HFI 2020优秀毕业生代表演讲

李瑞哲 Richard Li

入读院校：西北大学

Good afternoon, faculty members, family, distinguished guests, and my fellow HFI class of 2020.

It is an honor to be speaking here today.

 

First of all, I would like to congratulate everybody here, including me. Why? So much has happened in the three years that we've been in HFI. The coronavirus happened, China and the US got into a terrible trade war, global warming got worse, Sheldon started enforcing the uniform policy, Jerry shaved his head… I mean even after all that's happened, we still managed to make it through to graduation. Can we please give ourselves a big round of applause?

 

Now if you know me, you probably know that I'm not too good at numbers. But it's the last day of school, you gotta do something different. So here are some numbers.

 

The first number is 24366.

 

That is how many hours we've spent as an HFI student. We had all that time, what have we achieved? Well, I've been marked late for more than 50 times, Henry's probably been marked absent more than that. But jokes aside, what have we really done?

 

For each 135 of us, our experience at HFI has been drastically different. Some of us “gambled for crisi”. Some of us sang out our “voice”. Some of us were almost in Maine. Some of us had a midsummer night's dream. Some of us became crows. Some of us looked through a color scope and saw a humanifold.

 

But we understand that 1+1 is bigger than 2, and by putting our collective hearts together, we’ve been able to bring about positive change. We've raised over 1.5 million yuan for orphans through three crazy International Days. We've helped kids in rural villages learn English and understand more about the world around them. We've taken action to protect our environment by reforming the school's recycle system. We've brought laughter and thrill to friends and family through Christmas shows and halloween parties.

 

The freedom at HFI has given us the chance to be ourselves, celebrate our individuality, and embrace diversity. But more importantly, it has helped us develop the leadership we need to navigate through this world of conflict, bias, and inequality. It has given us the social responsibility to contribute to communities in need. It has sculpted us into competent human beings, that will lead the people around us toward a brighter future.

 

The second number is 20.

 

That’s the number of classes most of us have taken in the past three years at HFI. For some people, that number may be higher.

 

Remember that one lecture, despite focusing 100% in class, which is very rare, we still never understood what was going on? Remember the nights we’ve spent in the teacher’s office, begging them for a cur…i'm sorry, begging them to solve a problem set, to clarify a concept, or explain a process? Remember Mr. Six telling us to space our test review out, but we all still waited until the day before the test and crammed everything? The classes we’ve taken at HFI have not only helped us prepare for college abroad, but also humbled us, helped us understand that there was still so much to learn, so much to wonder.

 

But of those 20 classes, only 19 of them are actual classes you can fail on powerschool. That one lesson that has no grades is a lesson of life.

 

These three years have taught us to never take things for granted. It has taught us to do what's right, instead of what's convenient, what's expected, or what's easy. It has taught us that success is not about high grades or big money. It's about leaving the people around us with a little more happiness and a little more hope. It has taught us humility and honesty, craftsmanship and bravery. It has taught us that the ability to strive for greatness lies in each and every one of us. What we've learned encompasses every aspect of our lives, and has become a stamp on our personal passport, an orange stamp, that will follow us wherever we go, whether in Chicago, London, Beijing or at Google, Morgan-Stanley, or academic institutions. I will be forever grateful for what I’ve learned here.

 

That leads me to the third number: 3000.

 

That is how much love and gratitude we owe to the people that have supported us  during this treacherous journey.

 

To our parents, thank you. Thank you for every time you've picked us up in pouring rain, stood by us while we nervously waited outside Asia World Expo, and accompanied us when we fell sick. Thank you for supporting our passions, whether it was pursuing an academic program expensive as hell, playing a sport that took time out of our studies, or volunteering for a controversial cause. No matter how many times we screwed up, how much we conflicted, you've always stood behind us, giving us a push whenever we needed, and holding your arms out for a hug whenever we hit a wall.

To our teachers, thank you. Thank you for showing us what dedication and mastery in one's field means. Thank you for being the lighthouse in the dark seas of academia. I know, we didn't like to wear our uniforms, our phones were occasionally open under our desks, sometimes our homework was turned in late, but trust me, we will be forever grateful for having you by our side.

 

To our college counselors, thank you for standing our trash personal statements and unexpected emotional breakdowns. Thank you for helping us find the college life in our dreams. To the cleaning staff, security, and cafeteria workers, thank you for making our experience at HFI so much more safe and convenient. To our friends, each and every one of you, thank you for being the best friends ever, supporting each other through hardships, and sharing happiness whenever we could.

 

We love you 3000.

 

The last number I want to share today is 1.

 

That is the number of tries we have to live a life that is unique, that inspires happiness, that exemplifies responsibility, and one that leaves a legacy of positive influence behind. Today isn't just the end to high school. It is the start of a limitless future full of excitement. My fellow graduates, the old has given way to the new. It is our time to make a difference. It is our time to shine.

 

Thank you, and again, congratulations class of 2020.

