IIIS’ 2021 Commencement, held in the Lecture Hall, FIT Building on June 24, saw 64 students graduating from Tsinghua this year. The ceremony was hosted by Assoc. Prof. Ran Duan, Program Director of Yao Class and attended by Prof. Andrew Yao, IIIS Dean, Ms. Fan Yang, Deputy Director of Tsinghua Academic Affairs Office and other faculties and students.

Prof. Yao first congratulated the graduating students all on their successes. “We live in significant times”, he said, “whatever you are going to do next, you need to approach it with a sense of ambition, keep on trying for excellence, and prove you are the best by learning from others.” Prof. Yao concluded his remarks with the Confucius quotes “To be poor and yet not to be servile; to be rich and yet not to be proud” to encourage the students and wished them well for the future.

In her remarks, Ms. Fan Yang expressed her respect to Prof. Yao for recognizing his remarkable achievements in education. She also urged the graduates to continue to apply themselves with determination, to work together for a better future, and to contribute positively to the society.

Other speakers included Assoc. Prof. Xiongfeng Ma, as the faculty representative, and Dr. Yuanming Hu, Co-founder & CEO of Taichi Graphics, as the alumni representative, who both came to join this important moment of celebrating the hard work and academic achievements of the graduating students. Three student speakers representing the graduates shared their experiences and looked forward to a new chapter in their life in the years to come.

The Outstanding Graduate Awards were also granted at the ceremony.

（By Yuying Chang）