Opening Words to East Campus Graduation Ceremony 2022

Parents, colleagues, alumni, families watching from around the world, and most importantly, Graduates - welcome to East Graduation 2022!  Here we are, in person - hooray!    You look sensational, and it is wonderful to see you all today.    

                                                          Graduation Highlights in 90 seconds

My name is Nick Alchin, Head of East Campus and it’s my pleasure to open the ceremony and for us all to be present in this wonderful NUS venue for the first time in many years.  We’re so happy we can all be together again, as we have been in the past and that we can rejoice in this  eighth East Campus graduation ceremony.  It’s great to be back.

I’ve always felt that the build up to this day starts when the first sign saying “20 days to the Celebration Day and Grand Walk” goes up outside the PA lounge.  Those days are long gone - you’ve had your final week, had your own marvellous Grand Walk, and even, now, had your exams.  So this is the big day.

But the truth is that the process is much longer than that.  If you regard this as the culmination of your years of schooling,  then this isn’t just about the last few weeks or months, it’s about the last 14 years of schooling; and these are just the final moments of those 14 years.  18 of you here today started with us in K1  - special welcome to you.  Two of you joined in K1, left but then realised the terrible mistake you made and came back.  Good job! (I did the same as a teacher).  The rest of you have been educated all over the world, from a huge mix of rich and diverse schools - with 39 of you joining us for the final two years.

So wherever you’ve studied, we know it’s been a privilege to have you here, I ask you to think back for a moment over all the memories that are very different but somehow the same - maybe your first day at school, as a tiny weeny weeny person; maybe that first friend you make; how about learning to read, or that playground you played in.  Your favourite teacher - perhaps one you once called mum or dad by accident (or worse, grandad or grandma) and blushed (as did the teacher probably).  Or a sports team, artistic production, or class that inspired you.  A wonderful service, or -  a few years back - maybe an amazing trip.

These are the things that bind you as a group; the memories that you share even from different places.  These are precious things, and it’s worth remembering how much we all share in terms of lived human experience, as well as the precious ways in which we are all unique and different.   There’s something there to remember when you go to your next stage in life.

 

Parents - we’ve done our best for your wonderful children over these years; we have seen them grow into the fine adults we see here today, and we are as proud of them as you are.   We hope you see in them everything you had hoped for when you entrusted them to us and we are grateful to you for lending them to us.    Just to be clear - you can have them back now! Grad trip is not on us - just sayin'!

In our line up today, we have adjusted from previous years - taken out one of the speeches, because we wanted to take this opportunity to showcase more of our own students through music, since they haven't had the opportunities lately.  Around 48 students will be performing over the course of the ceremony! 

Now, before we get to the first presentation of certificates, I want to introduce a surprise guest.   Earlier this year we had special guests from the UWC International Office here during your final week.  Many of you will have heard  - or met, our inspirational new Global Executive Director, Faith Abiodun.    He was so delighted with what we saw here - and in meeting so many of you - that he recorded a special message.

I’ve talked to you about looking back at schooling with warm affection; Faith will say a  little about looking forward with imagination and vision.  Distinguished guests - please welcome Faith Abiodun.