Encouragements, Blessings Fill 2019 Soochow’s Commencement

More than 3,000 students of Soochow University’s six schools received inspiring encouragements and warm blessings in Chuan Xian Hall at Waishuangsi Campus on June 1^st and 2^nd as numerous teachers, parents, and alumni gathered to witness this year’s remarkable graduation ceremony.

Many distinguished guests were also invited to the ceremony to give their best wishes to all the graduates. They were: chairman of Soochow’s board of directors Shao-Yu Wang, honorary president of alumni association Song-Zhang Tang, president of alumni association Ji-Ren Liu, an alumnus from Department of Microbiology Li-Ping Kuo (Class of 1984), and an alumna from Department of Music, winner of Golden Horse Award and Golden Melody Award Hsin-Yun Lee (CinCin Lee) (Class of 1989).

The president of SCU Wei-Ta Pan reminded the graduates that the future will be drastically changed by three technologies: big data, biotechnology, and artificial intelligence, and that to keep up with the rapidly changing environment and society, graduates must keep learning and never stop improving themselves. Pan also encouraged all the graduates to have a caring heart for themselves, their family, the environment, society and even country or the whole world, and he wished every graduate to soar high like an eagle passing through difficulties in the future with great ambitions.

Chairman of Soochow’s board of directors Shao-Yu Wang shared with the graduates of foreign language majors that learning a foreign language is not just about mastering its listening, speaking, reading, and writing, but also about understanding the core values of its culture, and mostly importantly the integration of the two. As an alumnus of Department of Law himself, Wang also hoped that all the graduates of the law school would recognize the importance of legal education whether they’ll be working as a part of judicial system, a professional lawyer or a teacher in the future. Only with solid knowledge and due respect for the laws would the judicial and legal systems establish their authority and gain their trustworthiness among the public, he said.

Honorary president of alumni association Song-Zhang Tang reminded graduates not to sacrifice ethics and morality for profits or wealth. President of alumni association Ji-Ren Liu gave a different kind of “blessing” to the graduates by wishing them “to be wronged, betrayed, isolated, and ignored” in the future because only through such experiences would they realize the importance of “justice, loyalty, friendship and listening.” Liu also wanted the graduates to be grateful to their parents for their sacrifice and support which make possible what they have accomplished today.

Honorary dean of School of Big Data Management and former premier San-Cheng Chang encouraged the first graduates since the School’s establishment in 2015 to face everything at work or in life with hard-working attitude and global vision, which would bring great chances for success.

For the graduates, commencement is much more a beginning than an end, as they would meet many more and different kinds of people and difficulties from now on. While every graduate should brave the future as a proud member of Soochow University, they may well keep in mind that their alma mater will always offer them the warmest hand and the strongest support.