 

中文翻译（供参考）

各位老师，家长，来宾，以及华附国际部2020届的同学们，下午好！

我是Richard李瑞哲，很荣幸今天能站在这里做毕业演讲。

首先，我想恭喜在座的各位，包括我自己。

我们在华附国际部的三年里发生了好多事情。

我们经历了新冠疫情，中美贸易战，全球变暖。

校长Sheldon开始执行新的校服政策，Jerry老师剃了光头……

但是，我们依然撑到了毕业。我们应该给自己一些掌声。

但在高中的最后一天，我必须得做点不一样的事情：给大家带来一些很有意义的数字。

第一个数字是24366。

我们在HFI生活学习了24366小时。在这么多的时间里，我们成就了什么？

我可能被记了50次迟到，陈亨睿可能被记了50次缺勤。开玩笑的～

我们135个人中的每一个人，在HFI都有着多姿多彩的回忆。

有些人“为危机博弈”（商赛）。有些人唱出了自己的“声音”（歌唱比赛）。

有些人差不多到了缅因，有些人做了一个春夏夜的梦（戏剧表演）。

有些人化作乌鸦翱翔于绿茵赛场（橄榄球队）。有些人透过彩色万花筒看见了humanifold（社会学社）。

但我们清楚，1+1大于2。当我们的心凝聚在一起，会散发出无限的光芒与力量。

我们在三个难忘有趣的国际日，为孤儿院的儿童们募集了超过150万人民币。

我们帮助山区的孩子学习英语，给他们带去更多元的文化和视角。

我们在圣诞晚会和万圣庆典与朋友和家人们享受节日的欢乐与激情。

华附国际部的自由让我们有机会做自己，发扬自己的独特性，拥抱多元文化。

更重要的是，它培养了我们的领导力，让我们能够自如面对这个世界的冲突，歧视和不平等。

它把我们打磨成有能力的人，甚至带领身边的人走向更耀眼的未来。

第二个数字是20。

这是大部分人在华附国际部的三年里选的课的数量。对于一些学霸，这个数字可能会高一点。

总有一门课，尽管我们百分之百认真听讲（这是很不寻常的事情），我们依然完全无法明白老师在讲什么。

还记得那些夜晚，我们在老师办公室，请求老师给分宽容些…

对不起，说错了。是在请求老师帮我们解一道题，理解一个概念，或解释一个过程。

还记得心理老师让我们把学习分散到不同的时间，但好多人都还是等到最后一天才临时抱佛脚，一个晚上把一整章的内容学完吗？

我们在华附国际部修过的课程，不仅为我们海外求学做足准备，还让我们学会了谦虚。

我们深知，这世界上还有很多我们得去学，得去想。

在那20门课中，其实只有19门是有分数的课。

还有一门没有分数的课：人生。

过去的三年教会了我们不能理所当然的接受所有。

它教会了我们要做对的事情，而不能图方便或讨好别人。

它教会了我们成功并不只是成绩或财富。成功也可以是让带给身边的人快乐和希望。

它教会了我们谦虚和诚实，工匠精神和勇敢。

它让我们明白，只要努力，每一个人都能实现心中的梦想。

我们在这里学到的东西涉及生活的方方面面，并且即将成为了我们个人护照上的一个印章，一个橙色（HFI橙）的印章。

它将会跟随我们去到世界的每个角落。

不管是芝加哥，伦敦，还是北京。又或是谷歌，摩根大通，还是科研机构……

我会永远感激我在这里学到的所有。

这让我来到了我的第三个数字：3000。

那是给予在这三年里帮助过我们的人的爱与感激！

我想对我们的父母说，谢谢你们！

谢谢你们在倾盆大雨时接我们回家，在亚博门口陪我们紧张，在我们生病时陪在我们身旁。

谢谢你们支持我们去追逐热爱的东西，

无论是参加一个昂贵的学术项目，

还是去参加一个可能会耽误学习的运动，

又或是为一个有争议的事情当志愿者。

不管我们造成了多少麻烦，不管我们有多少的分歧，你们永远都在我们后面。

当我们走不动的时候推我们一把，在我们碰壁时伸开双手给我们一个拥抱。

对我们的老师，我想说，谢谢你们！

谢谢你们让我们懂得了要精通自己的领域和无私奉献。

谢谢你们做我们在学术的海洋中明亮的灯塔。

我知道，我们有时偷偷不穿校服，我们桌子底下偶尔亮着手机屏幕，我们的作业有时没准时交，

但相信我，我们会永远感激你们站在我们的身边。

我们的升学指导老师，谢谢你们！

谢谢你们忍受我们垃圾一样的主文书和莫名其妙的情绪崩溃。

谢谢你们帮助我们找到了我们梦想的大学生活。

清洁阿姨，王叔，饭堂阿姨，宿管，谢谢你们让我们在华附国际部的生活更安全，便捷。

谢谢我所有的朋友。我们永远是有福同享，有难同当的好兄弟，好姐妹。

我爱你们3000。

我今天想分享的最后一个数字是1.

我们只有一次机会活出一个独特，快乐，充满责任感，正能量的人生。

今天不止是高中的结束，它还是我们充满激情的未来的开始。

同学们，江山代有才人出，各领风骚数百年。

现在是我们改变世界的时刻。现在是我们闪耀的时刻。

谢谢大家，再次恭喜华附国际部2020届毕业生。