畢業生 | 藤校“雙子星”：這校友要從啟明星做到哥大去了！

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畢業生 · 2026

楊一森（Ethan Yang）和王康睿（Kerry Wang）是2026屆畢業班里一對有趣的存在：

他們都是歷史迷，會為捍衛自己的觀點爭論不休；

拍攝學校宣傳片，他們是柔道的搭檔；

今年大學申請季，兩人雙雙拿到藤校哥倫比亞大學聯合項目的Offer！

也就是說，他們這校友要從啟明星一路做到哥大去呢！

“聯合項目的申請，比單純申請哥大更難。

因為學生必須同時滿足哥大和另一所學校的要求。”

——Melissa Warehall

啟明星學校大學升學指導總監

作為從啟明星走出的藤校學生，Ethan和Kerry身上有著共同的特質：

目標明確，為達到目標全力付出

絕不內耗，擁有面對挑戰的智慧

善于從環境和資源中汲取營養

近10年同窗，他們擁有很多共同的記憶

左右滑動，瀏覽更多圖片

一矢中的 · Ethan

楊一森 Ethan Yang

? 小學4年級入讀啟明星

? 獲得哥倫比亞大學和猶太神學院聯合項目錄取

? 攻讀政治學和猶太歷史專業

早申階段，Ethan一矢中的，拿下哥大Offer。

雙語加持+自由空間

Ethan來自雙語家庭，媽媽是美籍猶太人，爸爸是中國人。父母把他送來啟明星，是看中了這里雙語雙文化的教育，期待雙語背景化為他成長道路上的加持。

Ethan父母發現這里還有個意外之喜，那就是在啟明星，Ethan擁有非常自由的成長空間。

Ethan媽媽說：“學校教學有整體的框架，但孩子在學習方式、研究對象等方面仍有很大的自由。”

在這樣的環境里，Ethan接收到的不是一個個“標準答案”，而是不斷被啟發：“你自己想要做什么？”

雙語探索的便利和寬松自由的環境，讓Ethan很早就確定自己非常喜歡歷史，而這份熱愛也得到家庭和學校全方位的支持。

10年級準備個人項目，這份對歷史的熱愛和對自己雙語雙文化背景的珍視讓他找到一個對個人成長和大學升學都至關重要的項目。

一部紀錄片，敲開新世界

二戰期間，大約2萬名猶太人為了躲避迫害逃亡到上海。他們被這座城市接納，得以幸存，并最終前往世界各地重新開始生活。

了解到這段歷史，Ethan仿佛瞬間被擊中：

“這是一段特別的歷史切片，能夠把我的猶太背景和中國背景完美地結合起來。我決定拍攝一部紀錄片，把這段歷史記錄下來，展示形式也更直觀。”

確定之后，Ethan堪稱不計投入：

• 他獨自前往上海，在猶太難民紀念館做志愿者，查閱資料、收集歷史信息；

• 前往美國舊金山，采訪當年的猶太幸存者。

媽媽說：“他太投入了，有時候我都不得不提醒他，其他的功課，你做了嗎？”

歷時一年，Ethan整合了300多張圖片、50多段影像資料，完成了紀錄片《Stranded in Shanghai》。這個項目很成功，影響迅速“溢出”：

• 他帶著影片走上清華大學通識課程《猶太文明》的講臺（下圖）；

• 作品獲得費城猶太電影節提名；

• 直到今天，仍然有人因為這部影片聯系他——包括當年中國駐維也納前總領事何鳳山的女兒，向他講述父親頂住各方壓力為猶太人簽發簽證的故事。

紀錄片和由此引發的一系列經歷與思考，成為Ethan大學申請文書中展示個人特色和專業熱愛的非常有力的證據。

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回顧成功的過程，Ethan說：“我很幸運擁有切入問題角度的自由；還有指導老師的貼身輔導，能給到我很細節的建議。

