As graduation approached, I asked my daughter what she would call her solo exhibition of drawings based on her experiences over the past four years.
No elaborate phrasing. Just a straightforward sentence in English—and yet, within it, four years at NYU Shanghai were preserved, stroke by stroke, line by line. As I turned the pages of her sketchbook, her university years came alive before my eyes.
From our perspective as parents, the university is defined by a spirit of internationalism, diversity, inclusion, and freedom.
Students from across the globe come together here. Differences are embraced with grace, and mistakes are understood as an essential part of growth. From the intellectual awakening fostered by the GPS curriculum to the invitation to “make the world your major,” from the freedom to explore academic interests to the encouragement of student organizations and competitions, from opportunities to discover new passions to the platforms for showcasing artistic talent—the university offers its students not only choices, but also the support to become fully themselves.
For her, these four years were a personal journey of joy, resilience, balance, and transformation.
She navigated the challenges of an all-English classroom in her first year and endured the uncertainties and disruptions of the pandemic with determination and courage. Along the way, she built lasting friendships with people from every corner of the world. Through them, she encountered different cultures, customs, and ways of thinking. What began as curiosity—and sometimes bewilderment—gradually evolved into understanding, empathy, and appreciation. Her view of the world expanded, and with it, her understanding of herself.
Perhaps most precious of all was the sense of balance she found between academic ambitions and personal passions. During her study away semester in New York, she documented her daily life through sketches shared on Rednote. One piece, The Rockefeller Center Christmas Ice Rink, even earned recognition from Rockefeller Center itself—a small but memorable affirmation of the joy she found in creating.
Over these four years, she moved between cities and cultures, classrooms and communities. She traveled, observed, connected, and reflected. Her horizons broadened; her thoughts grew deeper and more mature. There were moments of anxiety and uncertainty, as there are in every young life. But far more often, she carried herself with confidence, composure, and a quiet optimism about the future.
The lines she leaves on paper are more than drawings. They are traces of a life lived, memories captured, and moments cherished. They are evidence of her years at NYU Shanghai—and of a person becoming the very best version of herself.
