Gathering from Afar: The First Online and Offline Alumni Sharing Event for International Students Held at SNAI
"One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, where are my friends? In Beijing, in Shanghai, my friends are here." On November 23, during the 6th Alumni Day, led by 2022 Ghanaian alumna Abigail Quarshie, a beautiful melody echoed in Room 212 of the Third Teaching Building at the college, and simultaneously through the microphones of international alumni participating online. This marked the first-ever hybrid gathering and sharing event for international alumni since the inception of the college's international student program.
The event attracted over 50 international alumni from 23 countries, with six alumni from Myanmar, Ghana, Tanzania, and Eritrea returning to the campus they had long missed, while the rest joined online from their respective countries. Additionally, 50 current students from the 2023 and 2024 cohorts participated. College Party Secretary Zhang Feng, Deputy Party Secretary and Dean Lu Wenbin, Party Committee Member and Vice Dean Zhang Gexing, along with mentors, faculty members, and staff from the International Education Center, attended the event in person.
To provide opportunities for knowledge renewal and exchange among the college's international alumni scattered across the globe, the International Education Center meticulously designed and arranged a series of enriching activities. In the morning, the college invited Ms. Ndidi Nnoli-Edozien, a board member of the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB), to deliver a lecture titled "Latest Developments in ISSB: International Financial Reporting Standards S1, S2, and Future Priorities." In the afternoon, 13 alumni representatives shared their experiences on topics such as career development, Chinese language learning, thesis research, and pursuing doctoral studies, leaving a profound impression on the audience.
In his opening speech, Vice Dean Zhang Gexing warmly welcomed the enthusiastic participation of alumni worldwide and shared updates on the college's recent achievements, including the approval of doctoral degree conferral authority and the establishment of an auditing doctoral program, new qualifications for short-term training under the Ministry of Commerce's foreign aid program, a cooperation memorandum with ACCA for conditional exam exemptions, and the construction of the Graduate Education Center. Upon hearing these updates, the alumni were thrilled and expressed their desire to revisit the college if given the opportunity.
During the sharing session, alumni expressed deep gratitude for the college's nurturing environment, which not only imparted accounting expertise but also deepened their understanding of China's reform and development experiences. They also credited the college for helping them learn Chinese, laying a solid foundation for their career development and further studies after returning home. Alumni also shared their own good news. For instance, 2018 alumna Thin Thin Aung from the Myanmar Ministry of Foreign Affairs was promoted and assigned to the Myanmar Embassy in Beijing as an Economic Counselor, where she actively applied her knowledge to foster positive economic and trade relations between China and Myanmar. 2016 alumnus Pilirani Mathews Kandiado from the Malawi Ministry of Finance recently led the successful digital transformation of Malawi's financial system, making Malawi one of the few African countries to achieve a paperless electronic payment system and ushering in a new era of efficient decision-making. 2022 alumnus Ndinehafo Nashikale Mbahono from Namibia's Ministry of Home Affairs, Immigration, and Security shared that after returning home in July, completing degree verification, and reporting on academic achievements and research results, he was promoted from a local police station to the headquarters in Windhoek, transitioning from crime-fighting to accounting work in the commercial investigation and anti-money laundering department, marking a significant career transformation. The alumni congratulated each other on these remarkable achievements.
To give back to the college for its nurturing and to pass on the college's culture of excellence, alumni offered sincere and valuable advice to current international students. They encouraged students to cherish their learning opportunities, study both in the classroom and through practice, master Chinese with dedication and effort, prioritize and enhance research capabilities, seize opportunities provided by the college to build networks and prepare for future careers, balance study and life with a positive mindset, maintain physical and mental health, and embrace lifelong learning to grow alongside the college.
To better unite and connect alumni and continuously enhance the brand influence of the college's international student program, the event also launched the International Alumni Ambassador Program. Director Tian Bei of the International Education Center read the initiative, and Secretary Zhang Feng and Dean Lu Wenbin presented honorary certificates to the first three alumni ambassadors: Abigail Quarshie, Dismas Bernard Mwacha, and Negash Kelil Bushura.
Alumni are a vital asset to the college, forming a life community closely tied to its development. The work with international alumni is one of the key drivers in building the college into a globally renowned accounting institution. Moving forward, under the correct leadership of the college's Party Committee, the International Education Center will continue to build platforms for communication and exchange among international alumni, strengthen the emotional bonds between alumni and their alma mater, and make practical efforts to excel in the "second half" of international student cultivation.
