In junior high, Michael was trapped in the anxiety of Shenzhen’s senior high school admission, worrying daily about poor exam performance. Scoring 545 in the entrance exam, he missed his preferred schools and was assigned to a backup one. At this life crossroads, he and his parents decided to switch to the international education track—and Sendelta became the starting point of his breakthrough.

Today, Michael is not only the sole first author of papers in international journals, but also a social media blogger and a "research tutor" to peers. In this issue of [Young Talk Vol.53], let’s explore the story of Michael Song, a Grade 12 student at Sendelta.

When Michael first arrived at Sendelta, he admitted feeling "a bit inferior": "Many classmates had a better English foundation, and I initially struggled to keep up." But he soon noticed the difference here—no teacher labeled students by grades; instead, diverse interests and strengths were valued. This tolerance gave him the courage to turn his interest in social sciences and data into action.

In Grade 11, he approached Dr. Sun from Sendelta’s Research and Innovation Center with the idea of "predicting new Olympic events." Dr. Sun immediately helped him organize the research framework—from topic selection, literature review, data processing, and model analysis to polishing the paper’s logic. They met one-on-one almost every week, with Dr. Sun even checking the format of references line by line.

With Dr. Sun’s guidance, Michael published his paper as the sole first author in Frontiers in Sports and Active Living, a leading global journal in sports science.

Michael’s research journey didn’t end there: he also published papers as a second author and corresponding author, and took on the role of a research mentor.

Beyond publishing, he works as a journal editor—assisting with submissions, reviews, and formatting at IPTHSSS (under Wisvora Publishing) and Journal of Current Social Issues Studies (JCSIS, published by the Asian Academy of Technology and Research). Michael said, "I probably wouldn’t have time for these experiences without switching to international education."

If research is Michael’s "core strength," his other pursuits are equally impressive—on Xiaohongshu, he is a blogger sharing study-abroad tips.

Like many Gen-Zers, Michael embraces social media and loves sharing his experiences. His account now has nearly 700 followers, with posts accumulating over 200,000 views.

Michael expresses himself freely, often sparking debates in the comment section—which he finds fascinating: "It’s like a ‘window to observe society.’"

For Michael, "searching, organizing, and sharing information" is a natural passion. Keen on study-abroad updates, he launched a dedicated Friday morning campus radio show—handling everything from scriptwriting to hosting the 10-minute "Study-Abroad News" to benefit more classmates.

Besides information sharing, Michael is enthusiastic about competitions hosted by foreign universities, including math competitions at Stanford and UC Berkeley, and a chemistry competition at the University of Washington.

Looking back on his growth, Michael said, "I got many pitfalls and seized opportunities." Here’s his advice for younger students on publishing papers:

1. Publishing isn’t as hard as it seems—just be brave to try!
"Many think ‘high school students publishing in SCI is impossible,’ but research from competitions or class projects can be turned into papers. I’ve been rejected many times, but revisions led to success."

2.Databases and anti-scam tips

Must-use databases: Web of Science, Google Scholar, CNKI/Wanfang/Weipu.

Anti-scam guide: Verify a journal’s authenticity by checking its ISSN number on the official international ISSN website; then search the journal name on Google Scholar—no results likely mean it’s a "low-quality journal."

3.Don’t miss "editor roles"—growth is faster than expected

"After publishing your paper, try applying for high school student editor positions at publishing houses. Reviewing papers exposes you to diverse research fields, which broadens your mind more than just writing your own papers."

At the end of the interview, Michael said, "Without Sendelta, I might still be trapped by exam scores." Here, he no longer worries about "one bad exam"; instead, he learns to appreciate his own and classmates’ strengths beyond grades—because Sendelta’s evaluation system is never "grade-only."

Michael’s transformation from "involution stress" to "multi-dimensional growth" is no accident. It stems from Sendelta’s educational philosophy of "academic achievement, happiness, and sustainable development," the professional support of the Research and Innovation Center’s PhD team, and its sunny, inclusive atmosphere.

This is perhaps the most beautiful form of education: letting every child break free from constraints and run steadily and far on their own path.