Far from her comfort zone, grad grows and shines

As recipient of the Jubilee Medal for the Faculty of Science, Liyuan (Leslie) Ren is finishing top of her faculty. Despite earning a near-perfect 9.0 grade average, for Ren, the university experience was about more than just academics.

“It was a pretty challenging last five years,” she admits with a smile. “I wasn’t even aware there was an award, so I’m actually pleasantly surprised!”

After completing high school in her native China, Ren was determined to move to Canada, learn English and get a university education. She chose UVic for the climate, beauty and size, and because it was a research-based university. “It was the best decision I ever made,” she says confidently.

Ren began liking school more and more as her English improved, and she says her senior year as a financial mathematics student was quite enjoyable. “Language is one of the biggest barriers international students face,” she explains, “I worked really hard on it my first couple of years here.”

A competitive student, Ren was always on the lookout for a new challenge, and one was provided with the co-operative education program.

During co-op terms, Ren analyzed financial trends at HSBC, worked in the business intelligence department at HootSuite, and worked with subsampling estimators under Dr. Min Tsao as an undergraduate researcher at UVic.

“I am forever grateful to Dr. Tsao,” Ren says. “He really went out of his way to help me get an undergraduate research position, and he was interested in my interests, not just how they complimented his research.”

When asked whether she enjoyed co-op, Ren responds with a laugh: “Whoever invented co-op was a genius!” Getting out of her comfort zone and trying something new helped Ren build her skillset and make new networking connections. It gave her more confidence and provided an opportunity for mentorship from supervisors.

Co-op terms also meant leisure time to enjoy some of the finer things in life. “Ice cream and cheesecake are my favourite foods,” she explains and her eyes light up. “You can make all sorts of different types of cheesecakes, there are lots of variations.” She likes to bake mini cheesecakes and share them with friends and colleagues. “I feel so happy after I eat something good. It’s the small things that make you happy. So simple.”

Ren is taking some time off of scholarly endeavors this summer to enjoy her accomplishments, but she’s staying busy networking and taking Toastmasters classes—something she recommends to all undergraduate students. In August she’ll be moving to Ontario to begin her master’s degree at the University of Toronto. 

Her parents, who have never been to Canada, will be making the journey to see their daughter walk across the stage at convocation this month. “I’m very thankful to have supportive parents who trusted me,” says Ren. “My co-op supervisors and the math department at UVic were also extremely supportive and got to know me personally, which made for a really great university experience.”

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More student stories from Spring convocation: http://ring.uvic.ca/news/congratulations-spring-2014-grads