The evaluation results for the 2024-2025 Academic Year Outstanding Student Role Models, Outstanding Student Cadre Role Models, and Outstanding Student Collective Role Modelsof Fudan University have recently been announced.

Two students from the School of Management, Fudan University, undergraduate student Jiahui Huang and doctoral student Mengfei Li, have both been awarded the Outstanding Student Role Model of Fudan University.

Undergraduate Student Jiahui Huang

Recipient of the Outstanding Student Cadre Role Model of Fudan University (2024-2025 Academic Year)

In the eyes of her peers, Jiahui Huang is often described as someone who keeps her life "fully packed." However, she does not quite agree with that label.

"I simply spend my time on things I genuinely care about," she explains.

Whether in coursework, research, public speaking, volunteer teaching, or early-morning long run, she consistently maintains a high level of motivation and enthusiasm.

When she learned that she had been selected as an Outstanding Student Cadre Role Model, her first reaction was, in her own words, "a mix of surprise, nervousness, and deep gratitude."

"The surprise came from realizing that my persistence over the past three years, in academics, student leadership, and social practice, was truly seen. The nervousness came from the weight of this honor," she reflected. In her view, the recognition does not belong to her alone; it represents the guidance of faculty members, the trust of fellow students, and the collective strength built through teamwork and shared responsibility.

For Jiahui Huang, this honor represents not an endpoint, but a new beginning.
"Statistics is never cold," she noted. "It holds the codes for solving problems and carries the warmth of serving others."

Her personal motto is "using data as the pen to draw real impact, and service as the ink to write responsibility" which captures both her disciplinary foundation and her sense of responsibility as a student leader. Statistics taught her to observe through data and speak through evidence, while student leadership helped her realize that all capabilities ultimately serve people and action.

Academically, she continues to set high standards for herself. Having secured a recommended admission to the Master of Finance (majoring in Business Analytics) at Peking University's Guanghua School of Management, she plans to further strengthen her foundation in statistics during her final year of undergraduate study.

"I hope to extend my previous research experience in grassroots governance and public demand forecasting into the field of business analytics, allowing data-driven insights to truly generate real-world impact on a broader stage," she explained.

In student affairs and service, she aims to further amplify her role-model influence. As a probationary member of the Communist Party of China, she consistently prioritizes service.

"I want to share my experience in data-driven service optimization with more student leaders -- such as data analysis methodologies for student development surveys, and optimization paths for large-scale event coordination."

She also actively engages with junior students, offering academic guidance and sharing practical experience, hoping to integrate disciplinary strengths into service and practice.
"I hope more students can develop strong professional capabilities while shouldering the responsibility of youth on the platform provided by Fudan, living up to the philosophy this honor represents."

Beyond campus, she continues to engage deeply with society through action. Over the past three years, she has accumulated more than 450 hours of volunteer service, participated in 11 social practice programs, and received A-level project recognition for six times. Her fieldwork has taken her to Zhejiang, Shandong, Yunnan, and Sichuan etc..

During her volunteer teaching experience in Yunnan, she was affectionately called "Teacher Haojiahuo" (meaning being so capable and respectful) by local children. In Shanghai's Hongkou District, she hand-drew cultural and tourism maps. In Jiande (Zhejiang Province) and Zibo (Shandong Province), she conducted field research in rural areas and factories, using empirical investigation to capture the pulse of local development.

Across these practices, she consistently applied quantitative methods to approach the essence of problems. In Zibo, she analyzed the development of new-quality productive forces using the Analytic Hierarchy Process and coefficient of variation methods. In Chengdu, she combined social media word-frequency and sentiment analysis to conduct a digital ethnography of community micro-renewal. In Yunnan, she analyzed branding challenges in the tea and coffee industries through industry data.

"Once you start running, the wind follows," she said.

Driven by passion, action, and responsibility, Jiahui Huang continues forward with renewed strength, taking this role-model honor as momentum for her next journey.

Doctoral Student Mengfei Li

Recipient of the Outstanding Student Role Model of Fudan University (2024–2025 Academic Year)

When informed of his selection as an Outstanding Student Role Model, Mengfei Li's immediate response was "gratitude."

"As a student of the School of Management, I understand that this recognition is not merely a personal honor, but also an acknowledgment of the rigorous, inclusive academic environment cultivated by the School," he reflected.

With the support of abundant institutional resources and dedicated mentorship, he has always considered himself fortunate.

For him, this recognition marks both a new starting point and an invisible reminder, to remain humble and reflective on his future academic path, and to continue pursuing research questions that genuinely respond to societal needs and real-world challenges.

Counting in his undergraduate years, Mengfei Li has spent eight years studying at the School of Management.

"The School is deeply important to me. It was here that I formally embarked on my academic journey and met Professor Xiaole Wu, who provided unwavering support in both life and research, allowing me to pursue my goals with focus and confidence."

His decision to pursue academic research was not accidental. During his first year in the Economics and Management Experimental Program at Fudan University, he explored nearly all foundational courses offered by the School. It was through this exploratory that he discovered his strong interest in data.

"I hope to use data to explain management phenomena and their underlying mechanisms, thereby supporting better decision-making."

After entering the statistics program at the School of Management and later being selected into the Distinctive Doctor Program of Fudan University, he pursued doctoral studies in the Department of Management Science.

Daily research life, however, is rarely romantic -- more often characterized by repeated trial and error, including models that fail to converge, unusable datasets, and rejected manuscripts.

"Effort is never wasted and hardship refines you," became a phrase he repeatedly told himself -- a line combining references from the Lotus Sutra and Zai Zhang's "Western Inscription."

 In the 2024 National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) Projects Young Student Basic Research Funds (Doctoral Students) funding results, his project, "Theoretical Research and Optimized Applications on Integrating Causal Machine Learning with Structural Model Estimation," successfully received funding after a six-month evaluation process.

"As a doctoral student, receiving support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China is both an honor and an affirmation," he said. Upon receiving the funding notice, he immediately shared the news with his advisor, Professor Xiaole Wu.

According to Professor Wu, the greatest significance of the approval lies in recognition that the project addresses meaningful and innovative research questions, and provides strong motivation for future work.

Looking ahead, Mengfei Li hopes to remain deeply focused on research and produce work of genuine value.

"I aspire to become a dedicated scholar, continuously exploring scientific questions and offering meaningful answers to real-world problems," he said. "Through my research, I hope to advance theory while contributing practical insights."