On June 21, 2020, the first graduation ceremony for YWIES Shanghai Lingang was held in Ritz-Carlton Hotel. It took a long time for these 12 Yew Wah students to finish their Secondary School study. On the other hand, it feels like everything happened in a very short period of time.

It marks the end of your Secondary School life and the beginning of a new one. It is the work of fate that put us together under the same sky, where we learnt together, grew together, and cultivated our creativity together! I still remember your elegant drama performance in the auditorium, your youthful running posture on the playground, and your happy laughter in the classroom when you had fun with each other. There are so many beautiful memories and so many unforgettable moments. I believe the years in Yew Wah is one of the most wonderful chapters of your life. And next, you will face the challenges of studying and living abroad. I wish you will have good luck, nice experiences and you will make yourself better.

At the ceremony, CEO and School Supervisor Dr Betty Chan expressed her best wishes to the graduates through a video address.

Excerpt from Dr Betty Chan's Speech

Dear Class of 2020,

It must be a strange feeling for our students to celebrate their graduation against the backdrop of a roaming pandemic. However, it is the unexpected events in life that pushes us to think and grow. I hope all of our graduates would see this experience as a valuable lesson that cannot be learnt through books or in the regular classroom. It teaches us to be grateful for all that heaven has bestowed upon us. We are fortunate to be healthy and safe, and be able to celebrate this graduation with our parents and teachers.

Challenges often come at unexpected times. Although this pandemic has given the world an unexpected blow, it has also presented each of us, our families, our schools and the Organisation a chance to give a rightful response. Our actions shall determine if we could pave the way for future success or if we would regress and fail. Like the end of the Second World War, we will soon witness great changes happening around the world, and it is up to us to embrace them with courage and thrive, or allow them to overwhelm us and fail.

Let us think and reflect on the responses we shall give to face the challenges of our time, so that we together create a positive future with plenty of opportunities for the generations to come.

Thank you very much and once again, congratulations to the Class of 2020!

Miss Judy Zheng, Director of Education, gave her speech to the graduates on the site to express her best wishes.

Excerpt from Miss Judy Zheng's Speech

First of all, I hope you would realise that each one of you is unique. I want you to remember that each and every one of you is an irreplaceable one in your parents' heart, a unique individual in this world. Everyone has their own characteristics and strengths. Knowing yourself objectively, being open to yourself, and understanding and developing your unique potentials will increase your confidence, growth and motivation.

At the same time, I also hope that every student can understand and learn the profound meaning of “live and learn”. In the long history, how short life is, and in the vast space, how small human beings are. However, man has never stopped studying and exploring himself, society, the earth and the universe. All human cognition and creation are based on continuous learning. I believe that students will cherish their own unique talent, live and learn, and explore the infinite.

In addition to the above two expectations, equally important, I hope you can learn to be grateful.

As human beings, we should be grateful for the blessings of nature. As children, we should know how to be grateful to our parents for raising us. Be grateful for the people around you and for what you've been through. Success or failure is a life experience worth having. If you do not know how to gain experience from setbacks, you will not succeed after failure.

Finally, I want to say that you are the hope of your parents, the pride of your teachers, the future of our country, but also the future of the world! Please explore the big world boldly like a free bird in the sky! I sincerely wish you a bright future!

Ms Linda Li, Chinese Co-Principal, also gave a touching message to the students.

Excerpt of Ms Linda Li's Speech

May you keep a heart of benevolence, warm yourself and others, live up to yourself and youth, and become men and women of honour with broad vision and a heart like the sea.

Dear graduates, you will bid farewell to Yew Wah and go to a broader world, but I hope that no matter what kind of difficulties lies ahead, you can carry on with a sense of gratitude and love, and go forwards bravely. Thank you for the time we have shared together. When we remember the old times in the future, I believe we will meet again sometime.

I hope that you will continue to explore the world with great interest, and I hope you can always keep a calm heart to experience the beautiful scenery of life! I wish you a happy graduation!

Head Boy and Girl of the Student Union, Billy Bao and Nino Dou, shared about and reviewed their Secondary School life in Yew Wah.

Excerpts from Billy Bao's Speech

As we are about to wave goodbye and embark on our future path, I would like to share the most important lesson I have learnt in my three years in Yew Wah with all the junior students here.
Lesson one, patience. Let's face the reality; we are standing at the turning point of life, where we will leave the arms of parents to explore our own future bravely. We all have different memories, but please take some time to remember those moments that have passed. In the journey ahead use these experiences to reflect on yourself, alert yourself and to push yourself, and always remember to stop and look back.

Lesson two, don't let others be the masters of your life. Everyone we meet in life is unique, which means we will take different paths to success, develop different lifestyles, and encounter all kinds of obstacles. Choose your own way, and ignore the judges of others!

Our next goal in life is to figure out what we like and what our mission might be. It is my great honour to travel with such excellent companions. Thank you for your company! We will march forwards together in the future.

Excerpt from Nino Dou's Speech

I always remember what Mr Munn said to us, "Everyone in Yew Wah is unique, and we believe that everyone's talent should be fully cultivated. The education of character is the real education." Four years of Secondary School time allowed me to slowly explore the direction of my life, and taught me independence and persistence. Time and tide wait for no man. We not only have resolute character and strong determination, but also have the enthusiasm to fight for our dream! We will never forget the love in our heart and the tears in our eyes. Thanks to Yew Wah for giving us the powerful wings to soar in the sky. We will never forget our original intention and we will brave the wind and waves! Wish you all a pleasant journey and keep your youthful heart when you come back!

It is a ceremony to mark the growth of the graduates, a ceremony to honour their academic achievements, and a ceremony filled with deep blessings. The touching speeches of the graduates, the good wishes of teachers and schoolmates, and the blessings of school leaders demonstrated a strong attachment between us. And it brought tears to the eyes of the teachers, the students and parents who were present.

Parting is a sad experience. However, it is only after we said goodbye could we have a chance to stop and look back. The pranks and mischievous behaviours during school breaks seem to have happened yesterday, or as if they were still happening in front of my eyes. Since when could we express ourselves in English confidently? We have learnt from excellent teachers of different skin colours and specialties, which enable us to learn many skills and understand the creativity of art, the rigour of science, and the charm of the Chinese culture and the Western civilisations. We have understood the mission of glorifying China, and we have learnt more about kindness, persistence and co-operation....

After receiving the graduation certificates from the principals, we will begin a new journey. We bid farewell to the past green, and are about to step into the palace of knowledge in the next stage of life. I hope you will take responsibility for yourself with diligence, and stride over the ocean of learning with pragmatism and truth. With the joy of growth, the imagination of the future, with warmth and expectations from friends, relatives and teachers, set off for the next station!

No matter where you are, please always remember Yew Wah, and always stick to the course of life. Seize the time of youth to study and go ahead, and use your wisdom to create the miracle of glorifying China!