The ceremony started off with opening remarks by Chinese Co-Director Chen Yunsong. He thanked the students for a great year and wished them luck for the future.
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| Co-Director Chen Yunsong |
Sean Stein, Consul General at the U.S. Consulate in Shanghai, gave a commencement address congratulating students on graduating from the Hopkins-Nanjing Center. He stressed that the world needs more people like Hopkins-Nanjing Center graduates. Having more people who understand both the cultures of the United States and of China is the key to good international relations between our two countries. He ended his speech encouraging international students to stay up-to-date on their China knowledge after graduation, as it is a rapidly changing country.
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| Consul General Sean Stein delivering commencement address |
Following Consul General Stein, Ambassador Zhou Wenzhong, Vice President of the China-U.S. People’s Friendship Association and Former Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to the United States, gave a commencement address about China-U.S. relations from a Chinese perspective.
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| Ambassador Zhou Wenzhong delivering commencement address |
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| Yang Zhong delivering congratulatory remarks |
Lu Jing, a Chinese master’s student, and Zoe Merewether, an American master’s student, delivered remarks in their target language to their peers. These speeches were well received and enjoyed by students, as they highlighted some of the most memorable moments from their two years at the Center (see full transcripts of the speeches below).
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| Co-Director Davies delivering closing remarks |
Finally, American Co-Director David Davies delivered closing remarks about the uniqueness of the Hopkins-Nanjing Center and the important educational work that we do here every year. He highlighted the importance of the connections that are made at the Hopkins-Nanjing Center, encouraging students to value their classmates and keep in touch.
The co-directors and the commencement speakers then walked up on stage to give out the certificates and diplomas to the graduates.
Transcripts of Student Speeches
Zoe Merewether’s speech:
“大家好。首先，我想给大家讲一段简短的历史课。哈尔德布朗博士在1977年至1981年卡特总统任期内担任美国的国防部长，1980年1月成为第一个正式访问中国的美国国防部部长。当时世界局势复杂多变，不但有苏联和美国之间的冷战，还有苏联侵略阿富汗、中国和美国在越南的干预以及台湾问题等。以进一步推动中美之间的合作为目标，那次访问标志着两国军事机构开始建立正式关系。不容否认，布朗博士对改善中美关系的奉献至关重要，但是肯定不能说这些问题是以果断和特久的方式解决的。对于我们许多人来说，布朗博士所面临的界定问题类似于我们当今所面临的问题，比如各个领域的冲突、俄罗斯与美国的关系、叙利亚内战等。我们都应该问自己，为了解决这些问题我如何为中国、美国乃至全世界的和平与繁荣作出贡献呢？
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| Zoe Merewether delivering her speech |
作为布朗博士的孙女，我一直感觉要不能辜负他的期望。他21岁就从哥伦比亚大学获得物理学博士学位。我现在已经23岁，尽管我今天获得硕士学位，但是听起来并不令人印象那么的深刻 。当然，中美中心的学习方向都很值得学习，并且给学生带来不同的挑战。我的外公在1979年伊朗人质危机发生时也在任职。我很赞扬所有选择国际政治方向的同学，但是一点都不羡慕你们。我也不羡慕学习国际环境方向的学生，尤其是特朗普总统上台了以后。国际法律方向的学生，我知道你们很勇敢，因为要选择Mushkat教授的课。而我个人走了最轻松的路，选择了国际经济方向，因为每个人都懂钱的语言。我们的证书班学生，选择不用写论文，说明你们是我们所有学生中最聪明的。我相信我们许多人将会在商业、政府、非政府组织等各个领域取得成功，而且我认为我们许多人会过着国际生活。再问一次刚才的问题，在我生命中我该如何作出贡献？
莫荷莉同学说我们毕业演说的候选人要讲一个乐观的话题。尽管听起来我很悲观，但是实际上我十分乐观，因为我认识了你们所有人。我们这个时代最聪明，最勤奋，最具前瞻性的学生选择在中美中心至少学习一年。即使以后你不记得今天我的历史课，但请记住这一点。我认为我们不但在工作和学习方面有机会作出贡献，而且每天都有几百次的小机会为你的国家留下积极的印象。我已经在中美中心待了两年，发现这里最棒的就是我们国际同学和中方同学之间的交流。这个包括我们一起上课的时间，互相帮助准备报告和考试。我们的中方老师学富五车，知识渊博，他们在课上的旁征博引给我留下了很深的影响。此外，在课外生活中，我特别珍惜为中方学生介绍西方文化地机会。作为中美中心咖啡店的老板，我向睡眠不足的学生介绍了咖啡的益处，而我们中方同学也在下午茶外卖群里让我尝试到奶茶口味的无限可能性。我也很乐意介绍我的巴西柔术教练来到中美中心举行一个体验课，让更多的美国朋友和中国朋友学到如何保护自己。这些例子也无时无刻不在提醒着我们，文化多样性丰富了我们的生活。
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| Students during commencement ceremony |
最后，谢谢我的同学、教授、中心的行政和工作人员。祝大家毕业快乐，祝老师工作顺利，祝在座的所有人平安幸福，顺心如意！”
Lu Jing’s speech:
Ladies and gentlemen, dear professors, fellow classmates, distinguished guests, good afternoon! I’m a second-year master student Lu Jing. It’s my great honor to stand here to deliver this speech on behalf of the graduating class of 2018. Three weeks ago, when I opened my mailbox and found the yearbook superlatives nomination form, immediately some nominees’ names flashed into my mind when I saw the words like: “most likely to talk in class”—Kenny! “Most time spent in the lounge”—Alexi! And I suddenly realized it’s time for graduation.