“我的個人項目指導老師Mr. Ledoux也是我的英文歷史老師。在平時的歷史課學習里，因為我們班級很小，我也能得到他很細節的輔導。有時候，他可以用一整節課輔導我，再用一整節課輔導別的同學。”

這樣細節而針對性的指導，是啟明星教學的一大特色。

這比錄取結果更重要

寬松的環境讓Ethan放膽反思——什么是“學習”的真正意義：“學習的意義，是圍繞喜歡的話題做深入研究，這比分數、甚至錄取結果更重要——否則你的知識和技能不會真正提高。”

想明白這件事的他絕不內耗：

• 不感興趣的、不擅長的，可以坦然放下；

• 真正喜歡的，就走出舒適區，不斷深挖；

比如在經濟學課堂上，他偏不選擇熱門、資料豐富的國家來研究，而選擇了冷門的安道爾。

也是因為想明白了學習的意義，在大學申請這樣學習與申請雙重高壓的階段，Ethan并沒有陷入常見的焦慮與糾結。

指導老師、經濟學老師Darcy Au-Yeung這樣評價他：“他當然有壓力，但他從不抱怨。因為在他看來，學習是認識世界的一種方式。”

“少為人知的地方，才有故事”

現在，一路追尋“熱愛”的Ethan，已經準備好進入下一個階段，去看更大的世界——尤其是那些不那么“主流”的地方，比如阿富汗、黎巴嫩、敘利亞……

“這些地方或許不夠國際化，卻保留著更真實、更傳統的文化。少為人知的地方，才有故事。”Ethan說。

串珠成線 · Kerry

王康睿 Kerry Wang

? CASA（幼兒園）入讀啟明星

? 哥倫比亞大學和巴黎政治學院聯合項目錄取

? 攻讀歷史學和政治學

他也收到了加州大學洛杉磯分校、明德學院、多倫多大學、倫敦大學學院、北卡羅來納大學教堂山分校、弗吉尼亞大學等一眾一流高校的錄取。

“別人家的孩子”

從小到大，Kerry都是“別人家的孩子”：

• 連續多年獲得啟明星學校最高等級獎學金“學者獎”；

• 國際學校“縱橫杯”中文辯論賽全程最佳辯手、單場最佳辯手；

• NHSDLC美式辯論聯賽北京城市賽最佳辯手（第一名）；

• 作為最年輕的中國大陸學生之一，參加在英國舉行的GCI峰會；

• 英國數學測評金獎、學校最佳榮譽獎；

• 托福考試120分滿分！

老師們評價他：

• “文理科都好，全面。”

• “特別有領導力，可以說在同學中一呼百應。”

• “我希望每年都能教他。”

不辜負每一分每一秒

就是這樣的Kerry，在早申階段，卻收到了拒信——“那一刻，心是沉的”。

不過他只讓心“沉下去2分鐘”。這驗證了老師對他的另一句評價：“有韌性，能接受自己的不足，很快去改正，而不是去找捷徑。”

Kerry開始復盤：哪里做得好，哪里做得不好。“我發現我的早申文書寫得其實比較一般。所以從早申被拒到常規錄取申請之間，我努力地去改這些文書，讓它們更能體現我個人的特點。”

他按部就班地學習，參加活動，認真準備每一份申請，臉上一如既往地掛著快樂和放松：

kerry之所以能坦然接受結果并且迅速調整，源于他一直以來的做事原則：

“我沒有辜負在這個世界上的每一分每一秒。我為我感興趣的事情而努力，為我看重的事業而奮斗——每一天都過得很寶貴。”

美德教育，啟明星的獨特力量

Kerry媽媽說：“我覺得Kerry成長背后很重要的一個原因是自律，這得益于學校的美德教育。”

