Win at the starting line

Win at the starting line

Good afternoon, everyone. Very happy to see so many new faces here. I am Wang Pengyuan, a senior student from class 1101. Today, it gives me a great honor to give a welcome speech here, to share with you some of my experiences as well as give you some suggestions in the beginning of your college life.

Actually, I am very much curious about your definitions of a good college life at this special point. Someone once complained to me that the college life is totally a waste of time and money. Do you think so? The answer is definitely no. Here I want to tell you that if you try to manage your college life well, you will find that it will be really a valuable part of your life.

And now I’m going to share with you my personal experiences of my college life. I remember when I was a freshman, a junior student was giving a speech on this stage I was so impressed by her, and made my mind to study hard. So what I did in my pervious three years was just about making full use of college resources to develop my own potentials. In my first year, I studied hard as I did in my high school, attending every class, listening to teachers carefully, reviewing after class and doing homework by myself. College at that time was a brand new stage for me, I was trying to find my way of adapting to it quickly. I participated in various kinds of activities to improve my abilities, such as joining in the students union, going to the old people’s home, selling newspapers outside campus, taking part in chorus competition and recitation contest. I think my ability is somehow improved through the year of efforts.

The second year was a very important turning point for me. I tried to learn more by myself and then apply the knowledge into practice. The very important event for me is the 18th China Daily 21st century cup national English speaking competition in which I got the first prize in our school. But what I want to mention is only the benefits I gained from this competition, for example, my English speaking ability has been improved, and no longer afraid of saying a word in public and also I made friends with many students from other universities with whom I can share experience. And some other competitions like Hubei provincial translation and interpreting competition, and so many more.

Another part is the social activities. In July 2013, I went to Singapore to be a volunteer in the second international traditional martial arts competition. That was also an amazing experience in my life. As you can see that I witnessed with my own eyes a different culture thus broadening my horizons. So here I want to appeal to you all that seize every opportunity to develop yourself, for the college is an integrated platform in the journey of your life through which you are bound to grow up.

The third years seems like a great leap for me. Equipped with the solid foundation I laid in the previous two years, I further participated in some important major-related contests, such as the outlook talent show held by CCTV, the fifth cross-strait interpreting competition and national English ability competition. Through all these contests, I found myself much more confident in the road ahead.

Next I’m going to give you some suggestions to help you manage your college life better.

Suggestion1: Learn as much as possible.

For most of us college can be an unforgettable period for us to learn something. Some one once said that university is like a dye vat, which means that you may be easily influenced by others. If you want to learn something you will be embraced by knowledge and wisdom; and if you don’t have the desire to learn you will find you get nothing after 4 years’ college life.

Suggestion2: Cultivate your potentials and interests.

As we know, university is an integrated platform compared with high school. You do not need to bury your head in the books all day long. You need to conduct your self-cultivation and find where your interests lie in. For example, if you have the talent for dancing, you can join in the dance association. Just show it. Life will be colorful if there is joy.

Suggestion3: Always be optimistic and hopeful.

Everybody knows that college life is mostly determined by ourselves. Sometimes you may find that teachers can’t instruct you in every aspects. So you may easily come across difficulties with which you will get bored. But please remember that life has its ups and downs, adversity is just part of our lives. Be optimistic, you will always find your way out.

In a word, combine all the suggestions I’ve mentioned above with your own characteristics and stick to it, you will find success lies in somewhere along the road.

OK, since time is limited, I will stop here. If you have further question, come to me, I will always be willing to help. That’s my part for today. Thank you.

（中文译文）

大家下午好，今天非常高兴能和这么多新鲜的面孔相聚于此。我叫王鹏远，大四1101班的员工，今天感到万分荣幸能在这和大家分享自己的经历并且在你们老员工活刚开始的时候给你们一些建议。

其实我十分好奇你们在这样一个时间点对于一场精彩老员工活的定义。有人曾经抱怨说大学四年完全是浪费时间和金钱, 对此，你们是这样认为的吗？答案是否定的。我想告诉大家的是，只要你们好好经营自己的老员工活，它将成为你们人生中的宝贵财富。

接下来我想和大家简单分享一下我大学的经历。我始终记得我大一的这个时候一位学姐在这个台上给我们分享经验的场景。我当时被她的英语口语深深震撼了，因而决定努力奋斗，争取达到像她一样的水平。所以，我在大学期间所做的其实就是充分利用大学的各种资源发展自己的潜力，提升自己的水平。大一的时候，我像高中那样刻苦学习，从不逃课，上课认真听讲，课后认真复习，独立完成作业。那个时候，大学对于我来说是一个全新的人生阶段，我必须想办法让自己尽快适应它。为了提高自己的能力，我积极参加各种各样的活动和社团，诸如加入员工会、走访敬老院、街头义务卖报、红歌合唱比赛及朗诵比赛等。通过一年的努力，我的能力在很大程度上得到了提高。大二一年，对我来说是一个非常重要的转折点。我尝试着学习尽可能多的知识并将其运用到实践中。第十八届中国日报社21世纪杯全国英语演讲比赛就是我老员工活中仍旧光彩夺目的一笔，我非常幸运地获得了学校的特等奖。但其实名次远远不是最重要的，重要的是我从这个比赛中真的收获了很多。很明显，我的英语演讲能力得到了一定程度的提升，从此不再惧怕在公众面前发言，同时我也认识了一些在英语方面志同道合的朋友，能一起共享英语学习心得。其他诸如湖北省翻译大赛等，我就不在此一一赘述。此外，社会志愿活动也值得一提。2013年7月，我有幸能够作为一名志愿者赴新加坡参与第二届新加坡国际传统武术大赛。同样也是我人生中一次有价值的体验，我亲身感受了一种不同的文化，开阔了眼界。在这里，我想告诉大家的是，大学是我们人生旅程中一个综合的平台，我们应该抓住每一个提升自己的机会，只要这样才能得到成长。

大三这一年对于我的成长进步又是一次巨大的飞跃。有了前两年打下的英语基础，我参加了更多重要的学科竞赛，获得中央电视台“希望之星”英语风采大赛湖北省决赛一等奖、第五届海峡两岸口译大赛一等奖、全国老员工英语竞赛一等奖等。经过这样一系列的赛事，我对英语学习的道路更加有信心。接下来，我会给大家一些建议，以帮助大家为自己的大学时光增光添彩。

建议一：涉猎知识，充实自己

对于在座的大多数同学来说，大学四年将会是你们人生中异常宝贵的学习时光。有人曾经作过这样的比喻，大学就像一个染缸，这就意味着你的行为很容易会被他人左右。其实，如果你下定决心去学习，你会被知识和智慧环绕；但如果你失去了学习的欲望，你的大学四年可能会一无所得。

建议二：发挥潜力，培养兴趣

大家都知道，相对高中来说，大学是一个综合的平台。我们不需要整天埋头苦学，而是要力求全面发展，修身养性，找到自己的兴趣所在。比如说，如果你热爱跳舞，不妨加入舞蹈协会去锻炼自己。大胆去展示吧！有乐趣的生活才会多姿多彩。

建议三：乐观向上，充满希望

可能大家听说过，老员工活由自己主宰。有时候你会发现师长们不会告诉你每件事该如何处理，所以有时候对碰到的困难感到手足无措实属正常。但是，请记住，生活充满了跌宕起伏，困境仅仅只是生活的一部分。保持积极乐观，你总会找到出路。

总之，大家应该把自己的特点与上述建议相结合，并坚持下去，你会发现成功就在离你不远的地方等着你。