Melody Xu / Student Reporter
Gleneagle Secondary student Melody Xu is a passionate learner with a deep love for science, art and athletics. Currently in Grade 11, Xu is a Canadian-born citizen who speaks both English and Mandarin Chinese.
As a dedicated athlete, Xu has been playing sports for almost her entire life. Having started skiing and soccer at the age of four, she has now grown to love competition and enjoys chasing adrenaline. Now, Xu has devoted her time to rock climbing and occasionally does martial arts.
Having been taught the values of good sportsmanship and discipline by her coaches and teammates, Xu’s biggest role model is her older sibling, an athlete who plays university soccer in the United States. She will always admire her sibling’s resilience and hopes to support their athletic and academic career as much as she can.
Besides athletics, Xu is a student who has always loved learning. Having struggled with math in elementary and middle school, she had fallen behind in some of her academic classes but was able to get ahead by learning with a tutor. Now, subjects related to science, particularly physics and biology, are her favourite to learn in school.
Having grown up travelling with her parents and family, Xu has learned to have a deep curiosity for all the different parts of the world. Exploration, discovery and adventure are her favourites, and there’s nothing she likes better more than a good challenge, whether it be a video game puzzle, a difficult homework question, or understanding the rules of mahjong.
When Xu isn’t doing homework or playing sports, she spends her time reading, drawing and playing video games. One of her favourite books is When We Cease to Understand the World by Benjamín Labatut, a half-historical, half-fictional novel about the dangers of scientific advancement. Xu isn’t picky when it comes to choosing books, but she enjoys novels that are challenging and interesting to read.
Xu, who grew up watching shows and tv in a different language, also has an interest in Japanese media. Her favourite manga genres are shonen and seinen, which include works such as One Piece, Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure, Berserk, and Dorohedoro. Visual storytelling in the form of comics, graphic novels and manga, especially with a distinct and special art style, are her favourite; reading them inspires Xu to draw and create art of her own.
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