Taiyi Sun was born in HangZhou, China. Currently a doctoral student in the department of political science of Boston University, he is the recipient of the Presidential Fellowship and a member of Phi Beta Kappa. Taiyi also plays in the first violin section of the Boston Civic Symphony and studies under the world famous violinist Lynn Chang. Taiyi was the first student from Zhejiang province selected by the AFS student exchange program to study in the US. With his exceptional performance, he managed to get the US high-school diploma in just one year.
In 2005, Taiyi was accepted by Ripon College with an early decision and received the highest scholarship. Being the first student from mainland China in Ripon College’s almost 160-year history, in a land that is not influenced much by the Chinese culture, Taiyi was dedicated to make local people more aware of the real China, its culture, history and heritage. He organized student organizations, such as the People’s Club of China, to serve as venue to achieve such goals. Leading student discussions, making presentations and organizing large events such as celebrations for the “Moon Festival” and “Spring Festival,” Taiyi helped interest many local people in anything Chinese for the first time. Being a student senator, Taiyi along with several other students organized a team and participated in Habitat for Humanity’s effort to rebuild homes after Hurricane Katrina. Local people were so touched and appreciative that even a student from China cared for their livelihood. Taiyi managed to finish the four-year undergraduate program in three years with double majors and a minor, and graduated as the Valedictorian of the class. Receiving the Hall of Nations full scholarship from the American University, Taiyi did his master degree while serving as the executive assistant for the Center for Asian Studies, organizing international conferences and cultural events. He was also one of the main organizers of the PRC 60th Anniversary Celebration in the Greater Washington area, which the then Chinese Ambassador Wenzhong Zhou praised him for his excellent performance.
Taiyi started to play the violin at age three and has served concertmaster of the China West Lake Youth Orchestra (7 years), Ripon College Orchestra (3 years) and American University Symphonic Orchestra (2 years). Taiyi has participated in various IF discussions since 2009.