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| Lu Jing giving graduate remarks |
Looking back at the past year, the HNC has given us a lot of opportunities to make new friends. Do you still remember how did you get close with your friends? Maybe it’s because you took the same course and struggled through the same paper until 3 o’clock in the morning. Maybe you always showed up in the lounge and went out to drink on Friday night. Maybe you played Mafia, LangRenSha, or sang at KTV together and found some cool guys or girls. Perhaps on the Halloween Party you found some familiar classmates in a superman costume or dressed up like a ghost. Perhaps you celebrated at the Christmas Eve Party or New Year’s Eve Party at Zifeng. At the HNC, we have a lot of shared memories. This year, thanks to banwei, we went to see the plum blossoms and Jiming Temple to feel the spring in Nanjing. Thanks to Robbie, Asia Trek and Beijing Trek have opened the door to a new world for us. Thanks to Professor Christoffersen, field trips to Yunnan and Heilongjiang were great opportunities for us to know about the borders. Thanks to the co-directors, banwei, Eli, and Caroline, at our annual barbecue party, the beef hamburgers and hotdogs were really delicious. Of course, I will never forget the brilliant HNC band with your great songs played at every HNC party. I will never forget the excellent HNC basketball team winning many games in Nanda and winning screams from us. Most importantly, I will never forget you—HNC--and you—every member in the HNC family. We have weaved colorful memories and cherished our friends deeply in our hearts.
The HNC is a magic place full of diversity and possibilities. Here at the HNC, regardless of our backgrounds and nationalities, we sit together and discuss international issues from the US-China trade war to North Korea nuclear crisis, from China’s One Belt One Road to TPP. Here at the HNC, regardless of our majors or jobs, we sit together and take courses in different areas, listening to Professor PAT’s [Paul Armstrong Taylor] comparative economics with his fast speech and resonant laughter, Professor Joe [Renouard]’s American culture with his frequent jokes and frequent short papers, Professor Cai Jiahe’s Chinese Foreign Policy with his gentle smile on his face and lively discussion classes, and fascinated by Professor Webb’s knowledge and getting crazy with his assignments. The HNC is by no means an easy place. Many of us have felt the pressure when three papers’ deadlines coming together; and many of us have experienced the frustration when failing at internship and job interviews. But today when recollecting the past year full of sweetness and bitterness, we definitely appreciate the HNC and the hardships we experienced here. It is the HNC that shapes us with broader and keener insight and perception towards the world around us and the world we are going to explore. It teaches us nothing is impossible as long as we start from now. It gives us the willingness and curiosity to brainstorm, to exchange and understand different cultures, and to respect and appreciate diversity. As the British philosopher Bertrand Russell said: “Diversity is essential to happiness”. This attitude and mindset towards controversies, the kindness to accept differences, the perseverance and courage towards pressure, and the friendship tightening everyone together are the best gifts the HNC has presented to us.
Today, we graduate and will say goodbye to our friends. Today, after we get out of this building, we will finish our journey of the HNC. We will miss a library with comfortable environment, a cozy dormitory, a yard with sunshine, a pond with fish, a cafeteria with laughter, a gym with muscles, and a lounge with coffee and movies. We will miss a place called the HNC. We will start our next journey of life, and the HNC will be like a lighthouse -lighting up the road for us to the future. Many years later, we will still remember, that year 2017, we met each other, and the new story has begun. Thank you my dear professors and classmates! Thank you HNC! My best wishes for all of you! Wish you a bright future, love what you do, and do what you love. Thank you very much!”
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Students during
commencement ceremony
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