WKU Graduate | Gao Shuning: Four Business Competitions and Three Internships! She Wants to Fully Experience Her Life!

　　“Confidence is my advantage. I believe I can accomplish everything,” said Gao Shuning, a senior majoring in Finance. Indeed, “Confidence” is her brightest resume. With an impressive GPA of 3.95, this confident girl has already received offers from renowned companies such as Procter & Gamble (China) Marketing and ByteDance as graduation approaches.

Graduate of 2024: Gao Shuning
Major: Finance
Destination After Graduation: Procter & Gamble (China) Marketing
Origin: Jinan, Shandong Province

On campus, Gao was a “business competition expert.” She has won numerous accolades, including the “Top Ten Award” in the S&P Global Corporate Valuation Challenge, second place in the Third Coca-Cola Marketing Hackathon, first place in the “Bank of China Cup” Climate Change and Disaster Reduction Case Analysis Competition, and a finalist award in the Kean Business Plan Competition. In her view, participating in various business competitions is one of the best ways to apply academic knowledge to practice.

The most rewarding experience for Gao was participating in the S&P Global Corporate Valuation Challenge during her junior year, under the guidance of professors like Xue Chunxiao. Despite having no prior experience in valuation competitions, Gao fully utilized the knowledge learned in her FIN3310 class to learn new valuation methods from scratch. She led her team from knowing nothing to eventually standing on the top stage alongside teams from prestigious universities such as Fudan University, Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, and The Chinese University of Hong Kong.

Starting a job at a Fortune 500 company right after graduation is attributed to Gao’s multiple internships and her growth at WKU. In the all-English learning environment at WKU, her English skills improved in all aspects. Gao stated, “Brave attempts and thorough preparation are the fundamental elements of my success.” 

Her ability to confidently face HR managers from Fortune 500 companies stems from her diverse internship experiences. She interned at ByteDance, Dentsu Advertising, and DiDi for a total of ten months. During her internship at DiDi, she was fully involved in the creation of the overall logic for internet company projects, familiarized herself with the processes and reasons, and participated in summarizing conclusions. Leading as an intern at major companies not only enriched her professional experience but also gave her a deeper understanding of her own life.

Before her interview, she thoroughly prepared for the “P&G Eight Questions.” Besides, she researched the company’s official website, official WeChat account, recruitment account, and social media platforms, even referring to guidance on Xiaohongshu and Bilibili. During the interview, the interviewer asked detailed questions about the specific budget for an event, including the total budget, each sub-item’s budget, and the reasons for setting such budgets.

“Thanks to my experiences at WKU and my previous internships, I could answer these questions authentically and systematically,” Gao said.

毕业留念

“Experience what you want to experience and become the person you want to be” is her life motto. Gao aspires to live freely, explore the world, and try various things. She mentioned that perhaps one day after starting her job, she might apply for graduate school to begin the next phase of her life: “Life is about experiencing what you want to experience, engaging more with nature, and not confining yourself. You might find yourself much more cheerful.”

文字 | 陈诺
文稿编辑 | 王舒 朱智晗
图片 | 受访者提供
一审 | 项温蔚
二审 | 王舒
三审 | 吕卓环
责编 | 传播与公共关系部