Xinyue Xie, who graduates tomorrow as part of the class of 2023, will receive an Honours Bachelor of Mathematics in Mathematical Physics (Co-op), Pure Mathematics (Co-op), and Combinatorics and Optimization (Co-op), with a minor in Astrophysics. In the last five years, she has completed 53 courses (13 more than the average graduate), with a stunning final average in her Faculty of Mathematics courses of 98.500%.
“It is a great honor to receive the President’s Award of Excellence,” she says. “I have met so many hardworking and talented students in classes, during co-ops, and in research.”
Xie participated in several CEMC contests in high school, and because of her exceptional performance in the 2017 Euclid Contest, she was invited to an Exploring Math and Computer Science workshop at Waterloo. She liked the atmosphere on campus, and decided to major in mathematical physics because she loved both subjects in high school and couldn’t choose between them.
The courses she took early on sparked her interest and encouraged her to deepen her understanding. “I am sure that all the students who took MATH 145 (Algebra) with Professor David Jao have found it to be a very unique and unforgettable experience,” she says. “This was the course that taught me to think rigorously and to explore math.”
Soon, Xie decided to add a Pure Math major, and a couple years later a Combinatorics & Optimization major as well. The pandemic – with its switch from in-person classes to online ones – was a challenge, but throughout Xie focused on prioritizing healthy habits and working to find aspects of her courses that interested her. “Understanding is much more important than memorization,” she says, “and understanding usually happens more easily if you are genuinely interested in something, so try to find some aspect that interests you in every course.”
This fall, Xie will begin a master’s here at Waterloo studying Combinatorics & Optimization, focusing on graph theory. In addition to her friends and family, she is especially grateful for the supervision and mentorship she has received from Combinatorics and Optimization professor Kanstantsin Pashkovich and Pure Math professor Barbara Csima.
“Some people seem to think of university as something that leads to life, where life is something that happens after graduation, but I’d rather think of university as part of life,” Xie says. “Every little effort you make right now matters, and having a rich experience will help you understand what you want to do and who you want to be.”
“Xinyue Xie’s achievements are truly impressive,” says Benoit Charbonneau, associate dean for undergraduate studies in the Faculty of Mathematics. “She has been an ideal and outstanding student, and we are proud to call her an alum of the Faculty. The future is bright for her, and there is no one in this Faculty more deserving of this honour.”
You can learn more about the President’s Award of Excellence on the Student Awards & Financial Aid website. Learn more about the Faculty of Mathematics Class of 2023 in this year's valedictorian profiles, PhD profiles, and undergraduate student profile.