Yurong Jiang’s speech is attracting attention on both Chinese and American social media, as the Trump administration announced it would aggressively revoke visas of Chinese students with “sensitive” connections or studying majors that are strategic to the US.
This move is said to stem from the US government 's long-standing concerns about the risk of technological espionage among academic researchers in the US.
Yurong Jiang at his recent graduation ceremony at Harvard (Photo: HM).
Yurong Jiang's emotional speech at the graduation ceremony on May 29 continues to spread on social media because of its warm and touching content.
Harvard University currently has more than 10,000 international students and graduate students, accounting for about 30% of the total number of students studying at the school. Of this community, about 2,000 are from China.
In her speech, Jiang highlighted the role of international students in building a cohesive and diverse world . She warned that “a connected world” is increasingly being affected by “division, fear and conflict”.
In the final part of his speech, Jiang asserted: “If we still believe in a common future, let us remember: those we are enemies of are also human beings. When we see humanity in them, we also see humanity in ourselves. Ultimately, we do not grow by proving others wrong, but by not letting go of each other.”
Jiang did not directly mention any political elements in her speech, but she later shared with international media that what was happening made her and many other international students worried.
She said she is considering working in another country, instead of staying in the US. Her fellow countrymen in the US are also considering this direction, because they fear that the instability will seriously affect their future work and life.
Jiang studied in her native China before attending high school in the UK, according to Harvard Magazine. She has a bachelor's degree from Duke University in the US and a master's degree from Harvard Kennedy School at Harvard University.
Full text of Yurong Jiang's graduation speech:
Last summer, when I was interning in Mongolia, I got a call from two of my classmates who were interning in Tanzania. They were panicking and asked me how to use the washing machine, because all the buttons were in Chinese, and my friends used Google Translate but still couldn't understand.
Those two friends, one from India, one from Thailand, we were classmates at Harvard.
Yurong Jiang's speech is causing a stir (Photo: HM).
That moment reminded me of my childhood belief that the world was like a small village. Our generation would be the ones to help end hunger and poverty for all humanity.
I am pursuing a master's degree in International Development at the Harvard Kennedy School, a program that is fundamentally built on this very idea: that humanity will always rise and fall together.
When I met 77 classmates from 34 countries, the countries that were once just colorful shapes on a map suddenly appeared as very real people. They brought laughter, dreams, and resilience to overcome the long winter in Cambridge, USA.
We experience each other’s traditions, learn about each other’s worlds, including each other’s problems and burdens. The big stories of the world are no longer distant concepts, but suddenly become stories reflected through our own perspectives, personal stories.
When I hear stories of poor women who can’t afford sanitary napkins, I feel heartbroken. When I hear stories of girls who are forced to drop out of school for fear of being harassed, of being bothered because they “want to study more because they are women,” I feel outraged.
When I hear the stories of young people dying in a war they don’t understand, it breaks my heart. The promise of a connected world is being eroded by division, fear, and conflict.
Nowadays, some of us have begun to believe that people who think differently, have different views, or have different religions are not only wrong, but may even be “villains.” But we don’t have to live like that.
The most important thing I learned at Harvard was not how to calculate or do regression analysis. It was the ability to sit still even when I felt uncomfortable, to listen deeply, and to stay soft even in challenging times.
If we still believe in a common future, let us remember: those we hate are human beings too. When we see their humanity, we see our own. Ultimately, we do not grow by proving others wrong, but by not letting go of each other.
Dear Class of 2025, the world we live in seems to be as confused as my friends who don't know how to use a washing machine.
When we graduate, we will carry with us everything we have learned from the people who have passed through our lives, overcoming the problem of the gap between rich and poor, whether we live in the city or the countryside, whether we have faith or skepticism...
The people we have met speak different languages, have different dreams, but they have all become a part of who we are. You may have disagreed with them, but don't deny them, because we are united by something deeper than faith: our common humanity.
Congratulations to the class of 2025!
Source: https://dantri.com.vn/giao-duc/bai-phat-bieu-tot-nghiep-cua-nu-sinh-trung-quoc-tai-harvard-gay-xuc-dong-20250602100348763.htm
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