美德教育，聽起來寬泛而難以把握，確是啟明星獨特而可以把握的教育力量——

• 美德不是空泛的概念，而是豐富而具體的要求，比如寬容、自律、平衡、追求卓越……都屬于美德的范疇；
  

• 不只學生，學校也組織家長參加美德主題的工作坊，家校配合教育學生。

Kerry自律的習慣就是爸爸媽媽按照老師的建議，從1年級開始就陪伴他、最終在4年級的時候支持他完全養成的。

再舉一個例子，有一次，大約10年級的時候，Kerry 要做英文口頭考試，需要自己錄像并網上提交。他總是講不順，急得發脾氣，一直弄到凌晨1點多。可即便如此，他也從沒想過在鏡頭后面掛張紙給自己提詞——因為他絕不接受任何形式的學術不端。

開心上學，放膽探索

每一天Kerry都很開心地去上學。開心、放松，孩子才能以最好的姿態成長，Kerry媽媽說。

“他經常回來跟我們講，他跟老師去問問題的時候，無論問什么樣的問題，在任何時刻去問，啟明星的老師，無論是哪一科，都給予他詳細又及時的反饋。王康睿在學校是特別愉快的。”

尊重、快樂的環境，讓Kerry放膽探索熱愛，漸漸明確學習歷史是自己的路，也能抓得住學校提供的機會。

10年級暑假，他在啟明星社會創新項目提供的實習機會招聘會上，接下一個非常有意義的項目——為皇家亞洲學會等機構策劃開發的旅游行程完成可行性調研。

那是“杜立特行動”線路的考察。沿著這條線路旅行，人們可以重拾1940年代中美合作對抗法西斯的歷史。

Kerry獨自啟程，從北京開始，經過浙江，最后終止于中國西南，收集資料，進行實地考察，訪問博物館，完成了項目可行性的調研和路書草稿。

后來，這條線路還真的投入運營了！

他對歷史的熱愛也體現在收藏紀念章和書籍當中

多校錄取，超越錄取

和升學老師一起，Kerry耐心整合資料，終于在常規錄取階段讓一流大學看到了真實的自己：

他在收獲哥大和巴黎政治學院Offer的同時，也收到了加州大學洛杉磯分校、頂級文理學院明德學院、多倫多大學、倫敦大學學院、北卡羅來納大學教堂山分校、弗吉尼亞大學等多所一流高校的錄取。

Kerry踏進夢校的過程，并不是一次逆轉，而是建立在過往每一步之上的自然延伸——一步步串珠成線。

Kerry媽媽說：“啟明星的教育讓Kerry的成長是持續的，從A-到A，再到A+，穩穩的，讓我們特別放心。”

談論成績，Kerry同樣提出了超越當下的觀點：“在哪里上大學和衡量一個人的價值沒有什么關系。決定一個人的，是他的能力、修養和人品。對我們來說，最寶貴的是我們自己，而不是那些外在的物質或條件。我自己是誰，那就是誰。我們該為自己驕傲！”

Graduates · 2026

Ethan Yang and Kerry Wang, both from the Class of 2026, are a memorable duo:

Both are history enthusiasts, always ready to debate and defend their views;

They partnered up for a judo scene in the school film;

And in this year’s application season, they both received offers from joint programs at Columbia University—an Ivy League institution.

In other words, these two classmates are taking their journey from Daystar all the way to Columbia.

“Joint programs are even more competitive than applying to Columbia alone, as students must meet the requirements of both institutions.”

— Melissa Warehall, Director of College Counseling, Daystar Academy

As Ivy-bound graduates from Daystar, Ethan and Kerry share several key traits:

Clear goals—and the determination to pursue them fully;

No internal friction—the wisdom to face challenges head-on;

The ability to draw deeply from their environment and available resources.

Classmates for nearly a decade, they share countless memories together.

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A Direct Hit · Ethan

楊一森 Ethan Yang

? Joined Daystar in Grade 4

? Admitted Early Decision to the Columbia University–Jewish Theological Seminary Joint Program

? Majoring in Political Science and Jewish History

Ethan secured his Columbia offer in the early round—a direct hit.

Bilingual Advantage + Freedom to Grow

Ethan grew up in a bilingual family—his mother is Jewish American, and his father is Chinese. His parents chose Daystar for its bilingual, bicultural education, hoping it would become a lifelong advantage.

