The results of the UIUC Rhetoric Student Essay Contest were recently announced, with Ren Xiaoyu, class of 2029 in Computer Engineering at ZJUI, Wu Yinan and Xu Zitian, class of 2029 in Electrical Engineering at ZJUI, and Yu Fei, class of 2029 in Mechanical Engineering at ZJUI, recognized as winners under the guidance of UIUC Adjunct Faculty Lecturers Ryan Flanagan and Ashley Barr. All four students distinguished themselves through clear and rigorous argumentative reasoning and solid English writing abilities, excelling in competition with native English speakers.
Ren Xiaoyu’s award-winning essay Where Stories Linger frames her bedroom as a deeply personal, transformative space. Against this intimate backdrop, she traces the quiet evolution of her literary craft, chronicling how reading and writing shifted from mandatory schoolwork to a heartfelt, lifelong passion.
Wu Yinan’s Yinjiang Town: Where My Inner Peace Comes From is a tender love letter to her hometown. Weaving together vivid depictions of its lush landscapes and tight-knit community, she explores how her roots have nurtured her creative voice and shaped her inner world.
Xu Zitian’s Writing Will Find a Way charts his transformative journey with writing. Drawing profound inspiration from The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, he argues that writing transcends mere academic obligation, it is a powerful medium for preserving memories, articulating thoughts, and uncovering one’s authentic inner voice.
Yu Fei’s My Journey to English Literacy chronicles her personal odyssey of mastering English reading and writing. Spanning classroom lessons to immersive real-world interactions across diverse linguistic contexts, she reflects on how practice, resilience, and hands-on experience helped her build unshakable confidence in her English literacy skills.
The Rhetoric 101-Principles of Writing and Rhetoric 102-Principles of Research courses offered by ZJUI focus on guiding students to explore their areas of personal interest. They foster students' critical thinking skills through heuristic teaching methods, while also enhancing their communication and expression skills. The curriculum bridges the gap between theory and practice by empowering students to develop a framework for systematic thinking. Participants will strengthen their core writing abilities while learning to tackle complex problems through a multicultural lens. This process sharpens their cultural awareness and equips them to contribute fresh, innovative perspectives in a global context.
