Ray Yusheng Xu, a senior from China majoring in computer science, said he has enjoyed his time at BYU–Hawaii where he met his wife, created the BYUH Student app and made good friends.
Xu grew up on the island Hainan, which he described as a “tropical island below mainland China.” Because the climate there is similar to Hawaii’s, Xu said he was used to life on an island.
When he was young, Xu said he learned about BYUH from his peers. “My friends in church were talking about it and my mom always talked about it, so I kind of had a desire to come here when I was young. Lots of people praised BYUH, so I set it as my goal.”
Upon coming to BYUH, Xu said, “There was a little bit of a culture shock, although I did have American companions on my mission. However, studying in English and learning courses in an American way was a bit of a culture shock and it took me a bit of time to adjust and turn in assignments.”
While at BYUH, Xu said he focused on iOS development and developing apps for the iPhone. In 2019, he created the BYUH Student app. It serves as a “guide to helping students.” He said, “I created it to help new students. I hope to add more updates to it in the coming new year.”
The app includes a map of campus, the cafeteria menu, and other academic tools designed for daily use to assist BYUH students.
Kenneth Kalama, the Career Services manager, said the app was helpful for them as a way to advertise their events for the Asia-Pacific Career Conference (APCC).
Kalama said Xu and his team “were able to take the information we had for our events and advertise them on their app in a very short amount of time. On top of that, they were able to help us stay within a budget that allowed us to do more with a quick turnaround time.”
Xu’s team was very responsive, Kalama said, and their contributions “helped make APCC a success despite the challenges we faced with the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.”
One of Xu’s close friends, Houan Zhu, a senior from Taiwan majoring in graphic design, said, “Ray is a very determined and hard-working person. Being his friend and coworker, I often got to see the result of that. He gets what he wants through hard work.
“He got a raise, he got a full scholarship, he got a girlfriend, and then he got married.” Zhu continued, “That’s who Ray is. He goes according to plan and hits the goals he sets.”
Xu’s wife, Xiaoxiao Xiong, a sophomore from China majoring in TESOL, said she first met Xu when he picked her up from the airport when she first came to Hawaii. Looking back, she said she is amazed at how far her husband has come.
“Seeing Ray’s journey at BYUH has amazed me. He likes to serve. He [works with] people around him. He loves coding. When the idea about making an app for BYUH came up, he was so enthusiastic and obsessed about it.
“He wants to help students on campus have a better experience here. I think he did an amazing job. The journey he has had here is amazing.”