Just as importantly, Daystar gave Ethan room to grow.

“As a school, there is structure,” his mother shared, “but students still have great freedom in how they learn and what they explore.”

Instead of standard answers, Ethan was constantly prompted with a deeper question: What do you want to do?

The ease of bilingual exploration and a relaxed, open environment helped Ethan discover his deep passion for history at an early age—one that has been fully supported by both his family and the school.

When preparing for his personal project in Grade 10, this passion for history, combined with his appreciation of his bilingual and bicultural background, led him to develop a project that proved crucial to both his personal growth and his university applications.

Documentary, A New World

During World War II, around 20,000 Jewish refugees fled to Shanghai. The city sheltered them, allowing them to survive and rebuild their lives.

When Ethan learned this story, something clicked.

It was not only a powerful historical moment—it was also a perfect intersection of his Chinese and Jewish identities.

He decided to create a documentary about how Chinese people protected Jewish refugees.

Once he found what he truly cared about, effort was no longer a concern:

• He traveled alone to Shanghai, volunteering at the Jewish Refugees Museum, conducting research and gathering materials;

• He went to San Francisco to interview Holocaust survivors.

His mother recalled having to remind him: “Are you keeping up with your other schoolwork?”

After a year of work—over 300 images and 50 video clips— he completed Stranded in Shanghai.

The impact went far beyond the project itself:

• He presented his work at Tsinghua University’s course Jewish Civilization;

• The film was nominated at the Philadelphia Jewish Film Festival;

• Even today, people continue to reach out—including the daughter of Ho Feng-Shan, who shared her father’s story of issuing visas to save Jewish lives.

This project—and everything it led to—becamepowerful evidence of Ethan’s intellectual depth and passion in his college applications.

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Reflecting on his journey, Ethan emphasized:

“I was lucky to have the freedom to pursue what I truly wanted—and close mentorship.My advisor could give very detailed feedback. With small classes, we often received that level of attention in regular lessons too.”

Providing targeted instruction in small class settings is one of Daystar’s key educational strengths.

Understanding What Learning Really Means

For Ethan, what matters more than grades—or even admissions—is this realization:

“Learning means going deep into what you love, not just chasing scores.”

With that clarity:

* He lets go of what doesn’t interest him;

* He dives deeply into what does—even stepping outside his comfort zone.

In economics, for example, he chose to study Andorra—a less common choice—rather than popular, well-documented countries.

It was precisely because he had come to understand the meaning of learning that, even during the highly demanding period of university applications—when both academic work and applications placed intense pressure on students—Ethan did not fall into the common cycle of anxiety and indecision.

His advisor and economics teacher, Darcy Au-Yeung, described him this way: “Of course he feels pressure, but he never complains. To him, learning is a way of understanding the world.”

“Stories Live in the Unfamiliar”

Now, Ethan is ready for the next stage—exploring the wider world, especially places less traveled: Afghanistan. Lebanon. Syria.

“Places that are less known often hold the richest stories.”

Stringing the Beads Together · Kerry

王康睿 Kerry Wang

? Joined Daystar in CASA (kindergarten)

? Admitted to the Columbia University–Sciences Po Joint Program

? Majoring in History and Political Science

He was also admitted to the University of California, Los Angeles, Middlebury College, the University of Toronto, University College London, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the University of Virginia, and several other leading institutions.

The “Model Student”

Throughout his school years, Kerry has been “the student everyone talks about”:

• Recipient of Daystar’s highest honor, the Daystar Scholar Award, for multiple years;

• Best Speaker (overall and single round) at the Inter-School Chinese Debate Tournament;

• Champion Best Speaker at NHSDLC Beijing;

• One of the youngest mainland Chinese students to be selected to participate the GCI Summit in the UK;

• Gold Award in UK Mathematics Assessment;

• A perfect TOEFL score: 120.

Teachers describe him as:

“Well-rounded—strong in both humanities and sciences.”

