With the arrival of spring, Shanghai Jiao Tong University’s School of Media and Communication proudly sends off another class of ambitious talents into the world. Generous sunlight, gentle winds, and warm weather shown welcomed Friday’s graduate graduation ceremony (March 26, 2021).

SMC Graduate Class of 2021 and Faculty

The festive event launched with a red-carpet segment, giving students the A-list treatment as they photographed and recorded an important life milestone. Students glammed up in elegant dresses and neatly pressed suits before a customized stage with friends, family, and SMC professors. Each student was gifted a personalized can of Coca-Cola, an SJTU stuffed bear, and a gift bag as souvenirs. For students unable to attend to the on-campus event, the ceremony was broadcasted live on Bilibili enabling overseas students, family, and friends unable to attend in person to join the celebrations and share blessings.

Some international graduates with faculty

The ceremony was held in SMC’s new auditorium which was carefully adorned with nametags, balloons, streamers, and videos documenting the journeys of our graduates. Various influential and inspiration figures of SMC extended their congratulations to our graduates. Dean Li took the lead with his speech Surpass Yourself, Achieve Excellence in which he shared his words of wisdom and blessings. In his speech, he emphasizes three important values, never stop learning, be innovative, and the responsibility of hard work that he hopes all his students will carry forth in life.

SMC Dean Prof. Benqian Li

Then came the most anticipated segment of the receiving of diplomas. Our graduates posed proudly as they received their diplomas signifying the end of one adventure and the beginning of another. Professors waited below and near the stage to capture priceless moments of their students smiling and laughing as they walked off the stage as graduates.

International students receiving diplomas

Many student speakers also presented heartfelt speeches that both enveloped the bittersweet hardships that they have overcome but also the irreplaceable relationships they have built and the happiness they had shared with their closest ones. Our own English program MA graduate, Alex Bell, shocked the audience will an original Chinese speech the enraptured the attention of both international and native students with his humor and positivity.

MA English program graduate representative, Alex Bell

As Dean Li concluded, “Spring is the season of farewells but also the season of new beginnings.” We wish all our graduates the best and hope that their upcoming journey will be filled with new potentials.

(Written by Megan Dai. Edited by Lutong Zhang)