大家好！

Greetings distinguished guests, esteemed faculty, and fellow students. I am Lyly, a Cambodian freshman, residing in Zhixin College. It is an honor to be here today.

To all my freshman comrades, I would like to ask you all a question. What does being here at SUSTech mean to you?

Let me take you back in time a little, to when I first started high school. In Cambodia, I attended CIA First International School. I still remember the butterflies in my stomach, the melody in my ears, and the weight on my heart when I started in a new school. On my first day, I ran across campus, up three flights of stairs, across the hallway to my classroom without feeling tired. I was so excited to face whatever is in store for me. Fast forward, grade 10 and grade 11 skipped by as I made a lot of friends and a lot of memories.

Then came grade 12. Back home in Cambodia, we also have a National Exam which is similar to Gaokao. As expected, everyone gave their best fight until our exam day, I’m sure all of you who took the Gaokao also did, as did many other international students who took other tests.

We tried hard in high school, right? Yes! In the end, it paid off. Because now, we’re here, we’re starting a new chapter in our lives in a university. Feeling excitement like our last chapter in high school, and now with immense pressure. Because now we have to think about what we want to do and what our majors are going to be. Second, we want our college experience to be unforgettable and meaningful with caring friends and supportive faculty. And third, as a singular cell of the international student body, homesick runs deep in my heart. Right now, I miss my family and friends, I miss my home country, and I miss all my familiarities, especially the food.

But amongst all difficulties, I am very grateful and excited to be here right now. Why? Because everyone in this stadium with a kind heart becomes my saving grace, this enormous campus becomes my home, and this university with a world class education becomes my opportunity.

Now, going back to the question, what does being here at SUSTech mean? It means we must be ready to try our utter best in this new chapter of our lives, not just in academics, but in friendships and personal growth. Because when we try our best, we become and we are the best version of ourselves.

Thank you！

中文翻译：

尊敬的各位来宾、教授、我的同学们：

大家好！

我叫Lyly Cheap, 是致新书院的大一新生， 今天的演讲对我来说是莫大的荣幸。

对于我所有的新生同学们，我想问你们一个问题：来南科大对你意味着什么？

让时光回溯，回到我刚上高中的时候。我就读于柬埔寨CIA第一国际学校。 我至今还记得那时踏入新学校的激动心情。到学校的第一天，我横穿整个校园，爬上三层楼梯，穿过走廊来到教室，却不感觉疲惫。我太兴奋了。时光飞逝，很快10年级一闪而过，11年级也悄悄溜走，转眼来到了12年级。在我的家乡柬埔寨，我们需要考一个类似于中国高考的国家考试，它是一个很大的挑战，大学入学取决于这次考试结果。每个人都在为此做准备，包括我和我的朋友。直到考试那天，我们一直都很努力。我相信在座所有参加了高考的同学和来自许多其他国家的国际留学生们都经历了类似的考验。

高中的我们奋斗过，也都有所收获。现在，在大学里我们进入了新的生活篇章。我今天的感受和高中最后一年的感受一样，我感受到了巨大的压力。现在，我们将要自己决定自己想做什么、 想学什么，我的大学生活可否在老师和同学的支持下变得意义非凡且印象深刻？对国际学生而言，困难加倍。远离家乡的我想念我的家人，想念我的祖国，想念我熟悉的环境，最想念我家乡的美食。

虽然有那么多的困难，我仍然很感激，很荣幸也很兴奋到这里来。为什么？因为在场的大家都可能成为我未来的良师益友，这个巨大的校园即将成为我的家，这所国际化的大学成将会给我带来更多的机遇。

回到刚才的问题，来到南科大意味着什么？它意味着我们即将在的崭新的生命篇章中拼劲全力，在学习、培养友谊和个人成长方面都拼尽全力。因为，我们付出最大努力的时候，就是我们成为最好自己的时候。

谢谢！