Recently,anundergraduatethesis entitled“A Study on the Acquisition Bias of Aspirated/Unaspirated Consonants by Chinese Learners with Russian Background”by Oksana Kurovets, a Ukrainian undergraduate student of the School,was awarded the Second Prize of 2021 Outstanding Graduation Thesis (Design) of Sichuan University. Associate Professor Xian Lixia, advisor of the thesis, also receivedan honorary certificate from the University.

The selection was based on the requirements and procedures of related notices from the Academic Affairs Office of the University, and then assessed by expertpanel ofthe Academic Affairs Office;the thesis was finally selected from thousands of undergraduate theses, and granted thisvaluable award.

Upon receiving the exciting news, Oksana, who isnowin Ukraine, feltoverwhelmed withexcitement. She sincerely expressedher gratitude to Sichuan University for providing such agoodopportunity to study, to the teachers and students of the School of Overseas Education for their assistance and care, and to her Chinese friends around her for their love and support. Inrecallingher study experience, shesaid, despite ofa lot of hardships from not knowing a single Chinese character at the beginning to being able to write her thesis in Chinese and winning the award;despite ofgettingat a loss at the beginning to getting bettergradually,shelearned a lot through her four years of study. It is a wonderful experience in her life that she will never forget, she added.

Award-winning Student: Oksana Kurovets

Thesis Advisor: Xian Lixia

The advisor of the thesis, Associate Professor Xian Lixia, gave high praise to Oksana and recalledthe extraordinary experience of thesis supervision. Oksana is an extremely diligent student, who takes much account ofthe academic comments of all teachers, she noted. Prior to the outbreak of COVID-19, shelooked afterher newborn sonin Ukraine. Following the outbreak, she was unable to return to Chengduso sheexperiencedextremedifficulties in writing her thesis: first, she was unable to accessCNKIdatabase to searchforthereferencesdue tonetworkrestrictions;second, there was a five-hour time difference between China and Ukraine;third, the epidemic in Ukraine was so serious that she and her baby had to stay at home. However, to better prepare her thesis, Oksanahasovercome such difficulties. She reviewed thereferenceswith the help of her advisor and her husband, who lived in Chengdu, and discussed her thesis revision plan with her advisor online at least twice a week. Upon completion of each discussion, she would immediately revise it and send back to the advisor immediately. After the advisor revised and annotated it,they turned to discussion and recomposeditover andover again... Through six months and more than fiftyrounds ofdiscussions and revisions, Oksana finally completed her thesis successfully.

For allthe facultymembersand students of the School,Oksana's award is a greatinspirationfor improvingthe quality of the undergraduate thesis of international students in the School.