Rustam Garipov, a 2020 undergraduate student majoring in Economics at Shenzhen MSU-BIT University, currently serves as the class leader for the international student cohort of the 2020 Economics Department.
During his three years at university, Rustam was awarded a scholarship from the Guangdong Provincial Government twice for his outstanding academic performance, as well as a full scholarship from Shenzhen MSU-BIT University. His average grade is 4.95, one of the highest among both international and Chinese students.
Rustam has a wide range of interests, excelling in academics while regularly participating in conferences and events focused on global issues. In 2021, he represented the African Union at the Moscow International Model United Nations (C-MIMUN), the largest Model UN conference in Eastern Europe named after Churkin. Out of over 200 delegates, Rustam was among the top five representatives. After the conference, he had the honor of meeting UN Secretary-General António Guterres.
Rustam believes that volunteering plays a crucial role in changing the world and improving oneself. Instead of taking a summer vacation in 2021, he was selected to participate in a volunteer project in Egypt, organized by AIESEC, aimed at promoting water conservation in countries affected by desertification. In the fall of 2021, Rustam joined AIESEC, and over the next six months, he and his fellow students engaged in volunteer work abroad. During his term, he organized eight local committee meetings with countries such as Australia and Turkey and participated in the AIESEC national conference in St. Petersburg in October 2021. With the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, Rustam applied for the UN Volunteer Program to help refugees find jobs.
In the fall of 2022, Rustam arrived in China and began his studies at Shenzhen MSU-BIT University. He actively participated in various student activities. In November 2022, he spoke at the Shenzhen MSU-BIT University Party Member Conference in commemoration of the speech given by China's great leader Mao Zedong at Moscow State University in 1957. During his speech, Rustam discussed the need for Russia and China to work together to maintain the global balance of power and for both countries to learn from past mistakes.
Rustam's goal is to help the United Nations achieve its 17 Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. He understands that to reach this goal, a strong command of foreign languages, especially English, is essential. In addition to English, Rustam places equal importance on other languages. In December 2022, he successfully passed the HSK Level 5 exam in Chinese (the HSK has six levels). He has also started learning Spanish to communicate with the more than 500 million people in 21 countries who speak Spanish as their native language.
Internationalism, cooperation, contributing to making the world a better place, and leadership are the words that describe all of Rustam’s activities over the past three years. He will continue to strive for excellence and maintain his remarkable achievements!
