On the evening of August 18, 2024, the opening ceremony for the freshmen of 2024 at Tsinghua University's Xinya College was successfully held in the reception hall of the Central Main Building. Members of the College Affairs Committee, teacher representatives, class supervisors, freshman mentors, teacher representatives from other departments and colleges and administrative departments, counselors, and senior student representatives all gathered to welcome 123 freshmen from all around the country. Simultaneously, over a hundred parents, relatives, and friends of the freshmen witnessed this important moment online. The ceremony was hosted by Ruan Dong, Deputy Dean of Xinya College.

Feng Yumo, a 2023 student majoring in Mind, Brain & Machine (MBM), spoke as a representative of the senior students at Xinya College. She warmly welcomed the freshmen to the Xinya family and encapsulated her understanding of the College with the keyword "choice". She shared her experience of making choices regarding general education courses, her major, and extracurricular activities. Feng encouraged these younger students to maintain their passion and courage for learning and life. She supported them in continually exploring the world of knowledge and ideas as well as the real world and boldly making choices that will shape their own unique Xinya stories.

Prof. Liu Jia, Director of the Department of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences and Director of the MBM Teaching Committee, delivered a speech on behalf of the faculty. Prof. Liu began by extending warm congratulations to the freshmen. Addressing the confusion and challenges the students might face in the next four years, he emphasized that real growth and value are achieved by courageously confronting challenges and deeply reflecting on hardships. Prof. Liu smiled as he reflected on his growth journey, noting that despite its many twists and turns, he would not reveal the "secrets" to bypass challenges and failures to his younger self even if he could go back to the past. He believes that growth only comes through overcoming hardships. Prof. Liu encouraged the students to use the advantages of youth, dare to try and make mistakes, and move forward resolutely despite confusion and fear. Finally, he hoped that the students could understand the true meaning of life after going through various challenges and wished them a transformative, phoenix-like growth during their time at the university.

In his speech, Dean Mei Ciqi of Xinya College extended a warm welcome and heartfelt congratulations to the freshmen, their parents, and teachers on behalf of the College. Prof. Mei stated that we are currently at a pivotal moment in history, especially highlighted by the rapid development of artificial intelligence, which has unlocked numerous new possibilities for us. In this era, the demand for innovative talent coexists with the anxiety brought by uncertainty. In this context, the 2024 freshmen, standing at a new starting point of the development of Xinya College, are expected to shoulder the historical mission of driving the nation's innovative development. Regarding the students' future innovation paths, Prof. Mei shared his insights and proposed three suggestions: first, actively embrace the unpredictability of university life, explore the unknown, and enjoy the process; second, be prepared to establish a reverse thinking framework and have the courage to challenge established knowledge systems; third, delve into the depth and complexity of knowledge and dare to break free from the shackles of conventional thinking. At last, Prof. Mei used the windmill as a metaphor to inspire the students to maintain their pace amid uncertainties and meet the challenges of their university life and future with a positive attitude.