things from different angles and make more comprehensive considerations. The opportunities and platforms here at DHS provide students with more flexibility to explore their own hobbies and career interests. The teachers here are not only experts in their own field, but also are great listeners and friends who pay attention to the students' ideas and make pertinent suggestion.
"International schools are more about providing a platform for students to express their own ideas and exploring their capabilities." Judy has accumulated a lot of valuable experience in DHS and is very keen to share it with the underclassmen so they can be inspired. We would like to congratulate Judy again for securing her dream school offer, and we wish Judy a successful academic career and a bright future.
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