"What is growth?" For Zhang Ruixi, a 2025 Top Ten Volunteer awardee and a student in the 2024 cohort majoring in Chinese-English-Spanish interpreting and translation, the answer lies in her numerous volunteer experiences.

Leveraging her interpreting and translation training, Zhang has gained extensive volunteer service experience at major events, such as the 2025 China International Fair for Trade in Services, the third China International Supply Chain Expo and the 2025 Zhongguancun Forum Annual Meeting.

Zhang Ruixi at the third China International Supply Chain Expo

At these events, Zhang handled not only core logistics such as on-site guidance, material coordination, and guest verification, but also went a step further with finer details: When she noticed frequent inquiries about cross-venue routes, she placed a comprehensive map at the service desk for easy reference; during booth surveys, her sincere communication broke language barriers, earning praise from foreign exhibitors. Her proactive approach allowed her to integrate quickly into teams and grow through practice.

Volunteer service has also become a platform for Zhang to enhance her comprehensive abilities: Writing event summaries and organizing volunteer data honed her skills in text processing and office software; facing unexpected situations, she learned to judge calmly and respond appropriately; and using spare moments during service to study vocabulary she mutually reinforced her professional learning and practical experience.

The encounters on her volunteer journey are precious to Zhang. She forged friendships with previously unfamiliar classmates through shared service, supporting each other in times of difficulty and maintaining contact after events concluded.

"We went from being strangers to becoming familiar over a few days of activities, helping each other with problems, brainstorming solutions, and working side by side. Some partners have remained in contact, becoming good friends. I find this a wonderful experience," she said.

For Zhang, volunteering is not about glory in the spotlight but about meeting a better version of herself through giving and the growth marks earned through dedication. She is grateful for the university's nurturing, which has enriched her youth with meaningful volunteer experiences.

She hopes more students will join her in volunteering, writing their own stories of youth through services to others and society.