A graduate of Xiamen University Malaysia (XMUM), Lai Yuxian joined Cornell University to pursue his Master's degree in Public Administration in the Autumn of 2022, specializing in economic and financial policy.

Lai Yuxian

“The course pattern here is quite similar with - some even identical to that in XMUM. Easy for me to adapt,” says Lai Yuxian.

Lai Yuxian was admitted to XMUM’s Finance programme in 2018. As a business student, what he values most is “the strong innovation atmosphere and abundant career resources”.

"In my freshman year, I often received emails about career development lectures or CEO talks, and I would always go with my classmates to listen. The seeds of my career path were possibly planted at that time."

From investment banks, private equity firms, to public offering foundations, Lai Yuxian started to try a variety of internships since sophomore year, which has greatly benefited his professional studies:

"For example, in my seminar on private equity, my previous internship experience - such as how to value a company, estimate its future value, calculate the ROI - can all be used."

Working in the real environment has also changed Lai Yuxian’s personality and way of thinking, making him more “shameless”: "Most people in the finance industry are kind of aggressive, fast in both speaking and thinking. Compare to the past, I am now more willing to express myself, not afraid to ask questions in class, even if I say something wrong."

With his profound industry experience and a CGPA of 3.67, Lai Yuxian received a bunch of graduate school offer letters in his final year, including New York University, John Hopkins University, University of Rochester, and Cornell University.

Looking back to his 4 years at XMUM, Lai Yuxian summarized with one sentence:

“For me, XMUM is never a wrong choice."

Though far away from Eurasia, Lai Yuxian's connection with XMU and XMUM has not been terminated. Last December, he joined Xiamen University Alumni Association in New York, where he met many outstanding alumni with years of industry experience:

Lai Yuxian with XMU Alumni Association in New York

"Everyone is very humble and kind, willing to accept and help us. They will tell us whether we can apply for a particular project, help us revise our resumes, and even provide opportunities for referrals - Making me feel at home in a foreign land."

When talking about his future plan, Lai Yuxian said that he plans to pursue his career in the finance industry, but he is also open to different possibilities.

"My driving force is to achieve my self-actualization. As a traditional person, it might be a success in my career, or having a good job and being able to take care of my family.

"I hold the belief that down-to-earth efforts will gain you good results. Even if the result is not that satisfactory, as long as I have worked hard, I don’t regret anything."

(Contributed by Wang Shengjie & Yuan Yunyi)