【Service Motto】
- International students are both witnesses to China’s development and storytellers of China’s story.
- Cross-cultural education requires a balance of high standards and genuine care, empathy, and mutual respect.
- Shanghai Jiao Tong University is a stage where young students and educators alike can fulfill their dreams.
At the University of Michigan–Shanghai Jiao Tong University Joint Institute, there is an outstanding staff member who has worked quietly and diligently for twelve years. With a pioneer’s spirit, she helped establish a distinctive international student recruitment system and contributed to building the “Study at SJTU” brand. With meticulous care and genuine compassion, she has embedded a student-centered philosophy throughout every stage of international students’ growth. By sharing China’s stories with students from around the world, she has inspired their affection for China and attracted young talents from diverse countries to study and exchange here.
She is both the “steward” of international student affairs and a caring “big sister” to the students. With dreams as her sail and passion as her wings, she guides aspiring international students to soar at SJTU. She is Zhang Yu, Director of the Office of International Undergraduate Admissions and Student Services at the Joint Institute.
Pioneering Progress: An Organizer of International Student Recruitment
President Xi Jinping has emphasized that “China will strengthen educational exchanges with countries around the world and expand educational opening-up.” Against this backdrop, attracting outstanding international students to study in China has become a vital component of advancing educational openness. As a frontier of China’s reform and opening-up, Shanghai—embracing diversity and inclusiveness—has positioned itself as a global hub for talent. Its world-class educational resources, international environment, and innovative, open-minded urban spirit provide strong support for international recruitment in higher education.
In 2012, Zhang Yu joined the Joint Institute, bringing with her the enthusiasm and aspirations cultivated during her graduate studies at the University of Michigan, and assumed responsibility for international student recruitment. To attract high-caliber international students, it was essential to establish a professional and feasible admissions system. Through extensive discussion and practical exploration with her team and admissions committees, Zhang Yu gradually helped develop a recruitment mechanism tailored to international students studying in China.
She and her team worked to optimize admissions evaluation criteria, application procedures, and scholarship systems, and supported the Institute in obtaining multiple accreditations from internationally recognized educational organizations. The Institute also joined global application platforms, building an efficient and convenient bridge for international applicants.
Zhang Yu carefully planned high-quality recruitment activities, curated distinctive promotional materials, and developed a diversified recruitment model combining online and offline approaches. She promoted the Institute’s participation in international organizations and global recruitment conferences and fairs, creating more opportunities for the Institute and SJTU to be showcased on the international stage. Over the years, she has traveled extensively to recruitment events worldwide, presenting the appeal of SJTU and the richness of Chinese culture with professionalism and passion, becoming an “ambassador in the air” and a recognizable face of international recruitment. Today, the Institute hosts more than one hundred international undergraduate students from 26 countries.
Dedicated Service: A Coordinator of the Full-Cycle Development of International Students
Zhang Yu deeply understands that the full-cycle cultivation of international students is essential to promoting cross-cultural exchange and strengthening friendship among young people from different countries. The challenges of English-medium, integrated management extend far beyond language, involving cultural differences and effective communication.
International students often face greater academic and daily-life pressures due to differences in learning styles and living habits, and typically require a longer adaptation period. In response, Zhang Yu has organized comprehensive orientation programs, launched an International Student Buddy Program, and arranged “Meet the Dean” sessions to help students integrate quickly into their new environment. She has incorporated career planning, mental health counseling, and safety education into students’ daily support systems; compiled operational handbooks for international student management; and guided the establishment and governance of the International Student Association.
She also built an all-around information release and consultation platform to help students efficiently resolve academic and life-related issues. To address challenges in research and internships, Zhang Yu adopted a dual-track approach: encouraging students to enhance professional skills through on-campus jobs and research assistantships, while also collaborating with enterprises to provide company visits, university–industry cooperation projects, research competitions, and international study programs. With her guidance and support, many international students have received national, municipal, and university-level scholarships and honors. After graduation, they have launched successful academic and professional careers worldwide, serving as bridges between China and the world.
Innovative Communication: A Promoter of SJTU Stories and China Stories
As the saying goes, “State-to-state relations lie in people-to-people bonds, and people-to-people bonds lie in hearts connected.” International students in China are ambassadors of cultural exchange and among the most compelling storytellers of China and SJTU in the new era. Through mainstream media outreach, cross-cultural platforms, and themed activities, Zhang Yu and her team encourage international students to voice their appreciation for China while embracing the world.
To deepen students’ understanding of Chinese culture and national conditions, she guided the Institute’s Cross-Cultural Communication Center in creating branded initiatives such as the “City Classroom” and traditional festival experiences. She led students to participate in activities such as the Institute’s Thanksgiving Day events and volunteer teaching programs at schools for migrant workers’ children, enabling them to understand China through exploration and practice. By guiding students to write news articles and produce creative videos, she has helped cultivate them into vivid narrators and effective communicators of China’s stories.
She has also contributed to building the Institute’s publicity brand by highlighting the diverse experiences of international students, launching featured columns such as Exploring the World with JI and International Voices at JI, integrating the promotion of the Institute, SJTU, and China’s stories. Her involvement in China Daily’s “Gen Z International Students View China” series has received widespread attention and acclaim.
Twelve years of dedication have forgd excellence through craftsmanship. Zhang Yu is a bridge connecting China and the world, a guide for international students navigating their journeys, and a steadfast source of support. Looking ahead, she remains committed to innovation, attentive service, and cultural communication—helping more international students realize their dreams in China.
She often says: “Every international student who comes to China takes great courage, carrying a dream and boarding that flight. I want to do everything I can to give them the wings to soar and let them fly across the world.” She believes that in the near future, more students will arrive in China and at SJTU with dreams and hope, writing their own remarkable stories—while she continues to stand behind them, offering unwavering support.
【Personal Profile】
Zhang Yu is a recipient of the First Prize of the Shanghai Jiao Tong University Management and Service Award. She holds a master’s degree from the University of Michigan and currently serves as Director of the Office of International Undergraduate Admissions and Student Services at the University of Michigan–Shanghai Jiao Tong University Joint Institute. Since joining the Institute, she has been devoted to international student recruitment, cultivation, and cross-cultural exchange, and has received multiple honors, including Outstanding Individual in Undergraduate Admissions and Annual Excellence Award.
Contributing Units: University of Michigan–Shanghai Jiao Tong University Joint Institute Faculty Affairs Office News Center
Translated by: Rebecca
Proofread by: Denise
