I’m Xiaocen Dong, a first-year PhD student in Physics. Over the past four years, I’ve served our community as Academic Representative, Chinese Treasurer, CSSA Career Event Coordinator, and Co-Founder of the Boardgame Club, supporting and connecting people across levels.
As a Rep, I represented ~200 peers in the faculty during COVID and helped shape fair assessment practice. As Treasurer, I managed event budgets end-to-end, secured sponsorships, and kept fund flow transparent. In Careers, I co-hosted panels linking students with alumni and firms. The Boardgame Club became a cross-department hub for mainly undergrads, strengthening cohesion and retention.
Vision as President
For the Whole Community: Enrich cultural and sports programmes, boost funding, and revive large-scale events such as drama nights, tea parties, and sports festivals. Strengthen the Alumni Liaison Department to connect IC Chinese alumni and the wider UK Chinese network for mutual support.
For Undergraduate & Master’s students: Partner with Huawei, ZTE, Tencent, CICC, CITIC and other enterprises to expand internship and career projects. Organise cross-college career sharing and mentoring to help every student build real-world pathways.
For PhD students: Enhance links with universities and Chinese talent offices. Host targeted recruitment and innovation seminars. Facilitate overseas “Talent Return Trips” to explore industry and research opportunities in China.
In the end, CSSA should not only be an organisation. It should be a home for every Chinese student at Imperial. A place where culture connects us, support empowers us, and opportunities grow with us.