In July 2023, during the 5th North America Tsinghua Alumni Convention held in Washington, D.C., the core team of Tsinghua second-generation members actively planned and successfully hosted the First North America Tsinghua Youth Convention (TYCon). Guided by the principle of "FROM US, FOR US", the first TYCon featured panels on topics of interest to young people, including college applications, job hunting, youth entrepreneurship ventures, and writing and publishing books, among many others.
All panels were led by Tsinghua second-generation members, who served as both speakers and moderators. Through these panels and interactive activities, the inaugural TYCon successfully attracted over 150 participants, far exceeding our expectations. Many attendees joined with no prior connection to the community. However, they all ended up surprised, having made new friends, and gained a lot from the experience. After the event, they were unwilling to leave and sincerely thanked their parents for bringing them to such a wonderful gathering. This gave them a great opportunity to meet outstanding peers with shared interests, which was completely different from the dull and uninteresting convention they had imagined.
The positive experience of the first TYCon, combined with this feeling of gratitude, helped bridge the gap between the first-generation Tsinghua alumni with their Chinese cultural backgrounds and the second-generation children raised in North American culture. This mutual understanding and recognition between the two generations grew, and the bond between parents and children was strengthened as friendships developed among the younger generation. Although the second-generation members went their separate ways after the event, many participants stayed in close contact, cherishing the friendships they built during TYCon.
The influence of TYCon has already successfully attracted more Tsinghua second-generation members to actively participate in future TYCon events and activities. It was under these circumstances that Tsinghua Youth Connect (still abbreviated as TYCon) came to be, serving as a platform-based organization to not only prepare for future conventions, but also to connect alumni’s children across regions for ongoing exchanges and interactions.
TYCon has multiple programs, with three main events highlighted below:
Second TYCon in May 2025 in Los Angeles: Like the first TYCon, the second convention will be organized and planned by Tsinghua second-generation members. The core team will recruit organizers, speakers, moderators, and volunteers from across North America's Tsinghua second-generation community. More details will be announced soon.
City Meetups: To encourage interaction among second-generation members living in nearby areas, TYCon will organize in-person meetups in selected cities. This event will provide a relaxed and friendly environment for participants to get to know each other and engage in meaningful exchanges. During these meetups, TYCon will also appoint second-generation representatives to serve as city ambassadors.
Summer Project Collaboration: In the summer of 2025, TYCon plans to organize a collaborative project for second-generation members who share similar interests and are eager to work together on a self-selected project. TYCon intends to invite Tsinghua alumni as professional mentors to provide guidance, but the main focus will be on the participants driving the project independently. TYCon will also provide resources based on participants' needs. This activity aims to motivate collaborative relationships, increase their self-esteem in their abilities, develop a sense of responsibility toward their projects, and encourage them to boldly pursue their ideas.
After receiving and verifying the registration form details, TYCon will send a WhatsApp Community invitation to the confirmed second-generation members based on the phone number provided. WhatsApp will become the central platform for TYCon members to communicate and stay connected. All future TYCon event announcements, applications, and contact details for key organizers will be available within the WhatsApp Community. This platform will also help second-generation members interact and connect with one another. If any second-generation members are interested in TYCon, please join by filling out the Google form below.
Follow TYCon's Instagram @ty.connect for more!
Personal Information Form Link(Join TYCon Application Form):
https://forms.gle/dFAWnGpmqrLiTK7m7
(Limited to one submission per person)
Contact Information:
Email:tycon@tsinghua.org
Gen-2 Contact:Helen Yang (Schwarzman '25, Lead Organizer of TYCon 2023, Master's in Operations Research at Columbia University, BCom in Statistics at McGill)
WeChat: yang_qiuge
Gen1 Liaisons: Gavin Ye (EE99), Rachel Ding (Schwarzman ’24)
WeChat: leaffe
TYCon Lead Organizer
Bachelor, McGill University, Canada
Master, Columbia University, USA
Schwarzman Scholar, Tsinghua University, China
University of Pennsylvania
B.S. in Biology, Minor in Chemistry Class of 2026
Penn Figure Skating Nationals Team
Global Product Analyst at Vans
B.S. Business Administration, University of Southern California, Minor in Cinematic Arts
Keynote Speakers: Hao Zhou, Helen Yang
Panelists: Vincent Zhou, Tatiana Nazlymov, Amy Li, Richie Lou, Richard Niu, Rachel Ding, Annie Lu, Gloria Zhang, Joy Fan, Mingyi Wu, Elaine Cao, Andrew Peng, Chloe Zhan
Moderators: Amy Li, Rachel Ding, Audrey Gong
Events: Megan Zhang, Celina Liang, Jialin Chen, Sophie Zeng, Mia Liu, Grace Ming, Meilin Ye, Angela Yang, Emma Di, Alex Hu, Bill Wang, Derek He, Audrey He, Baochan Fan, Yang Hu, Albert Yan, Christina Fu, Eric Ni, Remy Rong, Alexander Zhang
Young Reporters: Baoya Fan, Katherine Ge, Yang Hu, Hayden Jung, Xiaoyue Li, Angelina Song-Ye, Valentina Song-Ye, Alex Wang, Haoqi Wang, Helen Wang, Willian Yin, Andrew Yu, Emma Yu, Sophie Zeng, Alexander Zhang, Michael Zhang, Katherine Zhou
Posters: Rachel Ding, Chloe Zhan, Audrey He, Vivian Lu
Souvenirs: George Li, Bella Yin, Helen Yang
Database Management: Cynthia Huang
Photographer: Raymond Yao
Logo: George Li