“Come back Home” as Often as You Can（Summary)

Good morning, distinguished parents, and dear students!

A theme is needed for every graduation ceremony, which is really a bitter-sweet event. I sincerely hope that I can leave our students with something today, in addition to receiving applause and recognition.

The theme of this year is “Come back Home”, and you are encouraged to come back home as often as you can.

Dear students, today you are going to graduate from your alma mater. You will embark on a new journey on your own to pursue your dreams. We all hate to part with each other, but graduation means maturity. Congratulations to you all! Happy graduation!

When you get on your flights and fly to your next “stop,” you might be very excited as well as uneasy. However, this uneasy feeling won’t last long. Please embrace your dreams of independence, and soon your uneasiness will disappear.

At this moment, it might not occur to you that YOU will become the biggest concern of your family. Your parents have all sorts of concerns about you and these concerns will increase as time goes by: “Is my baby who likes to talk back to me (or maybe you don’t like talking back) having a great time in the new environment?” “It has been a long time since his last call,” they will say. Although of course you know that maybe they called you only 48 hours ago. “So is he/she too busy?” They will wonder. “Is he/she balancing studies and the health?” All these questions are embedded deeply in your parents’ heart, so when you are actually in the phone call, they might hide their feelings by saying something else.

Today, I spoke for the parents on this occasion, and we do hope that you students understand your parents and “Come back Home” as often as you can. I put quotation marks on “Come back Home,” because there are different ways of “Coming back Home,” which is much more convenient than it used to be. Yet, the most important thing is that the “home” is in your heart.

Thinking back to when I was in college, I “went back home” once or twice per month, meaning that I wrote back home once or twice per month. It was basically a brief report of my life and study, but it was all positive. (I didn’t tell them that I ran out of money in every single letter, but I mentioned every 3rd or fourth letter.) The most important message for my parents was that I was OK.

Today technology makes it easier for you all to “come back home by making phone calls, having a video calls, forming a group chat with the family, sharing some photos or videos of what interesting things you’ve done, and the like. When you first step into a new place, you will probably all do that, because, having suddenly left all the care of your parents, you will not be used to your new lives. When you face new challenges by yourself, it is not embarrassing to ask advice from your parents. Yet, you might forget to contact your family as time goes on. This is not good. Remember, you should not contact your family exclusively when you have requests; instead you should form the habit of contacting your family as often as you can or on a regular basis. You could also click “like” on your parents’ WeChat posts, which is another way of “coming back home”.

People took it for granted that it was common to leave home for further study many years ago. Students, on this point, we all belong to this same era.

The interesting phenomenon is that at my age, when we departed, our parents expected all of us to “return home with full glory” after we returned from studying abroad. Comparatively speaking, our path was a bit tougher, so the expectations from our parents were a bit more ambitious. Their goal was simple and straightforward, but the content was abstract and hard to define.

Today, you are going to graduate. Of course you will have your own expectations. However, your parents and I might share the same expectation – all is safe and sound with you.

We will never worry about that whether you will excel at what you do. The materials prepared by your homeroom teachers have demonstrated to me your excellence. This year one student was admitted by Trinity College of the University of Cambridge and granted the Jardine Scholarship; the head of SHSID Orchestra made his group grow; SHSID|Times, as the school’s official magazine, produced a high quality product. Lots of you here worked hard to make these great things happen. Additionally some students participated in competitions at home and abroad; we have a student here today who is ranked extremely high in badminton internationally, but she never quit her studies. Other students acted in an advertisement and participated in a Hollywood movie-shooting; some students used their cameras to record their high school lives so that we can have the stories to share; others among you shared your experience in different fields via the Peer Advisor programs; still others prepared handicrafts to raise charity funds; others volunteered to teach younger students in Jishishan, Gansu Province; and for the 150th anniversary of Shanghai High School, you made contributions like decorating the classrooms. Finally, you became the champions of the Jr. NBA after years of effort; you showed your demeanor on the stage in the black box; you demonstrated your talent in arts and crafts exhibitions. The list of your achievements could go on and on. Everything you have done will be recorded as great memories of your high school life. Your excellence is the wealth of your alma mater.

A new platform means new challenges. When facing challenges, I hope that you set up a clear goal for yourself. The earlier, the better. It is hoped that each of you will find the most suitable life plan for yourself. Whether you strive for aggressive goals or merely wish to live comfortably, they are equally good. What matters most is that you like it, and you consider it, make effort at it, and you will never regret it.

Everyone will be impressed by some achievements at certain points throughout your life. But life is also made up of less remarkable moments. Dear students, I hope you all fly higher and higher! I wish you all the very best! We also hope that you will “come back home” as often as you can and come back to your Alma mater!

Thank you!