毕业生 | 白羽梵：生活不总是一路阳光，我想展示真实的世界

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毕业生 · 2025

很快，启明星2025届高中毕业生就要离开校园，奔向属于自己的道路。在老师们眼中，这是“特别忠于自己内心”的一届学生——他们笃定未来的方向，并且很努力，最终取得了傲人的成绩！

篇幅有限，今年《毕业生》栏目，我们将介绍其中的3位，当然，其他孩子也像他们一样，可爱、真诚，我们祝福他们！

白羽梵 / Fanny Bai

▸ 8年级从公立学校转入启明星

▸ 收获美国萨凡纳艺术设计学院、朱尼亚塔文理学院、英国创意艺术大学、芝加哥哥伦比亚学院、犹他大学等大学的漫画、叙事艺术或视觉艺术专业的录取通知书

熟悉Fanny的人都知道，她不是很爱说话。

然而，当我们请她把成长经历分享出来，让更多人了解艺术学生在启明星的“日子”，她说了好多——

先要放松下来

来启明星之前，Fanny上的是一所挺卷的公立学校。渐渐的，她身体吃不消了。妈妈说：“你得休息一下。”

于是，她干脆在家过了一个间隔年。这一年里，她边调整状态边找学校，同时还“异常多”地画画——画画是她从小的热爱，也是她消磨时间的方法。

Fanny最喜欢的画家是日本的高木直子和美国的摩西奶奶。“我喜欢她们那种风格，干净、简单，反映的是真实生活的细节。”

摩西奶奶、高木直子的画作

大约也是这样的喜好把她推来了启明星——这里没有高大上的楼宇，但谁都能彼此认识的社区规模让她觉得真实、可靠。

她终于从之前并不适合自己的赛道中退出来，有了更多心力做自己想做的事情，包括写作、画画，还有追星。

“打开”自己

Fanny说，让她真正在绘画中“打开”自己、砸实了学画的决心，是在10年级。

“之前学画就是画素描画水彩，练习的都是技法，但Anna老师让我们做自己的东西。她说，你随便想。我一下就懵了，不知道要画什么。”Fanny说。

Anna老师是教了Fanny4年的视觉艺术老师。她虽然应用常规的IBMYP美术教学法引导学生学习，但她以极大的热情感染和支持着学生，让他们在艺术表达上找到独属于自己的“声音”。

“她帮我‘打开’了自己，做出完整的作品。”Fanny说。

到12年级IBDP视觉艺术课毕业展览，Fanny拿出了自己满意的作品，Anna老师特地赶来一起庆祝。

Anna老师（左三）、白羽梵（右一）和同学们在展览现场

最满意的2件作品

IBDP视觉艺术课毕业展上，有2件Fanny自己最满意的作品。

一个是画作《恨》，一个是动态的漫画《被忽视的地方们》 。

《恨》记录了Fanny从小到大讨厌的100个人物。有网络上骗了她零花钱的社会人，有故意开车颠簸她奶奶的巴士司机，有信誓旦旦要包装她进藤校的中介……

一般来说，大家都愿意公开自己温暖、善良的内心，而避免让自己显得挑剔、记恨。而Fanny挺勇敢、挺直白。

“生活里不全是正能量，我想记录真实的生活。”她说。

《被忽视的地方们》记录的分别是启明星校园和她家小区的俯瞰视角。其中的一些场景在现实中并不存在，一些又是真实存在却容易被大家忽略的。Fanny把记忆和现实整合在同一个作品里，实现了维度的交叠。

大学升学指导总监Melissa Warehall老师这样评价Fanny：“对生活的表达很尖锐。”，也由此辅导她找到特别适合的专业方向：漫画和叙事性的艺术表达。

找到这样“合身”的专业，Fanny的爸爸妈妈特别高兴。妈妈三川玲老师是一位有着百万粉丝的教育博主，她兴奋得在公号上连发了好几篇文章！

每节课都很有成就感

Fanny说，其实切换赛道专注艺术，学业的压力也一直都在，不学懂学通，就做不了作业，也过不了评估（考试），好在学习的方式“比较好”，学的东西是有用的。

她特别提到两位老师，一位是英文老师兼拓展论文协调员Joseph Bartholomew（Mr. B） ，一位是中文老师杨红娴（Sandy）。

“Mr. B 上课的时候很幽默，给我们帮助也很大。他监督我们写拓展论文，我有艺术和哲学问题，他也会给我解答。Sandy老师，我觉得她教的太扎实了。她对教学很有规划，也特别有调理。一堂课下来，我觉得能学到特别多东西，每节课都很有成就感。”

现在，Fanny决定了去萨凡纳艺术设计学院，那里孕育了《辛普森一家》的创作者马特·格勒宁、普利策漫画创作奖得主Matt Davies。

总结自己成为今天的自己的经验，Fanny说，我坚持了自己的热爱，遇见了好老师，来到一个适合自己的学校。

“如果不是这样，我应该还在每天为成绩烦恼。我会努力让自己的成绩不那么差，但就是挺普通的一个人。”她说。

Class of 2025

Very soon, the Daystar Academy Class of 2025 will be leaving campus and embarking on their own journeys. In the eyes of our teachers, this is a class known for “being especially true to themselves”—they have a clear vision for the future, they work hard, and their accomplishments are amazing!

