In this issue, let’s delve into the story of Hu Yongyi, an outstanding 2024 graduate of Université Jiao Tong de Shanghai, and hear about his 6.5-year journey of growth.
Profile
PART 01
Hu Yongyi
SPEIT
2024 Master's Graduate in Information Engineering
Overseas Experience: Dual Degree at École Polytechnique
Internships: Graph Neural Network Lab at UIUC, Facebook AI in France
Post-Graduation: Joining AI Unicorn Minimax
Growth Story
Before entering university, I knew almost nothing about French. After joining SPEIT, through systematic teaching from French and math teachers, my French level improved from zero to C1, and I also built a solid foundation in mathematics. After two years of foundational studies (equivalent to French preparatory courses), I took the dual degree exchange program exam, Concours, and after rigorous selection, I went to École Polytechnique for 2.5 years of study.
École Polytechnique, known as "X" in French, is an engineering grande école founded in 1794. It is a public institution for teaching and research, under the Ministry of Defense of France, and is considered the top engineering school in France, consistently ranking first among French institutions and known as the pinnacle of the French elite education system.
In French, there is a specific term "polytechnicien" which refers to graduates of École Polytechnique. French law even mandates that during the July 14th Bastille Day parade, École Polytechnique students must march at the front of all the formations and guard the President of the Republic. As international students, we received the same training as our French peers and also had the opportunity to participate in the parade formation on Bastille Day.
The curriculum at X is very distinctive. In the first year, I mainly took some general foundation courses, which expanded my understanding of French politics, philosophy, and culture. In the second year, I engaged in multidisciplinary courses and humanities exchange internships. In the third year, I focused on my major studies and research internships. Since I majored in Information Engineering and was very interested in artificial intelligence, I took many AI-related courses in the third year. It is worth mentioning that X keeps up with technological trends and offers many AI courses taught by top industry experts. For example, the database course was taught by the chair of one of the top three database conferences, VLDB.
x的课程安排
My interest in AI comes from Go. Since childhood, I have been very interested in Go and showed some talent in it, participating in Go competitions and achieving excellent results from elementary school. Go not only trained my thinking ability but also cultivated my perseverance and calmness. During my undergraduate years, when I saw AlphaGo emerge, I deeply felt the limitless potential of AI and decided to delve into this field.
During my exchange at X, besides taking courses, I also actively sought high-quality internships. Being an X alumnus helped me a lot. After resume screening and interviews, I successfully interned with Meta AI, where many colleagues were X graduates. During the internship, I learned about many cutting-edge topics in the AI field and met many top talents, becoming friends with them. For example, some colleagues in the team were Ph.D. students of Turing Award winner Yann LeCun. Their research greatly interested me and made me realize the gap between myself and top scientists. After the internship, due to the rise of generative AI like ChatGPT, our group's LLaMA work gained significant attention both domestically and internationally.
During my studies at X, I kept close contact with my supervisor at Université Jiao Tong de Shanghai. After finishing my studies at X, I immediately returned to Université Jiao Tong de Shanghai to continue my research project, which was submitted to and accepted by the top data mining conference ICDE (CCF-A), and this formed the basis of my master's thesis.
During the job search phase, my previous internship experience attracted the attention of domestic startups, and some extended offers to me. I decided to continue working in the AI field after graduation and chose to join the AI unicorn Minimax. I hope to contribute to developing large models in China and make a contribution to China's AI industry!
To the Academy
Dear Academy, thank you for the knowledge and growth space you have provided me over these seven years. Here, I not only learned professional knowledge but more importantly, learned how to think, communicate, and face challenges. These experiences will be invaluable in my future career. Thank you for your nurturing, and I will carry my gratitude as I embark on a new journey. I also sincerely hope that the Academy will continue to thrive!
To undergraduates
Dear comrades, university is a crucial period for personal growth and self-exploration. You are in a stage full of possibilities, so do not be afraid to try new things, whether in academic research or extracurricular activities. At the same time, don't forget to build a solid foundation of basic knowledge, which will be a solid cornerstone for your future development. Cherish this time, bravely pursue your dreams, and the future will belong to you!
To High School Students
Dear high school students, the time in high school is truly precious. Although sometimes the study pressure is high, please remember to enjoy the process and work hard and grow together with your friends. University is a new beginning where you will encounter more challenges and opportunities, so keep your curiosity and passion for learning and explore courageously!
speit2013
http://speit.sjtu.edu.cn/