Peking University, April 25, 2022: #Meet Our "Future Leaders" # is a series featuring the personal stories of students in PKU Guanghua's "Future Leaders" International Undergraduate Program. Learn more about student life in the "Future Leaders" Program from those who know it best: our students.
Today, we meet Liu Yiheng, a young Singaporean who is keen on finance and economics, and constantly challenges himself with extreme sports.
Liu Yang Profile
Liu Yiheng is an undergraduate from both the Guanghua School of Management and the National University of Singapore. Since his enrolment into higher education, Yiheng has been extremely keen on development economics and finance in the developing markets. Under the "Future Leaders" Program, Yiheng had the unique opportunity to be one of the few students in NUS who completed close to all higher-level modules as a sophomore. Besides his academic interests, Yiheng is a sports enthusiast. He was formerly the Vice-Captain of his school's Aquathlon Team and had engaged in various endurance sports such as marathon racing.
A Challenge to Overcome
One of the biggest accomplishments of my life thus far is the National Service. During my National Service in the Singapore Armed Forces, I served as a field engineer commander within the combat engineer formation. I was extremely privileged to serve alongside amazing colleagues who pushed me through these two years of a tough journey. Being kind to others and cherishing the things that we had taken for granted were the key points I had picked up during these two years.
Keeping an Active Lifestyle
During my spare time, I constantly challenged myself with something new. This could be in the form of pursuing my hobby. My hobby lies in extreme sport, so I spend a great deal of time training in long-distance running and coastal swimming. I am really glad to share that I have currently completed a 45km ultra-marathon and will be continuing this pursuit in time to come.
In addition, I took up an academia internship to challenge myself in learning the new frontier of FinTech. In the previous summer and winter break, I served as a FinTech research intern who contributed in blockchain research as well as compiling learning material for Singapore university students. I am really appreciative of this amazing experience where I benefitted greatly from learning from some of the most knowledgeable technology experts in South East Asia.
A unique learning journey together with amazing people
I believe that we stand at a unique turning point in history where we witness the largest social transformation initiated by the Chinese economy. I am convinced in the role of business to provide credible solution in solving the society's problems. I am further convinced that finance and economics have the power to equalise the world. Following this conviction, I want to pursue my study in China. By studying here, I can learn the mechanics of the Chinese transformation that had so much impact on our modern world. Amongst the available exchange programs offered by Chinese universities, I personally find the "Future Leaders" Program most rigorous and rewarding. Not only will I benefit from a rich two-year program, I receive the unique privilege to learn from many amazing professors and alongside some of the most talented classmates I have met in my life. There are no other opportunities better than this.
Under this program, I benefitted and am still benefitting from the amazing group of people that constitutes the teaching staff, the admin executives, and my fellow peers. Citing some actual examples, I have met some of the most helpful admin executives from this program, who went the extra mile to assist us with our learning journey. I have been taught by some of the most knowledgeable professors, not limited to Prof Zhou Li An, Prof Shen Qiao Wei, Prof Liu Shuo, who had a wealth of insight not only regarding China, but to their line of research. Lastly, working alongside my amazing classmates offered me a diverse wealth of experience and viewpoints. These came in the form of classroom discussions as well as project discussions. Overall, the people are truly the most distinguishing bonus to this program and I am extremely glad to be part of this exciting experience.
Pursuing a career in banking to foster climate action
Throughout my summer semesters, I was heavily involved in banking internships. Eventually, I am fortunate enough to have received a full-time offer under the global markets - trading team of a European investment bank. I am passionate in banking because of the ability to influence. Today, we stand at a critical juncture of climate inactions and climate actions. I am firmly entrenched in the belief that we must do something meaningful to advance our collective climate interests. This falls within the abilities of banks. Through incentivising institutions and our counterparties, we can influence them to take up positive change in the areas of decarbonisation and climate actions. The ability to influence institutions and guide our corporates to do the right things together, was a very attractive proposition behind my career choice.
PKU Guanghua "Future Leaders" Program
The Guanghua School of Management founded the "Future Leaders" International Undergraduate Double-Degree Program in partnership with 15 of the world’s best business schools, giving students the opportunity to gain an understanding of their local markets while also immersing them in one of the fastest-growing and most dynamic economies in the world: China. This program focuses on admitting top students with outstanding leadership potential from Peking University and its partner institutions. After completing their first two years of study at the institution in their home country, students live and study together with classmates of diverse backgrounds from all over the world—including students from China—for two more years as a single cohort at Peking University.
