On the morning of September 14th, SBC held 2024 Top-Table final competition of T-Week and scholarship awards ceremony in TB 201, the lecture hall in the teaching building.
Professor Rupert Ward, Executive Dean of SBC, Professor SHAN Yanguang, Vice Dean of SBC, Gordon Callan, Head of School of Language, Education, and Cultures, Adrian Chong, Head of School of Engineering and Computing, Shirley Lyu, Programme Leader of the School of Business and Management, Jon Cooper, EAP lecturer of School of Language, Education, and Cultures, representatives of tutors and students and the participants of the T-Week project attended the activity.
2024 T-Week project involved two weeks of academic and cultural exchange activities, focusing on the theme “How can innovation be used to improve Shanghai”. These included English language practice, academic skills training, peer mentoring, enterprise visits, and cultural experiences. Participants were required to take an academic assessment (i.e. an individual presentation) presenting their research findings and have a discussion with the academic staff, with the guidance of student mentors and lecturers during the preparation.
In the preliminary round, 10 contestants advanced to the final round after intense competition, where they competed for the Top-Table Excellence Scholarship. During the final, the contestants delivered academic presentations and shared their insights from various perspectives, such as education, society, environment, and technology in English. They demonstrated their eloquence and deep understanding of the issues, confidently responding to questions from the academic panel. Gordon Callan, Head of the School of Language, Education, and Cultures commented: “The final competition is an evaluation of not only their public speaking abilities but also their research skills and critical thinking, which are key elements of the T-Week project.” He hoped that the participants would achieve even greater success in their future studies.
The judges carefully listened to each contestant's speech and rated them based on content, language skills, and overall impression. They also posed questions to each, who demonstrated strong adaptability and a good command of English. Ultimately, BAO Haoyuan and ZHU Junning, both freshmen in Mechanical Engineering, were awarded the 2024 Top-Table Excellence Scholarship.
Professor Rupert Ward presented the Excellence Scholarships to the winners and congratulated them on their achievements. He also commended the finalists and all the participants, encouraging them to develop not only academic and independent learning abilities but also soft skills such as communication, problem-solving, and leadership during their college years. He hoped that the students would make the most of their time at SBC to build a solid foundation for their future growth.
Professor SHAN Yanguang presented the Best Runner-Up Speakers award to MENG Ruojin in Business Management, and YANG Biying in Mechanical Engineering. Gordon Callan awarded the Best Team Players to SHEN Tongyu and SHENG Zhuoyun, both from in Mechanical Engineering. Adrian Chong, Shirley Lyu, and Jon Cooper also awarded the T1 Scholarship to all the participants.
Each Top-Table participant, as a freshman of SBC, took part in a two-week intensive English language training project, experiencing SBC’s English teaching in all the academic lessons in business and engineering. After class, they brainstormed with senior student mentors, receiving professional guidance on academic abilities and English public speaking skills. ZHU Zheyin, a Year 2 student in Business Management, shared her thoughts as a mentor representative: The two weeks passed quickly. All the participants have changed and grown a lot during this project except their passion towards learning. It was an honor to act as a guide for them this time, witnessing their courage to explore, challenge themselves, and grow together. I am grateful for this journey and believe they will create their own brilliant future at SBC!
BAO Haoyuan, one of the Top-Table Excellence Scholarship winners, expressed the gratitude in his sharing: Thank you to all the lecturers for their patience and guidance, and to my peers for their support and encouragement. I will strive even harder at SBC, embracing new opportunities and challenges as I step toward a brighter future! Going forward, SBC will continue to provide abundant resources and platforms to support students' growth. Responsible Leadership, Enterprise and Innovation and Cultural Empathy, the three overarching themes will be integrated into every aspect of SBC’s talent development, helping students grow, mature, and succeed.
