华中国际学校2021年毕业典礼演讲

華中董事部副董事长、华中国际学校董事会副会长及管委会会长，谢南极先生在华中国际学校2021毕业典礼以中英双语致词。演讲内容转录如下：

敬爱的董事长李喜隆先生、董事部、管委会成员、信托基金管委会主席陈伟杰、李校长、副校长、老师职员们、家长和同学们，下午好。

首先，我要恭贺我们的毕业班同学：你们毕业了，恭喜你！几年在华中国际学校的生涯，就此走入另一个里程碑。记住，是走入“另一个里程碑”，而不是画上休止符。因为，你们和华中大家庭的缘分还没有走到尽头，我们会等着你回来，齐心协力把母校建的更大、更好、更温馨。我们也会等着你回来分享你的人生旅途、喜怒哀乐、酸甜苦辣。

今天我选择先用华语跟你们交流，是因为学校的校长和老师告诉我：在华中国际学校受过教育的每一位学生都能够用基本的华语交流。我听了是非常的高兴，也为你们感到非常的骄傲，毕竟华文华语不是一个容易学得上手的语文。

我记得在我学华文的时候，生为炎黄子孙的我，都会觉得有些困难。而你们之中还有一些不是华族的学生，但你们都能够克服种种的困难。这种不屈不挠、自强不息的精神是值得表扬的。而我也要感谢你们，和我们董事部管委会、校长和老师们，一起努力把这美丽的文化发扬光大，让它细水长流。

毕竟华文是累计了我们五千年的智慧，祖先留给我们的宝贵资产。

Now I will switch over to English.

So, the school is at a very interesting stage of development. We are investing a lot in hardware: like swimming pool, CCA centre, library, Iconic forum and IT infrastructure. We are also investing a lot in the software: promoting Asian culture and to be your "life partner".

This is how we want to differentiate Hwa Chong International School from other international schools: we want to be your "life partner".

And speaking of which, I want to share two things with you that I think will benefit you for life.

The first thing is to always maintain a positive attitude. Now in my work, I have recruited people, I have interviewed numerous candidates. And if I have to choose between two candidates, if candidate A, who may not have very good academic results, may not have very sound technical skills, but he has very positive attitude and the hunger to learn; versus candidate B, who may have very good academic results and technical skills, but poor attitude, thinks that he's smarter than most people. Then, I will always go for candidate A, because I believe that with positive attitude, he will acquire the necessary skills to overcome the challenges that lie ahead. Whereas for B, because of his poor attitude, his results will not be sustainable. So, always maintain a very positive attitude in life.

The second thing I want to share with you is: always look around you, remember the people who have helped you, they could be your teachers, classmates, friends, neighbours and more importantly, your parents. Your parents have made a lot of sacrifices to give you the best education that they can afford. Sometimes, you may find them naggy, irritating; sometimes you may find that they don't spend enough time with you. But why so? Is it that your parents have nothing better to do? Of course not. I'm sure your parents want to enjoy life, but they always spare a thought for you. They want you to work harder, smarter, so that your lives and futures will be better than theirs. So please don't judge your parents by their behaviours, judge them by their intentions, they always have a thought for you.

So with these two things, look forward with positive attitude, look backwards for people who have helped you, be nice to them, help them back. Your futures will be brilliant.

On this note, I want to congratulate you again on your graduations; and I want to thank all the parents for choosing Hwa Chong International School as your partner in your child's education. I'm sure you have made the right choice.

I want to also thank all the teachers for working so hard over the years to produce such brilliant graduates. And I want to thank all the unsung heroes who work tirelessly behind the scene to make this school so wonderful and brilliant.

So I want to thank all of you. Please stay safe and healthy.