In a solemn yet heartwarming atmosphere, the ceremony began with a touching video recorded by the students. On screen, they shared heartfelt messages and best wishes for the graduates, with each frame capturing the warmth and unity of the SUIS family.
Tara Ye, an alumna from the Class of 2024, was the first to take the stage and share her reflections on personal growth. Drawing from her own experiences, she encouraged the graduates to stay true to their hearts and to boldly embrace the future ahead.
Following this, graduate Samuel Cai filled the hall with a light and elegant melody as he performed Chopin’s Grande Valse Brillante in E-flat major. The music carried both a sense of nostalgia for the high school years and a hopeful vision for the future.
In her speech, Ms Lu Huiwen, General Principal of the Shanghai Concord Education Centre, served as a guiding light for the graduates. She encouraged them to broaden their horizons through real-world challenges and experiences. Looking ahead, she expressed her hope that the graduates would embrace self-growth and mutual respect, understand the roots of differing perspectives in cross-cultural contexts, deepen their appreciation and interpretation of Chinese culture, and contribute to building a healthy, harmonious, and beautiful future for SUIS students.
Chapter2:Dare
Throughout their journey, care and support have remained the students’ most steadfast and heartfelt foundation.
Ms Liu Hongxu, parent representative of the graduating class, shared her child’s transformation over the past year and a half as a heartfelt example of growth. She expressed deep gratitude to the school’s leaders and teachers for their care and support. In her speech, she encouraged the graduates to carry gratitude in their hearts, remain steadfast in their goals, nurture a love for life, explore the world with a sense of responsibility, and strive towards a bright and fulfilling future.
In addition, teachers and parents prepared heartfelt video messages filled with blessings. Moments from daily life between teachers and students gradually unfolded on screen, while parents’ words of wisdom moved many students to tears. The care shown in late-night phone calls and the unwavering support throughout their journey towards further studies were transformed into the most touching message captured on camera: “May you chase the light—and become the light.”
Carrying these heartfelt blessings, the graduate representatives also shared their hopes for the younger students. For Samuel Cai, high school life resembled solving a Rubik’s Cube—through constant trial and adjustment, students gradually pieced together a unique and meaningful chapter of their lives. He encouraged his peers to find their own rhythm and thoughtfully plan each step of their growth. Zhou Zhifei, who was admitted to the University of Cambridge, drew from her own high school journey to urge students to develop resilience, cultivate critical thinking, and believe in the power of perseverance and their own potential.
Finally, Jerome Wen and Bronny Zhang delivered a dynamic rap performance of Hey Kong, igniting the audience with electrifying rhythms and boldly voicing the graduates’ message: “We don’t say goodbye—only that the future is promising!”
Graduates took turns ringing the bell. Principal Huang Ying, Dr Adam Neufield, and Principal Lu Xianwei turned the tassels on their academic caps and handed over the gold-embossed graduation certificates with pride. These certificates represent the teachers’ expectations and the responsibilities now entrusted to the graduates. As the saying goes, “The long wind will break the waves one day, and I will hang my cloud sail to cross the sea.” May every SUIS student carry the belief to “strive for greatness” and write a new chapter of glory in the wider world.
The 2025 High School Graduation Ceremony concluded amid the summer symphony, yet the story of SUIS students has only just begun. May you carry the philosophy of “Three Generates All Things” and the courage to “Strive for Greatness,” boldly gallop forward on your journey, soar in the skies, and let your youth shine as the brightest light in the tides of our time!