Due to space limitations, this year’s "Graduates" feature will highlight just three students. Of course, all our students are just as talented and genuine—we wish them all the best!

白羽梵 / Fanny Bai

▸ Transferred to Daystar Academy from a public school in 8th grade

▸ Accepted into Savannah College of Art and Design, Juniata College, University for the Creative Arts (UK), Columbia College Chicago, and the University of Utah for programs in comics, sequential art or visual art

Those who know Fanny well know she doesn’t talk much.

However, when we asked her to share her journey — to let more people understand what life is like for an art student at Daystar Academy — she had a lot to say.

First, You Have to Relax

Before joining Daystar, Fanny attended a highly competitive public school. Over time, it took a toll on her health. Her mom finally said, “You need to take a break.”

So she took a gap year at home, a time for both recovery and searching for a new school. During that year, she drew “a ton” — something she’s loved doing since childhood and a way for her to pass the time.

Fanny’s favorite artists are Naoko Takagi from Japan and Grandma Moses from the U.S. “I love their style — clean, simple, and reflective of the little details in real life.”

Art works of Grandma Moses and Naoko Takagi

This kind of aesthetic may have naturally led her to Daystar — not a campus filled with grand buildings, but a tightly-knit community where everyone knows each other. It felt real and dependable to her.

She finally stepped away from a track that didn’t suit her and had more energy to pursue what she truly cared about: drawing, writing, and even fangirling.

Opening Up

Fanny says it wasn’t until 10th grade that she truly opened up through her art and committed to the path of visual storytelling.

“Before that, I was just doing sketching and watercolor, focusing on techniques. But then Anna, my teacher, told us to create something of our own. She said, ‘Think of anything you want.’ I was completely lost.”

Anna was Fanny’s visual arts teacher for 4 years. While she followed the standard IBMYP art curriculum, she taught with great passion and provided deep support, helping students discover their own artistic voices.

“She helped me open up and create finished works,” Fanny says.

By 12th grade, during the IBDP Visual Arts Exhibition, Fanny presented work she was truly proud of — and Anna was there to celebrate with her.

Anna Zhu（third from the left）came to the IBDP Art Showcase to celebrate with the students.

Her Two Favorite Works

At the IBDP Visual Arts Exhibition, two pieces stood out as Fanny’s favorites:

One was a painting titled “Hatred”, and the other was an animated comic titled “Overlooked Places”.

“Hatred” documents 100 people who have made her angry throughout her life — from a scammer who stole her pocket money online to a bus driver who purposely jolted her grandma, and even an agent who falsely promised to get her into the Ivy League.

Most people like to showcase their kindness and avoid appearing bitter or resentful. But Fanny is brave and direct.

“Life isn’t always about positive energy. I want to record what’s real,” she says.

“Overlooked Places” presents aerial views of both the Daystar campus and her residential neighborhood. Some scenes are imaginary; others are real but easily ignored. Fanny blended memory and reality to create a multi-dimensional piece.

Daystar’s Head of College Counseling, Melissa Warehall, commented, “Her view of life is sharp and expressive.” This insight helped guide Fanny toward a fitting major: comics and sequential art.

Fanny’s parents were thrilled to see her find a field that truly fits. Her mother, Lingchuan San (San Chuanling), a well-known education blogger with over a million followers, even posted several articles celebrating her daughter’s path.

A Sense of Accomplishment

in Every Class

Fanny admits that even after switching to art, academic pressure never disappeared — if you don’t understand something, you can’t complete your work or pass assessments.

Fortunately, the way of learning at Daystar “really worked” for her, and what she studied felt meaningful.

She especially appreciates two teachers:

Joseph Bartholomew (Mr. B), her English teacher and Extended Essay coordinator. “He’s funny in class and super helpful. When I had questions related to art and philosophy, he helped me figure them out.”

Sandy Yang, her Chinese teacher. “Her teaching is really solid — very organized and well-structured. I learned so much in each class. Every lesson felt rewarding.”

Now, Fanny has decided to attend the Savannah College of Art and Design, the alma mater of The Simpsons creator Matt Groening and Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist Matt Davies.

Reflecting on how she became who she is today, Fanny says it came down to sticking with her passion, meeting great teachers, and finding the right school.

“If not for all this, I’d probably still be stressing over grades every day. I’d work hard to avoid bad scores, but I’d just be a very average person.”