The University of Michigan-Shanghai Jiao Tong University Joint Institute (UM-SJTU JI, JI hereafter) undergraduate student Assel Surshanova has won the 2023 SJTU Excellent International Graduate award, according to a recent announcement of SJTU International Student Service Center.

Assel Surshanova from Kazakhstan is one of the 18 winners selected from all international undergraduate students on SJTU campuses who are expected to graduate this year. Over the past four years, while pursuing the JI Dual Bachelor’s Degree Program in collaboration with UM, she has received numerous awards including the First Prize of the Shanghai Municipal Government Scholarship, the Cheng Family Scholarship, the Roger King Scholarship, and the James B. Angell Scholar Award.

“During my study at JI, I was surrounded by hardworking and dedicated students. I adopted their attitude towards studies and learned a lot from them. JI prepared me well for the challenges of obtaining two bachelor’s degrees within four years. I enjoyed exploring the SJTU campus in my first semester in 2019 (before the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic). After 2 years of hard work in Michigan, I can’t wait to go back and become a part of the Shanghai campus again.” said the Kazakhstani student.

Assel Surshanova (in the center) with her teammates for a JI research project

Assel Surshanova (in the center) with her dual-degree program classmate at UM