SF Grad Story: Haiyan Fu

April 26, 2018

April 26, 2018 - Santa Fe College salutes the hard work of its students as graduation approaches. It is a time, not only to mark student accomplishment and achievement, but also to look toward future endeavors the graduates will take.

Haiyan Fu was born in Inner Mongolia and came to America in her mid 20's. In 2011, she and her husband moved from South Carolina to Gainesville for, as she put it, "the weather, the culture and the quality of education available."

She came to SF in the fall of 2016 to pursue a nursing degree. At the time of her enrollment, the college was celebrating the Aspen Institute's proclamation that made SF No. 1 in the nation. Haiyan said that intrigued her and she wanted to know what made SF so special.

One of the things that struck her was the beauty of the Northwest Campus. She talked about feeling warm and comforted on campus. She said that when she saw the way the staff cared about the appearance of the campus, the students here were in a nurturing environment. She spoke repeatedly about harmony, how everyone and everything on at SF works together to make it a welcoming place for students to learn

Despite the busy schedule of being a wife and mother to three children, Haiyan was highly involved in the SF Honors program, and gained confidence through her work in speech competitions. She loved the quality of faculty at SF, calling Natalie Hadad (Psychology), Don Swieter (Physical Sciences) and Patrick Breslin (Humanities) among her favorites.

She said her time at SF helped her grow as a person, opening her heart to American culture. Although she is excited about her future, she said she will always love SF.