We're continuing our series of interviews with Dalian American International School and Dalian Huamei School Class of 2023 graduates. This time we talked to Rebecca Yu, a graceful young woman who is fond of social sciences, photography, tennis and scuba diving.
Rebecca has been part of DAIS/Huamei community since Grade 7, after a few years in a private elementary school in Dalian and 2 months in a public school. She said the difference between these schools was obvious from the very first minute she entered our campus: the international vibes, American style of teaching, and quality of education are second to none.
Humanities and Social Studies have been the favorite subjects of Rebecca throughout all 6 years she spent at DAIS/DHS, especially after Mr. Rojas's class she took in Grade 9. Rebecca said humanities are unrivalled in developing core skills – reading, speaking, and writing. "And all Social Studies teachers at DAIS are exceptionally nice and professional", added Rebecca. When choosing Advanced Placement courses, she opted for all Social Studies APs that our high school has to offer.
Social sciences have one more distinctive aspect that Rebecca mentioned to us – they make a person more extraverted. Our school gives students lots of opportunities to become more confident and practice social interaction. Some of these that Rebecca liked the most are the Debate Club and the annual Speech Contest where she received a few awards.
Rebecca's best decision at school, she thinks, was to attend the Model Unites Nations class and to join the MUN Leadership team. Working her way from a delegate to a deputy chair and recently to the Press and Publication Officer, Rebecca experienced the entertaining yet stressful MUN conference preparation process from all different perspectives. "I only wish I joined MUN earlier!" said Rebecca. One of the most remarkable projects within the DAIS Model United Nations program that Rebecca and her friends started was the Summer MUN. The main idea was to expand the idea beyond our campus and to let other schools in Dalian join the conference while their students are on vacation.
Rebecca (right) and her friend Susan at Summer MUN Conference
Being a photography enthusiast, Rebecca volunteered to take pictures of delegates during every MUN conference on DAIS campus. She said her favorite scenes and sources of inspiration have always been people, social events and beautiful nature. DAIS Visual Arts teacher Ms. Fan taught Rebecca how to use the camera to get the best images, how to handle ISO settings effectively, and some secrets of fine art photography. One of Rebecca's pictures (below) earned the Excellence Award in a JEA China Media Competition.
"Two Tibetan girls" by Rebecca Yu
Rebecca loves reading, playing electric guitar, dancing, and does several sports. She is a licensed scuba diver, started a tennis club at DAIS, and participated in soccer practices with our girls' team.
Together with her friends, Rebecca decided to do something BIG. They visited elders in a local nursing home, listened to their life stories and wrote them down so that the whole community would pay tribute. At DAIS, we believe that our community service programs provide students with the opportunity to become active members of their larger community, develop critical life skills and knowledge while making a difference in the lives of those in need.
Rebecca (left) visiting elders in a nursing home
Rebecca plans to study Law, History and Political Science at the University of Southern California for her undergraduate degree, with a law school as a potential future scenario. She encouraged her younger peers: "Don't hesitate to step out of your comfort zone (this is the most efficient way to gain confidence) and don't be afraid to reach out if you encounter any difficulties that you can't solve by yourself. In your junior and senior years, when you are the busiest, always know what's the most amount of work you can do, and accept a workload little more than that, so that you can explore your potential. Despite all of that, just enjoy 😉"
