What a wonderful few days exploring the Scottish Highlands with a brilliant group of students from the Dundee International Institute of Central South University (DIICSU), together with colleagues from Central South University.
It was such a pleasure spending the weekend with everyone while travelling through some of Scotland’s most beautiful places, from Pitlochry and Culloden to Loch Ness, Glenfinnan and Glencoe. The students brought so much energy, curiosity and enthusiasm to the trip, and I came away with some very special memories too.
The visit also carried a particularly personal meaning for me.
My dad is a proud Central South University graduate and also a Professor-level Senior Engineer, a title reflecting the highest level of professional engineering expertise in China. He entered university at just 15 years old, while still in his first year of senior high school, after taking the university entrance examination for the first time and gaining admission. He later built a long career in industry, eventually serving as a CEO, while continuing to maintain links with CSU through collaborative projects and professional connections. He is now retired.
Looking back at some of the photographs and work from his CSU years while spending these few days with a new generation of CSU students made the experience feel especially meaningful. Different generations, the same university, and very different journeys connected by education, industry and opportunity.
Thank you to Christine Sinclair, Jenna Gaden and Brian Plüss for giving me the opportunity to support the visit, and to Yi Zeng and Haiyang Wang for being such warm, professional and supportive CSU colleagues throughout the weekend. I particularly loved how smoothly everyone worked together: our WeChat group and the CSU colleagues’ check-in system kept everyone connected and made coordinating the group remarkably easy throughout the journey.
And a special thank you to Terri, our fantastic guide, whose knowledge, energy and responsiveness really brought the Highlands to life, and to Mark, our driver, who was very helpful throughout the journey.
Wishing all of the students every success in the next stages of their journey. I hope they take many wonderful memories of Scotland with them, just as I will take some very special memories of this group with me.
Originally shared on LinkedIn.
