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Alumni Success Story: Xiao 'Tyler' Xin '14

After a family friend told Xiao (Tyler) Xin about Tallulah Falls School, he and his family followed through with internet research. Xin decided to travel from Shanghai, China, to Georgia to attend TFS. “It was my first international experience,” he said. “It was quite shocking – so different. The people were super nice. The food was delicious. It took some time to get used to the accent.” 

When Xin arrived at TFS as a boarding student, he had traveled across the world, but it didn’t feel like that to him. He didn’t feel distant or isolated in the dorms. “People worked to make me feel at home,” Xin said. “The counselors were great. When I had things concerning me, I knew who to talk to,” said Xin. “We played basketball together. They were good friends, but they also followed discipline to ensure we were on a good track.”

Xin believes that TFS provided him with a strong academic program. “We had a variety of choices for things we were interested in and competitive classes that showcased our readiness for college,” he said. “As an international student, learning English, especially writing, was a huge plus.” 

Xin explained that all of his classes required a lot of writing nearly every day. He learned how to write formally and express his thoughts and words carefully. “This helped me to tackle college,” he said. “I always feel comfortable expressing my words well, especially as an engineer. Being able to be a good writer is a huge plus. I appreciate that I learned how to do the writing right.” 

Xin also excelled in math during his time at TFS. “I had the honor to enjoy many classes with Mrs. Harris,” said Xin. “She is one of the greatest educators I have ever met.” In addition, Harris was the Math Club Sponsor and Xin president of Math Club. 

After graduating from TFS in 2014, Xin attended the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in Indiana. He graduated with a degree in computer science in 2018. “I worked for Google right after college for a few years as a software engineer,” said Xin. “I started working for Meta in June of 2022. “It is quite interesting.” He works on the system that delivers ads on social networks like Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, etc. “We have to make sure that the commercial content is beneficial to the viewer and the advertiser,” he said. Currently, he is working with a team to try to deliver in an environmentally friendly way so that they can deliver with fewer machines in order to reduce their carbon footprint. 

Xin has a word of encouragement for students at TFS. “Don’t give up. Keep doing your work,” he said. “TFS is a magical place. It is not something you can just experience anywhere. Seize the moment.”