Farewell to SCU Graduates: Setting Sail for New Adventures

Thousands of Soochow’s students from its six schools received their diplomas in Chuan Xian Hall at Waishuangxi Campus on June 16th and 17th as the 2018 commencement brought hundreds of parents, school’s faculty and alumni to witness this remarkable graduation ceremony.

Starting by pointing out the dual meanings of the word “commencement,” which contains both ending and beginning, SCU President Wei-Ta Pan encouraged all the graduates to live out their best, pursue their dreams and adapt to the rapidly changing society by lifelong learning.

The chair of the School Board Shao-Yu Wang emphasized the virtue of harmony, and hoped that the graduates learn to face their family, their work and all kinds of unknown challenges with a harmonious attitude and live a happy life.

The chairman of the Soochow’s Alumni Association Frank Liu pointed out that with a history of over 100 years, Soochow has been cultivating its students' ability to think independently and care for the society. He reminded all the graduates not forget their initial passion and ideals when working hard to accomplish their dreams. The Alumni Association also presented a crystal seal as a gift to every graduate for best wishes.

The Dean of School of Big Data Management Shan-Cheng Chang stressed the importance of multi-learning, and encouraged the graduates to always keep an open mind to face challenges.

Tsai A-Ga, a well-known Youtuber and SCU alumnus of the Department of Social Work, also recorded a special film with his funny style to give blessings to all the graduates.

Chin-Yung Fan, deputy general manager of EPISTAR and SCU alumnus of the Department of Physics (Class of 1982) shared his personal experience, emphasizing that what is truly important after graduation is not smooth sailing, but learning to get back on one’s feet in the face of setbacks, and growing stronger from failures.

After the ceremony, the graduates took pictures around the campus, recalling the memories of their four years in Soochow, giving hugs and bidding farewell to each other. Receiving the blessings from their teachers and bearing in mind the school motto “Unto a full grown man,” the graduates set their sails for new adventures and towards their unknown and promising future.