In junior high, Michael was trapped in the anxiety of Shenzhen’s senior high school admission, worrying daily about poor exam performance. Scoring 545 in the entrance exam, he missed his preferred schools and was assigned to a backup one. At this life crossroads, he and his parents decided to switch to the international education track—and Sendelta became the starting point of his breakthrough.

Today, Michael is not only the sole first author of papers in international journals, but also a social media blogger and a "research tutor" to peers. In this issue of [Young Talk Vol.53], let’s explore the story of Michael Song, a Grade 12 student at Sendelta.

刚到新哲时，Michael坦言自己“有点自卑”：“身边同学很多英文基础比我好，一开始总觉得跟不上。”但很快，他发现这里的不同——没有老师用分数给学生贴标签，反而珍视大家不同的兴趣和特长。这份包容，让他敢把对社科和数据的兴趣变成实际行动。

When Michael first arrived at Sendelta, he admitted feeling "a bit inferior": "Many classmates had a better English foundation, and I initially struggled to keep up." But he soon noticed the difference here—no teacher labeled students by grades; instead, diverse interests and strengths were valued. This tolerance gave him the courage to turn his interest in social sciences and data into action.

In Grade 11, he approached Dr. Sun from Sendelta’s Research and Innovation Center with the idea of "predicting new Olympic events." Dr. Sun immediately helped him organize the research framework—from topic selection, literature review, data processing, and model analysis to polishing the paper’s logic. They met one-on-one almost every week, with Dr. Sun even checking the format of references line by line.

With Dr. Sun’s guidance, Michael published his paper as the sole first author in Frontiers in Sports and Active Living, a leading global journal in sports science.

Michael的科研经历不止于此：他不仅以第二作者、通讯作者身份发表多篇论文，还当起了论文导师。他用一个月时间带外校同年级学生做“中国高中生互联网学习”的课题，从定标题、设计访谈提纲，到修改论文、应对期刊返修，全程跟进指导。当看到学生以第一作者身份拿到录用通知时，Michael比自己发论文还激动。

Michael’s research journey didn’t end there: he also published papers as a second author and corresponding author, and took on the role of a research mentor.

Beyond publishing, he works as a journal editor—assisting with submissions, reviews, and formatting at IPTHSSS (under Wisvora Publishing) and Journal of Current Social Issues Studies (JCSIS, published by the Asian Academy of Technology and Research). Michael said, "I probably wouldn’t have time for these experiences without switching to international education."

如果说科研是Michael的“硬核名片”，那他的另一面同样精彩——在小红书上，他是分享留学干货、偶尔“整活”的资讯博主。

If research is Michael’s "core strength," his other pursuits are equally impressive—on Xiaohongshu, he is a blogger sharing study-abroad tips.

Like many Gen-Zers, Michael embraces social media and loves sharing his experiences. His account now has nearly 700 followers, with posts accumulating over 200,000 views.

Michael expresses himself freely, often sparking debates in the comment section—which he finds fascinating: "It’s like a ‘window to observe society.’"

For Michael, "searching, organizing, and sharing information" is a natural passion. Keen on study-abroad updates, he launched a dedicated Friday morning campus radio show—handling everything from scriptwriting to hosting the 10-minute "Study-Abroad News" to benefit more classmates.

Besides information sharing, Michael is enthusiastic about competitions hosted by foreign universities, including math competitions at Stanford and UC Berkeley, and a chemistry competition at the University of Washington.

回顾自己的成长，Michael说自己“踩了很多坑，也抓住了很多机会”。这是他给学弟学妹的一些发刊经验：

Looking back on his growth, Michael said, "I got many pitfalls and seized opportunities." Here’s his advice for younger students on publishing papers:

1.发论文没那么难，勇敢试就对了！

“很多人觉得‘高中生发SCI是天方夜谭’，但其实竞赛做的研究、课堂上的小课题，都可以整理成论文投稿。我投稿也经常被拒，修改后照样成功。”

1. Publishing isn’t as hard as it seems—just be brave to try!
"Many think ‘high school students publishing in SCI is impossible,’ but research from competitions or class projects can be turned into papers. I’ve been rejected many times, but revisions led to success."

2.检索库和防坑技巧

必用检索库：Web of Science（核心期刊首选）、Google Scholar（范围最广）、知网/维普/万方（中文文献必备）。

避坑指南：查期刊真假先看ISSN编号，在国际刊号官网核对；再去Google Scholar搜期刊名，没有检索记录的大概率是“水刊”

2.Databases and anti-scam tips

Must-use databases: Web of Science, Google Scholar, CNKI/Wanfang/Weipu.

Anti-scam guide: Verify a journal’s authenticity by checking its ISSN number on the official international ISSN website; then search the journal name on Google Scholar—no results likely mean it’s a "low-quality journal."

3.别错过“编辑岗”，成长比想象中快

“论文发表之后可以试试申请出版社的高中生编辑岗位，审稿时能看到不同领域的研究，比自己闷头写论文更能开阔思维。”

3.Don’t miss "editor roles"—growth is faster than expected

"After publishing your paper, try applying for high school student editor positions at publishing houses. Reviewing papers exposes you to diverse research fields, which broadens your mind more than just writing your own papers."

采访最后，Michael说：“如果没有新哲，我可能还是那个被分数困住的小孩。”在这里，他不用再为“一次考试失利”焦虑，开始学会欣赏自己和身边同学身上除了学术成绩以外的闪光点，因为这里的评价体系从来不是分数至上。

At the end of the interview, Michael said, "Without Sendelta, I might still be trapped by exam scores." Here, he no longer worries about "one bad exam"; instead, he learns to appreciate his own and classmates’ strengths beyond grades—because Sendelta’s evaluation system is never "grade-only."

Michael’s transformation from "involution stress" to "multi-dimensional growth" is no accident. It stems from Sendelta’s educational philosophy of "academic achievement, happiness, and sustainable development," the professional support of the Research and Innovation Center’s PhD team, and its sunny, inclusive atmosphere.

This is perhaps the most beautiful form of education: letting every child break free from constraints and run steadily and far on their own path.