First of all, on behalf of all the graduates, I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to all the teachers in SUSTech! Before I came here, I had received considerably good education; at least my mathematics was taught by math teacher, and PE by PE teacher. Yet back in my primary school days, my math teacher once wanted to take the time of a PE class for math study. I had a basketball with me then and was longing for a PE class. So, together with six of my classmates, I followed my PE teacher for a PE class with a basketball in hand. But after that class, as you can imagine, my math teacher gave me a lesson in front of my classmates. During my last year in senior high school, while classmates around me were busing preparing for the college entrance examination, I was preparing for the exams for music majors. Despite the fact that I practiced erhu (a musical instrument with two strings) every day, I failed and had to go on the journey of the college entrance examination as my classmates did. In the end, I ranked about 1000^th in the examination in the whole province. Many people told me not to apply for SUSTech, but to choose a university that was as equally good. But eventually, I came to SUSTech. I could not claim I am successful today, for different people may have different definitions of success. Nevertheless, I was lucky. While my teachers forbade me from playing basketball after school, my mother would accompany me to do so, which allows me to have a chance to get to know a group of brothers in the SUSTech basketball field. When I failed to pass the exams for music majors, my mother told me that she had just wanted me to have a try and experience the process, and that the result did not matter.

I have always brought my erhu with me, and I have found my retreat in the SUSTech folk music band, where I met my lifelong friends. When I was choosing SUSTech, my parents were on my side. When I was lost in difficulty, they gave me guidance and helped me find my way.

Since I came to SUSTech, I have persisted in being myself. I was at a time timid and careful, but grew to be brave when I found I was not alone here. There were many people like me in Shenzhen, a city full of vitality and innovation, which inspires us to be ourselves bravely. When I was a freshman, some of my classmates started a retail store, which was later known as Nanfengdiandian. I can still remember the moment when my classmates counted a large sum of money earned in the store. Watching them bringing the business into a larger one step by step, I couldn’t help admiring their vision and execution. I put a label on myself at that time.

One of my classmates has worked in our lab since the junior year. He worked hard and stood out. He even published a paper. In the lab, my classmates taught me to open up my eyes. When I was a sophomore, my teacher told me that research work could prove my research ability rather than the research direction. The road ahead was very long; we needed to broaden our horizon instead of restricting ourselves. When we decide to be who you are, we could have many choices. Mr. Liu once told me a sentence when I was a freshman–“Learn to give up”. I did not catch it, but I gradually realized the meaning.

When we chose a major, we gave up courses of other majors; when we set our future directions, whether it is further education or a job, we gave up internship or work in the lab. At an age most worthy of efforts, we gave up coziness and chose to pursue our dreams with vigor and passion. I recalled what Mr. Liu said and understood that he hoped we could have concrete goals and move towards our dreams, and in this process, we would naturally learn to give up. Therefore, I want to thank SUSTech for helping me find my direction; I also want to thank my teachers for their instruction with skills and patience. They did not impose their expectations on us, but gave us guidance and a challenging goal worthy of efforts. When we reached our goals through painstaking endeavors, we could have a sense of achievement, which is a positive feedback that would encourage us to move on to next goal.

And Shenzhen gave us the soil for development. I want to thank Shenzhen Municipal Party Committee and the Shenzhen Government for what they did for us. In the future I have the courage to face new challenges and follow my own way. This is not only the SUSTech spirit but also the Shenzhen spirit. Meanwhile, I hope we could respect other people’s dreams, not by labeling but by encouraging them to have a try and surpass themselves. We find the courage to be who we are here. And I hope this spirit could be passed down in SUSTech and be with us as we move forward. We are the last grade of students who lived on the old campus. I miss the small community in which we knew each other well. I also miss President Zhu Qingshi. It is a real surprise for us to see him today. So I would like to take this opportunity to extend my gratefulness and respect to him on behalf of all the graduates.

At last, on behalf of graduates of Grade 2016, I would like to express my gratitude again for SUSTech, for our teachers and for Shenzhen, the city we live in. Thank you!

Here, I want to present a gift to SUSTech. It is a memorial book full of the graduates’ heartfelt wishes. I hope President Chen Shiyi could accept our regards on behalf of SUSTech.