毕业声 | G6 转入耀华的那个女孩，六年后用画笔斩获 8 所世界顶尖艺术院校 offer

In G6, Emily transferred from a public school to YWIES Lingang. The opportunity to choose YWIES came from a friend’s recommendation, but what truly made her fall in love with it was the atmosphere, so different from traditional schools.

Small-class teaching, classrooms blending Chinese and international perspectives, and an open and inclusive atmosphere—all of this felt fresh and aspirational to Emily at the time. Back then, she had no idea that this transfer to a new school would open a brand-new door for her.

Many people believe that children who pursue an artistic path have a clear goal from an early age. However, Emily's story offers parents a different answer.

At first, art was just a mandatory elective among her courses. She enjoyed drawing but never considered it as a future major.

The turning point came during her IGCSE exams. With a relaxed mindset, she prepared her portfolio—only to receive unexpectedly excellent results. Looking back on those intense days of rushing to meet deadlines, though she barely had time to eat or sleep, she truly enjoyed the process—

'I savored the quiet solitude of sketching with headphones on, and I also loved the laughter of working on installations with friends.'

Respecting a child's talents and seeing their passions—this may be the shared educational understanding among YWIES families.

'These six years have brought me considerable confidence, not limited to any particular subject. In a harmonious and free atmosphere, I learned how to treat others with kindness, while also possessing the courage to speak up against injustice—because there were always teachers behind me as a strong support.'

'This is something that, no matter five or ten years from now, I can still feel that steady sense of reassurance.’

This statement, perhaps, is the best annotation for YWIES's education.

聊到申请季，Emily反复提到两位老师的名字：在学校艺术老师Agnes张和升学指导老师Charling张的全程陪伴下，她走完了整个申请季。

When talking about the application season, Emily repeatedly mentioned the names of two teachers: with the full support of the school's art teacher Agnes Zhang and college counselor teacher Charling Zhang, she made it through the entire application season.

'From Teacher Agnes Zhang, I gained a great deal—not only in artistic technique but, even more importantly, in logical thinking'.

Under Agnes Zhang's guidance, Emily gradually learned to brainstorm, explore different creative methods and mediums, and began to reflect on the social issues behind art. She always encouraged Emily to be bold in her attempts—from innovating with inspiration to hosting an art exhibition. Every last-minute preparation taught her to adapt on the fly.

'The industry experience she shared subtly influenced how I conduct myself when facing problems.'

Ms. Charling Zhang, the college guidance counselor, was Emily’s most trusted support throughout the application season.

'She is responsible and approachable. Being young, she has less of a generation gap with me. While efficiently revising my essays, she repeatedly confirmed the content with me and respected my ideas.' 'She was always available online after school, and I often bothered her as soon as she arrived at work.'

The phrase 'always available online' reflects countless late nights of overtime work. The words 'respected my ideas' embody a rare and genuine dedication to education.

The close collaboration between the Art Department and the CUGO College Guidance Office provided Emily with the most comprehensive support. From polishing her portfolio to revising essays, from selecting schools to preparing for interviews, she received professional guidance right on campus—this is the confidence YWIES instills.

Talking about the time she received her offers, Emily smiled and said, 'My heart was in my throat'. To meet the deadlines for submitting her portfolio and staying up late for reviews, she was so nervous that she habitually woke up in the middle of the night to check her email—

Eight top art schools, from the United States to the United Kingdom, from fine art to illustration:

In the end, Emily chose the Illustration program at the School of Visual Arts (SVA).

Her reasons were practical: SVA has a close partnership with YWIES, which gave her the opportunity to interact with admissions officers early on and feel the warm atmosphere of the school. More importantly, it was New York's unique geographical advantages and SVA's top-tier illustration program that sealed the deal.

作为"过来人"，Emily也给想走艺术路线的学弟学妹们分享了自己的心得：

"放平心态，先完成，再完美——这是我认为至关重要的。"

她坦言，准备作品集的过程中也经历过焦虑和纠结，拖延了不少时间，导致提交时的调整空间很有限。所以她想告诉大家：不用追求一开始就做到完美，先动起来，先完成，再一步步打磨优化。

As someone who has 'been there and done that', Emily also shared her insights with juniors who are considering pursuing an artistic path:

'Stay calm. Finish it first, then perfect it — that’s what I believe is crucial'.

She admitted that during the process of preparing her portfolio, she experienced anxiety and hesitation, which caused a lot of delays and left very little room for adjustments when it came time to submit. So she wants to tell everyone: don’t aim for perfection from the start. Just start moving, get it done first, and then refine and improve it step by step.

聊到未来，Emily说，选择插画专业的原因之一，是想"了解艺术的真谛，传达心之所想"。而这，恰好也是她在耀华学到的最重要的事——

用自己的方式，表达自己，成为自己。

从G6那个对未来还懵懂的转学女孩，到即将奔赴纽约的插画专业新生，六年耀华时光，Emily找到了自己的热爱，也找到了自己的方向。

而这，或许就是耀华教育最动人的地方：

不要求每个孩子都走同一条路，

而是看见每个孩子的独特光芒，

然后给他们支持，给他们舞台，

让他们长成自己想要的样子。

就像Emily张，用一支画笔，画出了属于自己的精彩未来。

祝福Emily张在纽约的新生活一切顺利，

也期待更多耀华学子，在这里找到属于自己的路。

When talking about the future, Emily said that one of the reasons she chose to major in illustration was to "understand the true essence of art and convey what’s in her heart." And that, as it turns out, is exactly the most important thing she learned at YWIES—

Express yourself in your own way, and become yourself.

From a confused transfer student in Grade 6 who had little idea about her future, to a freshman about to head to New York for an illustration major—over six years at YWIES, Emily found what she truly loves and discovered her own direction.

And perhaps that is the most touching aspect of a Yew Wah education:

It doesn’t require every child to walk the same path.

Instead, it sees the unique light in each child,

then gives them support, gives them a stage,

so they can grow into who they truly want to be.

Just like Emily, who with her paintbrush, has painted a brilliant future of her own.

Wishing Emily all the best in her new life in New York,and looking forward to seeing more Yew Wah students find their own path here.