感叹·感动·感悟：在MIT聆听留学教父俞敏洪演讲-新东方前途出国

    　　Day 28： Saturday， September 28， 2013

    　　Days left： 2

    　　Location： Cambridge， Massachusetts 

留学教父俞敏洪老师在麻省理工大学演讲

    　　Success. Power. Money. Influence. Change.

    　　Many of us aspire to these nouns； these qualities that we believe will allow us to live a greater life beyond our current circumstances. Yet， how will we know what these mean to us？ When we have achieved this pinnacle point？

    　　In most cases， my guess is that we have a person (or a few people) in mind. Someone who has aspired and reached this glory that we desire – a role model， an example that we want to imitate in some fashion or at least in his or her initial footsteps. As they say， “imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.”

    　　On the penultimate day of our month-long road trip， I had a chance to truly see this ‘success model’ – literally and figuratively – play out before my eyes. At the Massachusetts Institute of Technology， worldly known as simply MIT， in its famous Building No. 6， I had an opportunity to meet and experience a role model for millions of Chinese students and citizens – to hear the “Godfather of Overseas Study”， Mr. Michael Minhong Yu (俞敏洪)， impart his wisdom and advice to a packed crowd of Chinese students that were as diverse as the schools they represented from Boston - MIT， Harvard， Brandeis， University of Massachusetts， Boston University， etc. Whichever the university， Mr. Yu had a hand in helping these students to be where they are today.

    　　A true-to-form rags to riches story， Mr. Yu’s vision of helping Chinese students fulfill their dreams of studying abroad， started over 20 years ago as he persevered to find a way to go abroad himself. From one classroom in Beijing， his only desire to help a few students grew to a few thousand， then tens， hundreds， and now millions of students who enter a New Oriental (新东方) classroom. While he never directly fulfilled his own vision of overseas study， 13 million students later， you can say that he truly lived vicariously through his pupils. With each campus that we visited， and the dozens of Chinese students we met， nearly 100% knew the New Oriental brand and over 90% of the students had taken classes because they know it would help them move that much closer to achieving their study abroad dreams.

    　　And while I am sure Mr. Yu is no short on cash or financial means， what is more incredible is the following he has amassed across China， and internationally. In just a few seconds yesterday， as he walked into the presentation hall， silence prevailed for a few seconds followed by a frenzy of excitement and nervous anxiety as students and fans quickly encircled him to have the one (and possibly only chance) to speak with him， and to secure a photographic moment that is so near and dear to our Asian hearts.

    　　MIT Classroom (Building No. 6) - Taken September 28， 2013 (Ming-Hao Shiao)

    　　In modern-day US， there is simply no comparison. The closest that I can imagine is Steve Jobs and Apple， or President Barack Obama. Yet， I still think it’s difficult to compare these examples to the direct impact Michael Yu and New Oriental have had on the lives of Chinese citizens and the shaping of China’s future in international education. It’s evident as you see grown men in the audience squealing for his attention. He is not just a rock star， but a current day superhero.

    　　When I first joined New Oriental， I had to read a collection of articles about and speeches given by Mr. Yu. Mr. Yu’s story of perseverance， of his own heart (rather than blood)， sweat， and tears， and focus on making a difference for the world through teamwork and collaboration with fellow childhood and university friends is a story made for the movies (which in fact did become a movie this year – 中国合伙人 or “American Dreams in China”). And yet， his New Oriental story began years before， when he was the son of a peasant and a carpententer and his only focus on getting a better education domestically and internationally.

    　　While my experience and sentiment toward New Oriental and Mr. Michael Yu is limited compared to Chinese students， peers， and colleagues； after yesterday， combined with several months of direct immersion in the New Oriental culture， I am moved at the difference that one person – with a focus on integrity， professionalism， and especially a clear vision to enable and energize a team of passionate leaders – can make in today’s increasingly fast-paced and complex world.

    　　As one former New Oriental student currently studying at UMass Boston clutched a dog-eared New Oriental GRE practice book and sang a heartfelt and admiringly off-key version of "You Raise me Up" to Mr. Yu， I realized that this was beyond just meeting a role model or a mentor； from the heart of one student to a teacher who has poured his heart into helping his students - this was a transcendental experience.