President Tang, distinguished guests, teachers and fellow graduates, the 13th Graduation Ceremony of UIC, here we come. Well, graduates, we have made it. We just crossed the finish line at UIC together. I know some of you have returned by air or rail from home to attend the ceremony. Thank you all for coming to share and witness this great moment of our lives.
My name is Han Minxuan, a graduate in International Journalism. I am truly honored to be selected as representative and to address my graduating peers. Congratulations, class of 2021! You have survived the Typhon Mangkhut, the Coronavirus, two PE tests and are still alive. Today, we, the class of 2021, have been officially promoted as alumni of this young college. So, snap, clap, raise your hands high; rejoice and celebrate, honored 2021 graduates: this is our speech, and this is our day!
Today, I look back as I face forward to the future, I was determined to do journalism when I was a Year 1 student. And then I gained knowledge of digital marketing and advertising through Free Elective courses. As I realized that my genuine interest lies in an interdisciplinary field of Communications and Business, I set a rule for myself, to spare an hour per day in library to read related books. Then, I hunted for internships each summer holiday, and attended at least two business competitions each year. You see, I failed the competition the first time, then the second time, then the third time, and the fourth time…Guess what happened on the fifth time, I failed again. My mom doubted my choice. I said, yes mom, I am a fool, but I am a fool with plans. I believe those repeated failures can also be a great foundation on which to build and grow.
I’m not worried that we all will be successful someday, but I am worried that we won’t fail from time to time.
On this special day, I have something to share with you, and that is this: to “think wildly” with courage when you are about to handle a new task. I dreamed “wildly” when I first covered headline stories and shot a TV news package on my own, completely unprepared, but my ignorance of my own limitations looked like confidence and got me through.
Steve Jobs once said: “The only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do.” So, in closing, I believe we must be practical dreamers. Thanks to UIC for providing me with the tools to achieve a better version of myself. I would like to invite all my fellow graduates to give a big round of applause for those who have helped us out all along, our teachers, family and even strangers who have given us their wisdom.
We love you UIC! Our college is the best of the best!
Class of 2021, Happy Graduation!
