【Graduation speech】From Seeking Knowledge to Practicing, From Me to Us
Jul 25-2025
*This article is a speech by Liu Aonan, the representative of this year's MBA graduates, at the 2025 Commencement Ceremony.
Hello everyone, I'm Aonan from the 2023 MBA class.
It's great to meet our teachers, classmates and alumni today. Welcome to our family and friends — thank you for your continuous support.
Students at the National School of Development are all leaders in their respective fields. It is a great responsibility to speak up in such an excellent group. Looking back at my speech for the start of the 2023 school year, I can confidently say that the expectations of 'forging forward thinking, cultivating leadership skills and meeting like-minded friends' have all been realised at the NSD.
During our studies at NSD, we gradually developed the ability to examine current decisions from a future perspective through a combination of intensive classes, in-depth lectures and cross-border discussions. As Professor Huang Yiping once said, strategic patience is equally important during China's critical economic transition from a factor-driven to an innovation-driven economy. As practitioners from different industries, we have learned from real-life examples that industry development can only achieve stability and long-term success if it aligns with national strategies. In this process, down-to-earth and patient accumulation is precisely the most forward-looking attitude.
Prof. Yang Zhuang, shared with us the experiences of the Gobi Challenge and the Asia Pacific Business College Desert Challenge in his leadership class. I am grateful to the NSD for providing not only leadership theory, but also a practical field, from the A team of Sha 13, to the B team of Gobi 19, and then to the team leader of Sha 14. We faced a sandstorm on the first day of the competition, a scorching sun on the second day, and piercing cold rain on the third. However, it is precisely such adversity that hones the most resilient team spirit. We won the highest honour of the competition, the 'Golden Seagull Award', and secured first place in Super Group A, second place in Team B and first place in Team C. However, what makes me happiest is seeing each team member gain valuable experience. Transitioning from the classroom to the arena is a valuable life experience that the NSD has provided us with.
By organising desert competitions, we have also had the opportunity to meet more exceptional students from different year groups and projects. Today, among the graduating classes of PKU-UCL MBA and PKU-Vlerick MBA, many good friends are moving forward together. Seeing them balance busy work and intensive courses, especially those who need to complete a longer academic cycle, we realise that persistence is particularly valuable on this learning journey.
Looking back, our thoughts are carried by classroom memories, late-night assignment groups bear witness to our persistence, and the winds of the Tengger Desert have honed our courage. From theory to practice, from seeking knowledge to taking action, the NSD has given us a way of life — to stay level-headed amid change, to support each other through challenges and to be each other's strongest allies.
Today, we will set off on a journey embodying the ever-innovative spirit of Peking University. No matter how far we go, NSD is our shared spiritual compass.
Finally, I wish everyone a happy graduation. Thank you!
