The grand event began at 9:30 am on June 18 at the Shuyun Hall, with teachers, family and special guests coming together to mark the graduation of 2,676 students representing 45 departments of study. Thirteen doctoral diplomas, 425 master’s diplomas, and 1,800 four-year bachelor diplomas were awarded this year, together with an addition 94 for on-the-job master students and 344 students of continuing education. Among those attending programs for senior citizens, another 81 were also seen through to graduation this in 2023.
NPUST President Chin-Lung Chang turned the tassels and awarded degrees to the graduating representatives. He also personally issued the certificates of completion to the students graduating from the senior citizen programs. During the ceremony, various awards for academic achievement, conduct, postgraduate research achievements, and sports excellence were also presented to honor the outstanding students.
Ambassador Douglas Cheng-Tsung Shen of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Southern Taiwan Office, Chairman Wei-Po Kuo of the NPUST Alumni Association, Ambassador Robert Lewis of Saint Lucia, Ambassador David Adams Orrukem of the Republic of Palau, Minister Elroy Wilson of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Ambassador Roudy Stanley Penn of the Republic of Haiti were among the distinguished guests in attendance, and were joined by representatives of the Marshall Islands Embassy and the Malaysian Friendship and Trade Center. Other distinguished guests from the industry, government, education and medical circles were also present for the occasion.
NPUST President Chin-Lung Chang said “congratulations to every student for completing your course of study. Because of the pandemic, the school has not held large-scale graduation ceremonies for the last three years, and this is the first ceremony that I am presiding over since taking on the role of president. And so, to be here and witness your joy at this time makes me very glad. In the last three years, we have all gone through a significant test; not only were regular daily activities interrupted, but new things like social distance, rubbing alcohol and masks became the normal. Unpaid holidays, leave without pay, and lay-offs—all these things created new troubles for graduating students. The day passed with much panic and concern—and lots of loneliness. And so it is fortunate that we all came safely through it. In the future, as you make the slow journey through life, I hope that every step will be well placed, every day will be lived to the fullest, and every challenge that comes your way will be faced with courage. I wish blessings and great success to all of you as you prepare to venture out into the world.”
Every year, the departments also hold their own ceremony for their graduates. One of the most distinctive this year took place at the International College on the afternoon of the same day. Among their 105 graduates, more than 70% come from abroad. The countries the graduating students hail from include Palau, Haiti, St. Lucia, Saint Vincent, Belize, Philippines, Somaliland, Marshall Islands, Thailand, Vietnam, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Eswatini, Honduras, Brunei, Nepal, Papua New Guinea, Pakistan, Guatemala, Gambia, Hong Kong and St. Kitts and Nevis. The ceremony received the attention and support of many embassies and representative offices in Taiwan, and many ambassadors and representatives came to wish blessings to the graduates in person.
At the school-wide ceremony, one of NPUST’s ‘stars’, Shi-Kai Chen of the Department of Wood Science and Design, was chosen as student representative. During his studies, he represented his country at the 2022 WorldSkills Competition in Switzerland and won the gold medal in Joinery. He was personally congratulated for his success by Taiwan President Tsai Ying-Wen, and awarded a special recognition by the Ministry of Education. In his speech, Chen shared with the students how before winning the awards, “every day and night after night I would practice sawing, chiseling, planing, drilling, and sanding. Through it all there were times of loneliness, frustration and stress; but I understood that ‘success is one part talent plus 99 parts hard work!’, and also that ‘life involves constantly polishing; the kind of life we want to hone, is up to us to decide!’”. As he shared his experiences with the students, the conclusion was well received: “If you want to wear a crown, you must first bear its weight”.
Fengyuan Hsu, director of the Fayu Insurance Law Firm, was also invited as a guest speaker. Hsu shared how he came out of poverty and overcame many difficulties, and ultimately was able to create an extraordinary life story. He also shared that no matter what job field may be, he hopes that people will have power to be good in their heart, and guide themselves to do what they should do with a mature attitude. He encouraged the graduates to maintain that kind heart on life’s future journeys and to work for a brighter society.
At the end of the ceremony, students from the Ping-Crazy Guitar Club sang a farewell song to the graduates on behalf of the current students, expressing their blessings through musical notes. They also led the graduates in a singing of “school song”, to reflect on their learning experience at National Pingtung University of Science and Technology. At the end, all the graduates threw their caps together to mark the end of the ceremony and the beginning of a new journey and new stage in life.
