畢業生 | 申昊正：5年全獎，源于真心的熱愛！

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畢業生 · 2025

很快，啟明星2025屆高中畢業生就要離開校園，奔向屬于自己的道路。在老師們眼中，這是“特別忠于自己內心”的一屆學生——他們篤定未來的方向，并且很努力，最終取得了傲人的成績！

篇幅有限，今年《畢業生》欄目，我們將介紹其中的3位，當然，其他孩子也像他們一樣，可愛、真誠，我們祝福他們！

申昊正 / Harry Shen

?9年級從公立學校轉入啟明星

?收到加州理工州立大學圣路易分校、伊利諾伊大學香檳分校、邁阿密大學、華盛頓大學、馬薩諸塞大學阿默斯特分校、俄亥俄州立大學、伊利諾伊理工學院、弗吉尼亞理工大學等高校錄取通知書，作為建筑學知名學府之一的邁阿密大學給予他5年本科學費全額獎學金。

熱愛=正確的方向!

怎么判斷一件事是不是孩子真心的熱愛呢？

聽Harry講他就要去學的建筑學，連我們都很受感染——這個學科這么斑斕，又有廣闊的就業空間！是Harry正確的努力方向沒錯啦！

打游戲都在蓋房子！

“好的建筑，比如很多古建筑，有一種符合邏輯的美。它們擁有自己的屬性和功能，又和周圍的環境融合在一起。在我的老家山西，有很多不起眼的古建。藏在偏遠的地方，但很獨特，特別美。”

“明清時期留下的建筑規模都比之前朝代的要小，因為到了明清，蓋房子用的大木料已經很少了。”

“前些日子美國加州大火為什么燒掉了那么多房子，因為那些房子都是木頭、紙板建的。美國的房產稅很高，和造價直接掛鉤，而且每年都要收，人們為了省錢就用木頭和紙板造房子，結果大火一來全燒了。加州海邊也有用磚石蓋的房子，大火過了就沒有什么事。”

“日本還有很多傳統樣式的房子，都是木頭造的。四根柱子，四條梁，今天日本人蓋房子的時候還有上梁儀式。”

說到建筑，Harry滔滔不絕，知道的特別多。他連最愛打的游戲都是建筑主題的。

Harry做實地調查時用鏡頭記錄的建筑

冷門建筑學？

Harry喜歡建筑學，可不是一時上頭，他連未來的就業也考慮到了。

“學建筑學，你要學工程、物理、藝術，知識是比較龐雜的，就業的時候可以轉到很多行業去，機會也多。”Harry說，“你可以做舞臺設計，做園藝，如果再和某一種領域結合，你就成了這個領域的建筑專家。比如有人專門設計醫院，有人專門設計監獄……”

Harry（左三）獲得室內設計獎“未來思想家”獎項

Harry不只了解這些機會，還對自己的職業做了進一步準備：“日本人很喜歡改建自己的住房一戶建，技術成熟，取材方便，成本也不高，建筑師在日本很有市場，而且進入事務所的建筑師還是終身制的。去日本工作是一個可能性，我也正在跟一個日本建筑師事務所的老師學日語。”

大考前跑去訪校

考慮清楚了熱愛和就業，Harry對自己的未來非常認真——

為了選對學校，4月下旬，大部分12年級學生準備IB大考的時候，Harry又去美國訪校了。

他訪問了加州和華盛頓州的4所大學——加利福尼亞理工州立大學、邁阿密大學、華盛頓大學、伊利諾伊大學香檳分校，這些大學是他收到的Offer里最鐘意的。

美國大學往往會為收到它們Offer的學生提供深度訪校機會。可國際學生在這個時候訪校的不多，Harry也是啟明星的第一個。

他參觀了校園，還在邁阿密大學和華盛頓大學和大一學生一起上課。訪校結束，Harry就決定去邁阿密大學了。

“我更關注學校的課程設置，而不是它的排名。大一下半學期，邁阿密大學已經在教3D建模了，比其他學校的進度要快。我覺得從那里畢業，我的專業知識會更扎實，更豐富。”

“另外，這所大學提供5年制教學，一畢業我就能獲得建筑師從業資格，不像在其他學校，學習4年之后還要繼續進修。”Harry說。

至于為什么能獲得驚人的5年全額獎學金，Harry在申請中展現出的熱情和專業素養當然是重要原因。還有一個關鍵因素就是他關注到學校官網上“必須提交作品集才有可能獲得全額獎學金”的一行小字提示，完善了申請材料。

Harry在規劃自己的學業生涯時，展示出許多成年人也難有的獨立和成熟！

找到自己

“要是沒有來啟明星，我很可能會隨大流，學個計算機或是電子信息工程。”Harry想了想說。

轉到啟明星之后，他接觸到和原來不一樣的學習方法；10年級的個人項目展之后，他更是找到了真心喜歡的專業方向。

在Harry看來，啟明星的IB課程體系和原來的學習體系天差地別。

“和完成一個結果相比，IB體系更多強調的是得到這個結果的學習過程、思考過程。老師也會告訴你完成學習項目的流程，先做什么，后做什么，教給你怎么從零開始完成一件事情。”Harry說，“這樣學習方法吃透了，可以應對各個領域、各個項目的學習。”

