GTIIT Commencement for Bachelor Degree Graduates 2022 was held successfully at the Gym of South Campus on July 11. Shao Yuanchuan, a graduate from Chemical Engineering Program, delivered a speech as the representative of the Class of 2022. It is noteworthy that Shao is the first GTIIT graduate to earn dual Bachelor's degrees within four years: Chemical Engineering with also minor of Mathematics with Computer Science. During the speech, Shao said that GTIIT is a boundless universe of vitality, where students grow, thrive, and harvest. He encouraged that all the students should never underestimate our hearts of dreams. 

Below is the full text:

Good afternoon distinguished guests, faculty, staff, family, friends and most especially, the graduating class of 2022! Congratulations! It is a great honor for me to be here and speak to you today. We survived, after two years of struggle under the shadow of pandemic, online classes, and many other unexpected difficulties, and moreover, completed our four-year undergraduate study.

To tell the truth, when I first arrived here, I was a little disappointed. What a small campus! It took me only 30 minutes to take a walk around the north campus. However, after studying here for 4 years, I finally realized that the knowledge taught in our classes, the wisdom shared by our professors, the vigor infused by the talented students and the clash of multi culture made this place a boundless universe of vitality, where we grow, we thrive, and we harvest.

Four years ago, we came to this brand-new campus with great dreams bearing in hearts. Some of the dreams might seem to be ridiculous, and many of us were even afraid of speaking out loudly. However, it was you, my dear professors, your passion and dedication to work that influenced us, giving us the courage to pursue our dreams. And it was your rich knowledge and open minds that encouraged us and led us to the right way. Under your guidance, we became more professional and more mature. We received offers from our dream graduate schools and companies. We are no longer merely dreamers. We are doers! Therefore, thank you, professors, for bringing us closer to our dreams.

I also want to thank all the faculties and staff in GT. It was you who always support us behind the screen in various aspects of our campus life, making it a comfortable, convenient, and safe environment so that we can make the best of our college time. Thank you!

In GT, getting high grades is hard. I don’t remember how many times I stayed with my teammates until late night to finish our homework or lab reports. As a team, we received excellent results but sometimes we also got low grades. In either case, we would have a dinner together at the end of the semester, to celebrate our achievement, or cheer up each other for a better teamwork next time. There will be plenty of obstacles ahead of us. Compared to them, one failure in a course is a drop in the ocean. We believe that instead of giving up, courage and persistence are what we need to overcome the barriers and finally reach our destination.

Of course, no one will believe our university life is 100% about study. It’s just 99%. And what about the other 1%? We play! We study hard and play harder. We didn’t chase our dreams all the time. After surviving the finals, the dorms were bright all night long and filled with excitement from the game players. The restaurant check-in list got shorter day by day and the hard drive of the laptop was occupied by the latest movies and TV series that we missed during the semester. This 1% makes my college life more colorful.

We have been working hard for so long and finally, we reach the milestone. Today is our commencement. A new chapter is about to start. There will be plenty of barriers ahead of us, blocking the ways. But with the knowledge and the skills we gained in GT, we will walk towards the light of glory. Today, we are proud of being a student here. And I hope one day, our parents, our teachers, and GT will be proud of us as well.

At last, I want to use my favorite quote from the coach of the NBA team Houston Rockets. You should never underestimate a heart of champion. For us, we should never underestimate our hearts of dreams. I wish this sentence can accompany us through all kinds of difficulties ahead in our lives.

Good luck to every one of us in the future. Thank you.