Xirui Dai, 22, grew up in Xiangyang, China. The history of Xianyang goes back to 1066 BC. When Qin Shi Huang established the first centralized empire in Chinese history in 221 BC, he chose Xianyang as the capital city, and then Xianyang became the center of politics, economy, and culture. After Qin dynasty collapsed, Liu Bang, the first emperor of Han dynasty, built a new capital called Chang’an near the old Xianyang in 202 BC. Since then, Xianyang became the imperial tombs of Han and Tang dynasty. The city houses over 20 emperors’ mausoleums, including Wu Zeting, the only female emperor in China’s history. Xirui learned this rich history from her parents, who took her to visit the city’s museums and emperors’ graves as a child.
JK Rolling is Xirui’s favorite author and she grew up reading the Harry Potter series. When she was 10, her father introduced her a book called Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. she was captivated by the magical world created by Harry Potter and admires the fantastical creatures and creations that came along with it. As she has grown up, she realized that this book has a lot you can learn about life friends. While Xirui truly loves the entire Harry Potter series, her favorite book is Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. She is fond of the third book in the series because it was more emotional than the first two; Xirui was touched by the love and friendship between Sirius and Harry.
Studying abroad has always been one of Xirui’s dreams. In the junior year, she began to apply for graduate school in America, Hong Kong, and the UK. In the end, She chose the University of Georgia.
“It’s not my dream school and I never thought I’d be here.” Xirui said.
Originally, she applied to ten different schools, including Columbia, but was rejected from some. She only began considering UGA after stumbling upon an article listing Grady College as one of the top five journalism schools in the nation. After more research, she decided UGA’s low tuition and high rankings made it the best choice for her.
The academic environment of UGA is what Xirui appreciate and she especially enjoyed the Narrative Journalism class. “I’m not sure what I will miss about UGA when I leave but I will miss the time I spent here,” Xirui said.
When taking the Narrative Journalism course, Xirui wrote the story of the 38-year separation of her great-grandparents following the Chinese Civil War, also known as the War of Liberation or Guó-Gòng Nèizhàn. This is Xirui’s favorite and best-written work because, to her, it is not simply the story of her family, but of many families across the nation who experienced similar separations.
The worst class Xirui ever took was an Undergrad college course in China on international journalism. Though it was her major and she was excited to learn more, the professor insisted on using boring powerpoints and suggesting endless links to websites for more research information. Xirui remembers how illogically the course was constructed and that assessments contained questions that weren’t even relevant to his lectures.
While interviewing, Xirui prefers to use a recorder. She finds it more convenient, as it ensures that she won’t miss anything that was said. She also likes that using a recorder allows her to maintain eye contact and have a more natural conversation with her subject.
Xirui’s career goals have stayed consistent throughout her time at UGA. She has always been interested in journalism, but especially broadcast journalism. “I love the video and I love writing so I want to combine those two together… [perhaps as a] program producer.” She wants to make her own program, be it a talk show, a cooking show, or a news program.
However, lack of confidence may be a stumbling block on her career path .”I really want to do something but I always feel I can’t do it, and I am afraid others would laugh at me if I screw it. So I would rather choose not to do it. ” Xirui said.
“You are more beautiful than you think.” This phrase came from a short film produced in 2013 as part of the Dove’s marketing campaign. When Xirui first watched the video, she almost cries. This phrase inspired her a lot. Whenever she feel self-doubt or feel hesitate about doing something, she told herself, “Don’t worry. You can do it. You are more beautiful than you think.”
In 5 years, Xirui sees herself living in a nice home with a husband and children. She plans to have a swimming pool and garden, as well as two pets: a cat and a dog. She hopes that she will have a successful career in broadcast journalism or as a producer.
“Also, I hope I can have a good figure,” Xirui said,”I’m trying to lose weight.”