The NPUST International College held is graduation ceremony on June 15th (2024), with such honored guests in attendance as Ambassador Roudy Penn of Haiti, Ambassador Donya Francis of St. Kitts and Nevis, Second-Secretary Rovin Fevrier of the Embassy of St. Lucia, and the Indonesian representatives to Taiwan. NPUST President Chin-Lung Chang, International College Dean Jik-Chang Leong, and Department of Tropical Agriculture & International Cooperation Director Rebecca Chung participated in the ceremony together with other members of the faculty. Representative Aznifah Ghani of the Malaysian Friendship and Trade Center and Director Martin Rubio of the Mexican Trade Services Documentation and Cultural Office, although unable to attend in person, recorded short videos to congratulate the graduates and wish them future success.
In his speech, NPUST President Chin-Lung Chang mentioned to the students that he studied for a doctorate degree in Germany and could very much understand the challenges of being away from home and studying abroad. He congratulated the students for successfully completing their studies, and expressed his hope that after they return home they will hold dear to them their memories of NPUST’s beautiful campus, Taiwan’s food, beautiful scenery, and strong humanistic culture. President Chang also encouraged all the graduates to keep in pace with the times and continue to engage in self-study in this new era of artificial intelligence. He said that the world is changing rapidly, and the ability to learn independently will allow them stand out among their peers. He added that the future would be bright for those who are proactive, full of curiosity, and who actively embrace artificial intelligence and seize opportunities to grow and develop.
Ambassador Penn of Haiti mentioned that it was a great honor to attend the 2024 graduation ceremony of the International College at NPUST and to witness the strong educational connection Taiwan shares with the international community. As the students enter the next chapter of their lives, he encouraged them to use the knowledge and experience they gained in Taiwan to become positive influences in their societies and their counties. Ambassador Donya Francis of St. Kitts and Nevis expressed his hopes that the graduates would use the knowledge, strength, and resilience they have acquired to create a brighter future for themselves and future generations, and to make their countries and the world a better place.
The NPUST International College was established in 1998. Since that time, it has trained more than 500 students from more than 50 countries around the world. Graduates of the Class of 2024 come from 18 countries, including Japan, Eswatini, Indonesia, Honduras, Brunei, Belize, the United Kingdom, Thailand, Haiti, Malaysia, Malawi, Fiji, Vietnam, St. Vincent, St. Christopher and Nevis, St. Lucia and Mexico. For the ceremony, the International College specially arranged for two current students, one a local Taiwanese and one from St. Kitts and Nevis, to serve as the masters of ceremony and conduct the event in Chinese and English. Due to the large number of relatives and friends who came to be a part of the special day, the International College opened two satellite rooms where live broadcasts of the event could be viewed, and also provided a link for those abroad to witness the occasion. For the graduates, it was a very meaningful moment in time—a time of reflection, filled with smiles and tears—the end of one chapter and the beginning of a new one, and a time to celebrate the hard work they had invested into earning their new credentials and to look forward to new horizons on their life-long journeys of development.
