Alvin Hailin at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Alvin Hailin was born and raised in Beijing, but he and his family never held a Beijing "Hukou," a caste-like system restricting Chinese citizens from freely moving and living within their own country. This restriction eventually prompted Alvin to attend an international high school in Beijing and prepare for admission to American universities.

During high school, Alvin learned to secretly use a VPN to access the Internet beyond the Great Firewall. This allowed him to discover facts hidden by the Chinese government and understand freedom and democracy through observing Taiwanese elections.

In the fall of 2020, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, Alvin began his studies at UC Santa Barbara but had to complete his entire freshman year remotely from China. During this time, he experienced the Chinese government's increased implementation of digital authoritarianism under the guise of pandemic control. In April 2021, Alvin's WeChat account was suspended after he criticized President Xi Jinping's incompetency in a group chat with nearly 200 members. Subsequently, local police officers threatened him, stating that he and his family would face severe consequences if he continued to express dissent against the Communist Party, the Chinese government, and their leaders.

Upon arriving in the United States, Alvin became actively involved in Young Americans for Freedom, aspiring to share his story with a broader American audience. During this time, he embraced the Christian faith while overcoming personal challenges. In the summer of 2025, he graduated from UC Santa Barbara with a double major in Applied Mathematics and the History of Public Policy and Law. Guided by a strong commitment to advancing America’s freedom and prosperity, he began teaching high school mathematics in Florida in 2026. He is also preparing to apply to law school, with the goal of becoming an intellectual property attorney..

"China Under Authoritarianism: When Socialists Own Technologies"