Lilibel Gomez Martin speaks at the graduation ceremony. [Photo/xdkb.net]

With the support of a Chinese government scholarship, Lilibel made her Chinese dream come true at Jiangsu University in 2013.

The school helped her overcome the initial culture shock by giving her an initial acclimatization course that helps overseas students better fit into campus life in China.

The first year of language learning helped her Chinese proficiency reach a new level. This allowed her to get involved in a greater variety of courses in her second year, and she decided to focus her studies on Chinese linguistics and literature for the next two years.

“I fell in love with Jiangsu University at first sight. The considerate help from the students and teachers here eased my feelings of strangeness and stress, and made it impossible to feel lonely,” Lilibel said in her graduation speech.

She mentioned the comfortable living and studying environment at Jiangsu University, which also helped her achieve so much during her time there.

Aside from taking the same courses and exams as her Chinese classmates, Lilibel also took part in various activities and competitions: She won third place in the “Shared Joy in Jiangsu” Chinese Speech Contest for Foreigners, and scooped first prize in the “China Exploration” sports and culture event organized by the Ministry of Education.

“I love my school, I love Jiangsu and l love China,” Lilibel declared.

Jiangsu University contributed to the story.