ZUST and Me

Anne Chileshe is my name and I come from Zambia. I am a Statistical and Financial Actuarial Science graduating student. I first learnt of ZUST from their website and videos that had been posted by one of their students at the time. I already knew what I wanted to study but I didn’t know which university to pick from so I simply just searched over the internet and ZUST seemed to have caught my eye. To my surprise, I didn’t encounter a lot complexity when I initially arrived in China in September of 2017, and this was because I met the perfect individuals who came to my rescue and made me feel at ease when settling down and excited about my studies here.

Attaining a degree was the reason that brought me to ZUST, China and so I focused more on that in my first year, dedicating more of my time towards studies. Well, this worked out in my favor as I was awarded with a 50% Excellent Degree Student Scholarship in my second year of study. But I later realized that all work and no play would make me a dull girl and so I decided to balance both school and leisure.

I eventually started to dedicate my time towards engaging in campus life, which included participating in events. I pushed myself to learn and perfect the Chinese language, as well as to become completely absorbed in Chinese culture and customs. This opened doors to opportunities I wouldn’t have imagined obtaining.

As a result of getting a hang of both school and leisure, scholarships such as the Excellent Degree Student Scholarship and the Zhejiang Government Scholarship were bestowed upon me each year consecutively. This was due to my hard work, which only encouraged me to strive even more every time throughout my 4 years of study.

I participated in a number of activities and joined several clubs as a student of ZUST and these include the Netball Team, the Volleyball Team, the Music Club, the Debate and Chess club (for a short period only). Whilst I was living on school campus, I took part in the Cozy Dorm competition as well as the Color Run and emerged victorious in both. I was also chosen to represent my school in a dragon dance that was taking place in another city and was such a great exposure I experienced. Despite traveling back to my country once COVID-19 hit, I was still able to take part in online activities that were available such as the ‘My Beautiful Encounter’ Essay competition of which I won second place.

ZUST in My Eyes

Three words that resonate in my mind when I think about ZUST are helpful, diverse and amazing. ZUST has really played a role in helping me achieve my dreams and getting to where I am at this very moment.

Farewell Messages

With this being said, I'd like to express my gratitude to ZUST for the opportunity provided to me. Not only have my studies advanced, but I have also matured substantially as a result of my experiences. I am grateful to all of my professors and teachers for their time, effort, and support. They were extremely influential in my academic career. I also want to express my gratitude to my friends for being there for me throughout this incredible adventure and for providing me with so many amazing experiences. I also greatly thank God for his faithfulness over my life.

For the remaining students, I would encourage you to never give up on anything, not until the fat lady sings at least. But regardless of whatever you are going through, you can achieve whatever you want as long as you put your mind to it. If many of us can do it, so can you.

Last but not the least, I would like to CONGRADUALTE all of my 2021 graduating peers. It hasn’t been an easy journey but it’s definitely been worth it. I wish you well even as you carry on onto the next phase of life.

Always remember that not even the sky is the Limit.