Reprinted from Hubei Daily
“From a ‘back-breaking child’ to a scientific researcher, this is something I could not imagine 9 years ago.” On June 25, at the Graduation Ceremony of China University of Geosciences (Wuhan) 2023, Wang You, a graduate student representative majoring in mechanics of the School of Mechanical Engineering and Electronic Information, shared his growth story, which moved many teachers and students.
Wang You was born in a rural family in Liuzhi Special Zone, Guizhou Province, and is an authentic Buyi “cowherd boy”. His parents are hardworking farmers, who did not even finish elementary school, and his mother only studied the first grade for half a year, but both husband and wife are very concerned about education.
When Wang You was very young, his mother taught him how to count and read in the sandy land. Later, in order to make a living, his parents had to go out to work. During his six years in elementary school, Wang You boarded with three families, underwent six school transfers, and even worked as a “Guiyang back-breaking man” to subsidize his family. He worked odd jobs all night at the construction site, and slept on bricks when he was tired. He didn't speak Mandarin clearly until he was in high school.
Despite the difficult conditions and even the difficulty of having a stable learning environment, Wang You was independent, understanding and always ranked among the top. In high school, he also provided assistance to the “empty nesters” in the village by raising money to repair an old well, and solved the problem of getting water for the elderly. After obtaining the college entrance examination scores, Wang You chose to apply for the mechanics major of China University of Geosciences, as the agricultural production in his hometown basically relies on farmers’ shoulders and back pack, with low mechanical coverage. He was determined to learn scientific skills well to improve the way of production and life in his hometown.
During his undergraduate studies, Wang You studied hard and formed a robotics team. With the joint efforts of more than ten people in the team, they researched and developed several prototypes such as sorting robots. After two years of work, he decided to take the postgraduate entrance examination again. This time, he worked harder and achieved more fruitful results. He published three papers in the Q1 top journals of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, obtained several invention patents, was awarded national scholarships and more than 10 honorary titles at or above the university level, and won nearly 20 awards at or above the university level, such as the “Internet +” Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition and the Mechanical Innovation Competition.
Wang You was grateful when he talked about his journey to study. He said that it is CUG that makes the poor boy fulfill his dream of studying at university, makes the “mountain child” who relies on the destiny to embrace the professional dream, and makes the confused “cowherd boy” realize the dream of success. He said that in the university campus, he was exposed to a wide and wonderful world, every grass and tree of the university warmed him, and the quality of advocating science and pursuing true knowledge inspired him, “I am grateful to my alma mater for lighting a bright light for me to go forward in the dark night.”
Upon hearing about Wang You’s growth story, many people from CUG have left comments: Excellent! Great! A student from Guangdong studying at CUG said, “Wang You is my role model, an excellent seniors are worth learning from!”
It is reported that Wang You will go to Harbin Institute of Technology to study for a doctoral degree and engage in the research on whole-industry automation.
(All media reporter of Hubei Daily: Zhang Xin; Correspondent: Sun Yanqin, Wang Junfang, Zhang Yuxian; Intern: Ren Su)
Editor in charge: Zeng Fanping