到了10年級，完成個人項目展，學校鼓勵大家做自己真心喜歡的主題。Harry做了一個北京中軸線上古建筑的AR呈現，把原來感興趣的城市規劃具象到建筑學的方向上：

從那以后，Harry圍繞建筑學四處探索，和老師聊天、向專家請教，做過山西當地很多古建的3D模型，并且全都收錄在他的大學申請作品集里。

“啟明星開放、包容，給了我們很大的探索自由和空間，也會給到我們很多支持資源。要是你有優勢，在這里都會被放大。回頭看，轉學到啟明星是正確的決定！”Harry說。

Harry的作品集（部分）

往日的所學支持Harry進入了理想的大學。他說：“希望在中學得到的成長也能在大學學習里能得上。”

然后，他頓了頓：“我想，肯定能用上！”

Class of 2025

Very soon, the Daystar Academy Class of 2025 will be leaving campus and embarking on their own journeys. In the eyes of our teachers, this is a class known for “being especially true to themselves”—they have a clear vision for the future, they work hard, and their accomplishments are amazing!

Due to space limitations, this year’s "Graduates" feature will highlight just three students. Of course, all our students are just as talented and genuine—we wish them all the best!

申昊正 / Harry Shen

?Transferred to Daystar Academy from a public school in 9th grade

?Received offers fromCalifornia Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo; University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign; University of Miami; University of Washington, Seattle, UMass Amherst, Ohio State University, Illinois Tech, Virginia Tech, along with a full five-year tuition scholarship for his undergraduate studies at University of Miami

Passion =

The Right Direction

How can you tell if a student is truly passionate about something?

Just listen to Harry talk about thearchitecture programhe’s about to start—his excitement is contagious! The subject is rich, full of creativity, and offers broad career prospects. Clearly, Harry is heading in the right direction.

Even His Gaming

is About Building

“Great architecture—like many historical buildings—has a logical kind of beauty. These structures have their own purpose and features while blending naturally into their surroundings. In my hometown of Shanxi, there are many ancient buildings that seem unremarkable but are actually very unique and beautiful,” Harry shared.

“In the Ming and Qing dynasties, buildings became smaller in scale because large timber was already scarce. Recently in California, wildfires destroyed so many homes because many were built with wood and cardboard. Property taxes in the U.S. are high and based on the value of the house, so people often use cheaper materials. Unfortunately, that makes homes more vulnerable. But houses built with brick or stone along the California coast withstood the fires much better.”

“Japan still has many traditional wooden homes, built with four pillars and four beams. Even today, when constructing such houses, the Japanese still hold a beam-raising ceremony.”

When it comes to architecture, Harry is unstoppable. Even his favorite video games revolve around architectural themes.

Harry photographed buildings during his field research

Is Architecture Really

a Niche Major?

Harry’s love for architecture is far from a passing interest. He’s also carefully considered career options.

“Architecture involves engineering, physics, and art—it's a broad field with many potential career paths,” Harry said. “You can go into stage design, landscape architecture, or specialize in certain types of buildings. For example, some people design hospitals, others design prisons.”

Harry (third from the left) at the Interior Design Award‘s "Future Thinker" Award

He’s even taken proactive steps toward preparing for the job market: “In Japan, it’s common for people to renovate their single-family homes. The techniques are mature, materials accessible, and costs reasonable. So there’s high demand for architects. Japanese architectural firms even offer lifetime positions. Working in Japan is one possible path for me, so I’m also learning Japanese from a professional in a Japanese firm.”

Visiting Universities Right

Before Exams

With a clear passion and future goals in mind, Harry has been very intentional about choosing the right university.

In late April, while most 12th graders were busy preparing for their IB exams, Harry traveled to the U.S. to visit universities.

He toured four of his top-choice schools—California Polytechnic State University, University of Miami, University of Washington, and University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

While U.S. colleges often provide in-depth visit opportunities for admitted students, it’s rare for international students to take advantage of this. Harry became the first Daystar Academy student to do so.

He toured the campuses and even sat in on college classes with first-year students at the University of Miami and University of Washington. After these experiences, he was confident in his decision: University of Miami it is.

“I really liked their course design. By the second semester of freshman year, they’re already teaching 3D modeling, which is faster than other schools. I feel that a degree from Miami will give me stronger and more comprehensive knowledge.”

Finding Himself

“If I hadn’t transferred to Daystar Academy, I probably would’ve followed the crowd and chosen something like computer science or electronical engineering,” Harry reflected.

At Daystar Academy, he was exposed to new learning methods, and during the 10th-grade Personal Project Exhibition, he discovered his true academic passion.

To Harry, the IB curriculum at Daystar Academy is a world apart from what he experienced before.

“Unlike traditional systems that emphasize just the result, the IB focuses more on the learning and thinking process that leads to the result. Teachers also guide you step by step on how to approach a project from scratch,” Harry said.“Once you’ve mastered this method of learning, you can apply it to any subject or project.”

For his 10th-grade Personal Project, students were encouraged to pursue something they genuinely cared about. Harry created an AR（Augmented Reality） presentation of ancient architecture along Beijing’s Central Axis, translating his interest in urban planning into an architectural direction.

Since then, Harry has continued to explore architecture—engaging with teachers, asking questions, and building 3D models of traditional Shanxi buildings, all of which were included in his university portfolio.

“Daystar Academy is open and inclusive. It gave me the freedom and support to explore, and helped amplify my strengths.Looking back, transferring to Daystar Academy was absolutely the right choice,” Harry said.

Selected works from Harry's portfolio

All he learned along the way helped him get into his dream school.Now, he hopes that his growth at Daystar Academy will continue to serve him in college: “I think it definitely will.”