大学的每一分钟都是你未来无形的财富

导读:大学生活应该是丰富多彩的，当我们进入到大学以后，就应该更加珍惜这段大学时光，利用这几年的时间，好好充实自己，并且找到属于自己的友谊或者爱情，这才是一个美好的大学时光。

Luyanda Mdanda is someone who likes to be busy.

The 19 year-old South African led a very active life long before becoming an international student in the United States. Born in Johannesburg, he enjoys outdoor activities, such as playing a game of golf and surfing.

But Mdanda says he never thought his life could be as busy as it has been since coming to the University of California San Diego in 2016.

The University of California San Diego, or UCSD for short, was established in 1960. It is about a two-hour drive south of Los Angeles on the California coast. The school is a public research university, and currently serves over 36,000 students.

UCSD is well known for its research programs. Several researchers, professors and former students have been recognized for their work. They have won major awards, including the National Medal of Science, the Fields Medal and the Nobel Prize. And that is why Mdanda wanted to earn his undergraduate degree at UCSD. He learned of the school through a State Department program called EducationUSA.

Mdanda chose to study cognitive science, which combines different subjects, such as computer science, psychology and social science. He knows that, by choosing this study program, he is required to learn many different skills. But he feels it is the best way of solving the world’s biggest problems.

“I really believe through the power of programming, through the power of understanding how the mind works, through the power of understanding how social sciences works, we’re able to create solutions … for underrepresented communities in the world, and provide them with the resources they need.”

However, getting the chance to work on these sorts of problems was not easy, Mdanda recalls. UCSD does not provide him with financial aid. So he has asked several South African companies to donate money to help pay for his college education. It also means he has had to work very hard on his own.

“That’s really pushed me to seeking internship opportunities, seeking campus jobs, seeking other opportunities to find people who are willing to support me. And I think if it wasn’t for that challenge I wouldn’t have to necessarily push myself as hard as I have in the past.”

Mdanda has worked three jobs since starting classes at UCSD. But luckily for him, these jobs have involved work he finds interesting.

The school is home to the San Diego Supercomputer Center, which houses very large, very powerful processors. And Mdanda was able to get a position in the center as an undergraduate researcher.

Many of the world’s top technology companies operate their own supercomputers. Last summer, Mdanda put what he learned in his research position to use by getting a paid internship at the Microsoft Corporation. And he will be returning to the company for another internship this summer.

But it is at yet another job that Mdanda truly seems to shine. In 2017, he became a resident assistant, or RA for short. At most U.S. colleges and universities, many students live on-campus in school-operated student housing. In exchange for a free place to stay, students chosen as RAs act as a representative of the school in the student housing. They make sure students follow rules and have a safe and welcoming environment to live in.

RAs also can act as a guide to other students, something which Mdanda says he loves doing. He personally is involved in several student organizations, including a group that helps students develop business ideas. And so he loves helping others, telling them all about campus life and the groups in which they can be involved. That way they can get the most out of their time at UCSD, he adds.