“A natural leader—someone others rally behind.”

“The kind of student every teacher hopes to have.”

Not Wasting a Single Moment

Yet Kerry faced rejection in the early round. “It felt heavy,” he admitted.

But his response proved another teacher comment true: Resilient. Reflective. Willing to improve.

Kerry began a process of reflection: what he did well, and what he could have done better. “I realized my early decision essays were actually quite average. So between the early decision rejection and the regular decision round, I worked hard to revise them, making them better reflect my own personality,” Kerry said.

As he entered the regular decision phase, Kerry followed a steady routine—studying for exams and carefully preparing each application—while still maintaining his usual sense of joy and ease.

Kerry’s ability to accept outcomes calmly and adjust quickly comes from the way he has always approached things:

“I have not wasted a single moment of my time in this world. I work hard for things I care about and strive for the causes I value—every day has been meaningful and precious.”

The Power of Virtue

Kerry’s mother said, “I think one of the most important reasons behind Kerry’s growth is his self-discipline, which comes from the school’s virtue education.”

Virtue education may sound broad and abstract, but it is a distinctive strength of Daystar education.

At Daystar, virtues are not vague concepts but concrete expectations. Values such as tolerance, self-discipline, balance, and the pursuit of excellence all fall within the framework of virtue education.

Not only students, but parents are also invited to participate in virtue-themed workshops, creating a strong home-school partnership in education.

Kerry’s habit of self-discipline was gradually formed through his parents’ consistent companionship in his learning process, following teachers’ guidance from Grade 1, and was fully established by Grade 4.

There was also an incident in Grade 10 when Kerry had to complete an English oral exam by recording and submitting it online. He struggled repeatedly, unable to speak smoothly, and became frustrated—working on it until after 1 a.m. However, even then, he never considered placing notes behind the camera as a prompt. He refused to accept any form of academic dishonesty.

Joyful Learning, Fearless Exploration

Kerry’s mother also reflected that Kerry goes to school happily every day. It is precisely this sense of joy and relaxation that allows a child to grow in the best possible way:

“He often comes home and tells us that whenever he goes to ask teachers questions—no matter what kind of questions they are, even if he follows them at any time—Daystar teachers, across all subjects, always give him very timely feedback. Kerry is truly very happy at school.”

In an environment of respect and happiness, Kerry was able to explore boldly, develop his passions, and build the confidence to seize opportunities when they came.

During the summer of Grade 10, he took part in a social innovation internship offered by the school and completed a highly meaningful project—conducting a feasibility study for a travel itinerary developed for institutions such as the Royal Asiatic Society.

It was a study of the “Doolittle Raid” route. Traveling along this route allows people to revisit the history of China–U.S. cooperation in the 1940s against fascism.

Kerry set out on his own journey, starting in Beijing, passing through Zhejiang, and finally reaching Southwest China. Along the way, he gathered materials, conducted field research, visited museums, and completed both the feasibility study and a draft itinerary.

Later, this route was actually put into operation.

He is also a collector of medals and books

Beyond Admissions

Working patiently with his college counselor, Kerry carefully prepared his applications and, in the regular decision round, finally allowed top universities to see his authentic self.

Along with offers from Columbia University and Sciences Po Paris, he was also admitted to the University of California, Los Angeles, Middlebury College, the University of Toronto, University College London, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the University of Virginia, and several other leading institutions.

Kerry’s journey into his dream school was not a sudden turnaround, but a natural extension of everything he had built along the way—step by step, like beads gradually forming a strand.

Kerry’s mother said, “Daystar’s education has allowed Kerry’s growth to move from A- to A, and then to A+, steadily and consistently, which makes us feel especially reassured.”

When reflecting on these results, Kerry also offered a perspective that goes beyond outcomes:

“Where you go to college has little to do with your worth as a person. What defines you are your abilities, your character, and your integrity. For us, the most valuable thing is who we are ourselves, not external material things or conditions. I am who I am—that is enough. We should be proud of ourselves!”