Speech at the Graduation Ceremony of 2012

Tao Wenhao

27 June 2012

Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, staff members of the School of Foreign Languages, parents and above all, graduates!

Today is a day for celebration, not to say goodbye though tomorrow you are leaving.

I know you are the same as me, filled with mixed feelings at this special moment of leaving.

My dear graduates, you have fulfilled your tasks as an undergraduate at BNUZ and are about to embark on a new journey in your life. At this special moment of delight and expectations, I would like, on behalf of the School of Foreign Languages and in my own name, to extend my heartfelt congratulations to you all.

To everyone, four years of study is the most cherished time for your life. When you say goodbye to your teachers and classmates, to this most beautiful campus in Asia, you will, I believe, take with you a sweet, unforgettable memory, which will be a constant source of nostalgia no matter where you are in the future.

For the fragrant memories, these popular words as “亲，快来抢购哦！”; “亲，包邮哦! 我们的毕业生今天最大，“伤不起啊”；别急，请大家一定要“Hold住”；信不信由你，“我反正我信了”。 Your bedroom talks, classroom presentations, cries and quarrels maybe sometimes for any reason. Graduation defence, etc are all back again at this special moment! No matter what they are, they are fragrant. They won’t come back again on this campus. Looking back on the past four years, you have every reason to be proud of yourselves and we have been gratified to witness every little step of your progress in independence and academic excellence. When you first stepped into this beautiful campus you must have been amazed by the colourful diversity of college life. But soon afterwards, you might have been at a total loss in all the daily chores, which could have been done by your parents back home. Fortunately, you soon realized that it was an opportunity to venture into the uncertainties and learn to be independent and shoulder the responsibilities that came hand in hand with the freedom. Then you fit into this big family of the School of Foreign Languages, worked hard on your studies, and explored your potential by participating in the campus activities. Your GPA, your scores in the TEM 4 and TEM 8, your good command of English and a second foreign language, your expertise in business English, English education, or English language and literature, your outstanding performance in competitions are all an embodiment of your hard work over the past four years. Congratulations, my dear graduates! I’m fully convinced that your parents are proud of you. I am proud of you! We are all proud of you!

Now, you are at the point of setting off for your new commitments. On this special occasion, I would like to share with you my understanding and wishes for your future life.

First, be conscientious. Conscientiousness, or a sense of responsibility, to a person is what a soul to a body. It is the most vital factor in determining whether you will be successful or stand out at the workplace. Because you are conscientious, you will try your best to accomplish your duties; because you are conscientious, you will take new challenges and live up to what you are expected to be; because you are conscientious, you will stick to your principles and treasure every opportunity of learning.

Second, be grateful. Charles Dickens observed, “Reflect upon your present blessings, of which every man has plenty; not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some.” Indeed, you should focus on what you have, not on what you haven’t. An ungrateful person doesn’t count his blessings and is so busy complaining about everything that he misses out on what could be nice and beautiful otherwise.

Being grateful also means that you don’t take others’ love and kindness for granted. Remember to say “thank you” to your beloved ones from time to time, to express your gratitude to others for their help, and to repay others for their favors.

Third, be optimistic. An optimistic person always keeps a positive perspective to life; no matter what happens, he chooses to hope for the better. Sometimes life is not easy. Optimism is just like a lighthouse to guide you through the darkness of hardship in life.

My dear graduates, I know you are sad and reluctant to say good-bye. We are sad to say goodbye to you, too. However, a graduation ceremony is also called “commencement”. “Commencement” also means start or beginning. So today, we are here to celebrate your new start in your life journey. Finally, I would like to quote Qu Yuan’s well-known lines, “The road ahead is long and with no ending; yet I will seek with my will unbending.” I wish you all the best on the road ahead! The School of Foreign Languages is always your home. East or west, home is best! You are welcome to come back home at any time!

Thank you!