I am Nizar Faisal Alkayem, a Syrian doctoral student studying at the Department of Engineering Mechanics, Hohai University, Nanjing, Jiangsu. During my study at Hohai University, I have shown an excellent academic performance and received many excellence awards. In the first line I share why I chose China and Jiangsu Province in general and Nanjing in particular to pursue my academic dream. Moreover, in the later part, I illustrate the academic milestones, the research achievements and the awards which I received during my PhD period.   

China had always been my first destination for studying, due to my fascination about both the modern and ancient Chinese culture. Nanjing, the gorgeous city and the capital of Jiangsu Province, was my early first choice. Nanjing, the ancient capital of China, has a unique combination of wonderful sceneries, heritage, comfortable friendly environment, and convenient lifestyle. Moreover, in Nanjing, the integration between both the ancient and modern Chinese architecture can be observed along the fabulous city. Jiangsu is also among the most preferable provinces in China for study and business. This is due to its location in the east of the mainland China integrated with Shanghai as a main port and surrounded by the great Yangzi River.

To add more, Jiangsu Province is one of the most important education centers in China. Various top Chinese universities and institutes are located in Jiangsu cities such as, Nanjing, Suzhou, Wuxi, Changzhou, etc. Within the campuses along Jiangsu, we can see the diversity of students who come from all over China to study in Jiangsu, in addition to international students from tens of nationalities from around the globe. Jiangsu has an elite education program for overseas students which can be observed by the effective and generous scholarship schemes given not only by the Chinese Government, but also by the Jiangsu Government, i.e.the Jiangsu Jasmine Scholarship and the local city governments’ scholarships such as the Nanjing Government Scholarship. Moreover Universities along Jiangsu offer the most important and comprehensive scholarships such as Hohai University Scholarship, which I was very lucky to fulfill my academic dream and to pursue my PhD under its umbrella.

Another very important aspect that I can focus on, is the great support and help that an international student can get from international schools in universities along Jiangsu. I will never forget the support of Hohai University international school teachers and the comfortable accommodation and learning environment which helped me to achieve excellent academic results. Also, it is very essential to mention the wonderful hospitality and amazing help which a foreign student can get form Chinese classmates, teachers and local people. The friendly environment and safety witnessed along Nanjing and other cities in Jiangsu really helped me to relax and focus on my study and research.   

During my study in Hohai University, Nanjing City, I have achieved important milestones in my academic career thanks to the diligent working attitude and attention to research and learning, and to the help, cooperation and support of my supervisor. With a great sense of humanity mixed with Chinese moral character, my supervisor has provided me with both material and moral guidance, thanks to the many of research grants he is getting from Jiangsu research and development projects. Such grants can support scholars and PhD candidates to overcome the experimental and the financial issues providing excellent research facilities and funding to overcome the difficulties and move forward to a higher level of research.

During my PhD period, I have participated with my supervisor in many international and domestic research projects. Relying on internationalization and integration with Chinese academia, my contribution is being effective. I was able to publish 11 research articles including 8 papers indexed in the Scientific Citation Index (SCI) and a book chapter. I had the opportunity to corporate with several well-known foreign professors to verify and authenticate my research, which has provided me with a rare chance to be well-known in the international research community and let my research work reach to the highest possible number of international scholars. I believe that all such achievements could not be possible without my choice to study in Jiangsu at the first place.

My study in Hohai University has also given me the opportunity to take part in many international and domestic seminars and conferences. Such participations can help a young researcher like me to exchange research ideas and observe the start-of-the-art technologies from around the world. Jiangsu universities organize tens of symposiums, seminars, and conferences every year which has given it an international reputation as a great international scientific and technological destination. 

Due to the all aforementioned points, in 2019, I was honored the top 100 excellent student award of Hohai University (河海大学海韵风华十杰百佳) under the category of top 10 students in study and research. Moreover, in 2018 I won the China Scholarship Council (CSC) award of the best international student in Hohai University and was interviewed by China main news TV (CCTV13) and many other newspapers. Also, in 2018, I represented Jiangsu Province and Hohai University at the National Doctoral Student Forum on "Learning in China" sponsored by the Chinese Institute of Higher Education and the China Higher Education Exposition held in Chengdu, Sichuan.

Finally, I believe that my decision to study in Jiangsu has given me the opportunity to switch my life into a far much better level than before. I would never achieve what I have done during the recent years without the appreciated support of China and Jiangsu in general and Hohai University in particular to fulfill my dream and overcome any difficulty appeared during my study. I also hope that my story of success may influence the candidate overseas students to come to Jiangsu and pursue their studies in here.