2013 GWU-CSSA President's Annual Summary

Students and scholars:

Good evening, everyone. Thank you so much for coming tonight to help our Chinese Students and Scholars Association elect its next leadership. The development of the George Washington University Chinese Students and Scholars Association over the past two decades wouldn't have been possible without the support of all our students, scholars, alumni, and faculty! On behalf of all members of the Student Union, I would like to express my gratitude to everyone!

Two years have passed in the blink of an eye. I still remember when we first decided to come to GWU, we were full of dreams about America. Compared to then, our faces now show more fatigue. We are excited about progress, and angry and upset about being misunderstood. But when we calm down and think about it, what we have done in these two years is something we can be proud of!

The Class of 2013 Student Union is a very special team. We met in 2012, worked together, and created the George Washington University community. Thanks to everyone's continuous efforts, Hellogwu has now developed into the largest international student community in the Washington, D.C. area, providing convenience for Chinese students and scholars near our university in areas such as housing and secondhand transactions. At the end of 2012, all members of our community joined the CSSA family, and we shine on this larger platform.

When we first joined CSSA, the organization was practically a shell, barely existing. In the past year, we revised the student union constitution, produced a 100-page introductory handbook, filmed airport pickup videos, established a complete social network including Weibo, WeChat, and Facebook, re-established connections with various alumni associations and Washington D.C. area clubs, built a platform to provide convenience for students, and also established school clubs such as an arts troupe and an entrepreneurship club to serve Chinese students. Perhaps before this, you heard various voices saying that GWU's CSSA was nothing, just occupying a position without doing anything. However, I think in the coming years, such voices will become increasingly rare. I prefer to see the CSSA as a vast plain; what we've done this year is simply digging a hole and driving in a few stakes. Let everyone know that there's still a hole here, and in the near future, a tall building will rise from the ground!

Time marches relentlessly forward, and the student union also needs to constantly evolve to adapt to the trends of the times. I would like to express the following expectations for the next student union:

1. We must remain humble and prudent, continue to lay a solid foundation, improve various internal systems, and stabilize the team structure and work processes.
2. Accelerate the development of information technology, integrate email systems and various social resources to make it easier for students to access our information.
3. Strengthen team culture building, truly make the student community a family, and allow GWU-CSSA to showcase its unique characteristics.
4. Continue to build up resources through various media outlets, sponsorships, and outstanding alumni, and exchange and learn more with CSSAs of other schools.

Finally, I hope everyone will listen carefully to the presentations of each candidate team and help us elect an outstanding leader for our CSSA! This vote will be conducted by secret ballot with multiple candidates, and each person can select a maximum of two candidates.

I know many of you here are friends of the candidates, but I hope everyone can make your choice fairly and neutrally! Let's safeguard the future of the student council!

Thanks!