Accepted into the Biology program at Stanford University

The annual BNDS Honored Student selection, which began in 2012, is the highest recognition of comprehensive ability among BNDS students. Awardees are the best representatives and interpreters of the school’s educational goals—developing comprehensively while maintaining individuality, possessing social responsibility, leadership qualities, and the ability to contribute meaningfully to others, society, and the collective; excelling in academic performance, consistently challenging and surpassing oneself…

Xia Yuan, 2024 International Department Graduate
Admitted to Stanford University, majoring in Biology

On a sunny afternoon in the summer of 2018, Xia Yuan first stepped onto the campus of BNDS. Together with his parents, he wandered around the school’s sports field for a long time, watching students playing soccer and running, filled with anticipation for the next few years of his life. At that time, his simple plan for the six years of middle and high school was clear: study hard, enjoy school life, make a few good friends, and move one step closer to his dream of becoming a scientist.

Fortunately, his wishes gradually came true. He made significant academic progress, formed lifelong friendships, and got even closer to his dream.

The Curious Scientist Dream

From a young age, Xia Yuan showed a deep interest in plants and animals. At the age of four or five, he often lay in the small garden downstairs in his home, watching grasshoppers with his friends. When he gently extended his hand, the green little creatures would jump lightly from the leaves and disappear into the distant grass, prompting him to excitedly chase after them, hoping to discover their tiny forms again. It was in these moments of “jumping” and “chasing” that Xia Yuan’s appreciation for the natural world quietly grew.

In elementary school, Xia Yuan’s greatest joy was lying by the roadside watching insects or catching small bugs in the wild. He particularly enjoyed reading popular science books on insects. His parents, while not experts in biology, fully supported his interest. They always sought learning resources for him and created opportunities for him to interact with nature.

Upon entering middle school, Xia Yuan officially started studying biology, transforming his childhood interest into a powerful motivation for learning. Driven by his curiosity about nature and love for life, he quickly became fascinated with biology and excelled in it. The textbook knowledge was no longer enough to satisfy his desire for learning, so, encouraged by his teachers, he began to explore high school and even university-level biology textbooks, reading books such as General Biology and General Zoology, and joined a biology reading group.

Xia Yuan realized that, although the material was becoming deeper and more challenging, he not only understood it but also found it increasingly interesting. He would devote five to six hours each day to studying biology, not feeling any frustration but enjoying it immensely, often entering a state of “flow.” This solidified his desire to become a biologist.

His love for biology through deep learning led him to choose biology as his preferred major for university, with biology competitions becoming a key part of his high school experience. Even though Xia Yuan planned to study abroad, he continued to attend the biology competition classes at the school’s main campus, with weekend intensive sessions and summer training never interrupted. To him, winning awards was not the main goal; what mattered most was how these experiences laid a solid foundation for future scientific research.

His biology competition coach, Mr. Fu Xin, welcomed Xia Yuan as an “extracurricular member” despite his busy schedule, for which Xia Yuan was very grateful. Since the competition class and his international department classes often conflicted, Mr. Fu would record lessons and send them to Xia Yuan, ensuring that he could catch up with the missed content. Through this intense study, Xia Yuan completed nearly ten courses and covered most of the content from university-level biology.

Beyond theory, Xia Yuan valued the practical application of knowledge. His high school biology teacher, Mr. Zhang Chun, witnessed Xia Yuan’s learning ability and exceptional performance over three years. Xia Yuan consistently ranked first in unit tests and overall grades, leading by a wide margin. Mr. Zhang attributed this to Xia Yuan’s “true understanding and transfer of knowledge” rather than rote memorization.

Xia Yuan’s innovative spirit was reflected in his enthusiasm for research topics. He explored various scientific inquiries such as neurodegenerative diseases and microbial metabolism. He also participated in Alzheimer’s disease research, conducting experiments with nematode models to screen potential drugs.

During high school, Xia Yuan spent over 500 hours in the laboratory. As Mr. Zhang described, he was “a student with strong action ability and excellent time management, capable of utilizing every available moment to steadily advance his research and adjust his direction quickly when encountering challenges.” Through extensive experimental practice and reading academic papers, Xia Yuan laid a solid academic foundation, accumulating rich experience and developing a clearer understanding of his future career path.

An introverted Person Can Be a Leader Too

In interviews, Xia Yuan described himself as a pure introverted person, not particularly skilled in socializing. During middle school, he was very introverted, rarely communicating with group members in activities. However, this changed significantly in high school, where his social and team management skills improved dramatically, something he considers “the greatest gain of high school and a lifelong treasure.”

This change began with the close-knit interactions in the IB program. With around 40 students per year, the small classes fostered close relationships. For example, in his biology class, there were only three students, and the teacher would often sit with them for discussions and study sessions.

This intimate atmosphere helped improve Xia Yuan’s social skills, enabling him to accept more friends. He and a few other biology enthusiasts formed a “base” on the fifth floor of the Yuan Zhi Building, where they would gather every afternoon after class, chatting and then heading to the lab for experiments.

In addition to this, Xia Yuan was deeply involved in many school clubs, with the longest and most impactful being the Synthetic Biology Enthusiasts’ Club. He spent four years there, contributing to team research projects in the first two years and then shifting to a mentorship role in the latter two.

Xia Yuan also participated in a biology competition. In his first year, he was the youngest member of the team, and struggled to engage in discussions with his senior teammates. Despite wanting to quit, he decided to persist, overcoming his “I-type” personality to engage more actively with the team. He took on a challenging task in the project—genetic editing of Pseudomonas aeruginosa—and gradually found his place in the team.

That summer, Xia Yuan quickly grew from a novice to a capable team member through intensive experiments, though not all efforts paid off. Despite their hard work, their plasmid construction failed, and they ended up with a bronze award due to a small experimental design mistake.

In the second year, Xia Yuan and another sophomore took on the role of team leaders. From recruiting new members to teaching molecular cloning, organizing the project, designing the plan, liaising with labs, conducting experiments, and even making artistic designs, it was a demanding year that gave Xia Yuan a profound understanding of the huge responsibilities of leadership.

There was one particularly nerve-wracking moment before the competition when their website encountered technical issues. With only 30 minutes left before the submission deadline, they were unable to fully fix the problem. As the team leader, Xia Yuan felt deeply guilty, fearing he had let down the entire team.

Fortunately, his teammates encouraged him, and they adjusted their focus to prepare for the other aspects of the competition. In the final defense, their performance was outstanding, and they won the global gold medal, marking the culmination of a challenging yet rewarding year. Xia Yuan was in the hospital receiving an IV drip at the time but still considered it “the most wonderful moment of the year.”

Life is a Multifaceted Gem

“Beyond being a scientist, my second dream is actually to be a writer.”
When Xia Yuan shared this in an interview, it was surprising at first, but upon reflection, it made perfect sense. After all, many scientists are also artists.

Both science and art require imagination and creativity, blending aesthetic, emotional, and intuitive elements. Xia Yuan’s love for literature stems from his rich inner emotions, which allow him to find resonance and an outlet for expression through