(Fig.) Speech by Ren Lina, teacher representative of the International Language Center at the Class-2023 Opening Ceremony

Good morning, Class of 2027, I am delighted to greet you here and congratulate you on your entrance to Eurasia University.

Dear students and teachers, greetings to everyone! I am Ren Lina, an English teacher from the International Language Center at our university. As the wheel of fortune began to spin, we have gathered together here. First and foremost, on behalf of all the faculty, I would like to extend a warm welcome to students of the Class of 2027.

Encountering Brand-new Education

I am sincerely envious as I see the youthful and vibrant faces before me. It also reminds me of 21 years ago when I first arrived in Xi'an Eurasia University, becoming a new teacher. In today's terms, I am a typical “i-person” or an introvert person. I prefer contemplating and introspecting on my own. At that time, my understanding of teaching was simple: as a teacher, my main task was to impart knowledge. My teaching methods were simply imitations of the teachers I had seen and the textbooks I had studied. I diligently prepared for lessons, taught, and corrected assignments every day, rarely thinking about what my students truly needed, how I could support them through the curriculum, and how our education could better adapt to the future.

Twenty years later, amid the sound of the turning gears of time, I have transformed into a completely different teacher. Looking back over these past 20 years, Eurasia has granted me great freedom and support. Instead of forcing me to become someone else, it has quietly and subtly influenced me. Comprehensive, systematic support and guidance, training in educational concepts and teaching paradigms, and the immense energy derived from excellent peers and students have continuously prompted me to reflect on and improve my teaching approach. Through rounds of curriculum reform, I have transitioned from simply lecturing to designing instruction, guiding, and facilitating learning. Meanwhile, my students have begun to think critically and consistently pose open-ended, challenging questions.

In our classrooms, teacher-student discussions, group collaboration, and presentations are more centered around the learning objectives. Learning extends beyond the classroom as we introduce online English learning platforms to extend teaching time and space while enhancing students' independent learning abilities. We have organized various language competitions and activities, simulating authentic language use scenarios and providing opportunities for intercultural communication. The diverse range of short-term overseas study tours and international projects offered by the university not only elevate students' language proficiency but also greatly broaden their international perspectives.

Become a Better Self

A few days ago, a student who graduated several years ago returned to the campus. He is currently working in Tencent's operations department. I never taught him any courses. We only knew each other because he was a big fan of English activities.

He did not major in English, but I saw him in all English-related activities. To be honest, he was not good at English when he was just enrolled. At the begining, when preparing for a speech contest, he needed his instructor to revise his script repeatedly and then made an audio record for him to imitate. It was not until the end of the contest that he told his instructor that he had never expected to complete the contest. That was the first time that he showed himself on the podium in English and it was also the first time for him to receive so much applause and encouragement.

Since then, he has signed up for every English speech contest at the university and even became a golden host of contests. As a volunteer of Foreign Teachers Week, he received and accompanied the visiting delegations of foreign teachers for two consecutive years, assisting the delegations in their work and life at the university. When applying for a summer camp in Germany, he and his fellow students performed exceptionally in the interview process and leaderless group activities, which gave the teacher in charge of the project the reason to write an email to the German side overnight to successfully obtained a full scholarship place for his one-month exchange study in Germany. Because of his excellent spoken English, he was selected as a volunteer for the South Korea Winter Olympics and Rolex Shanghai Masters through online application.

I still remember what he posted in his WeChat Moments when he set off to the University of Liverpool in the United Kingdom for a master's degree. "I will see different worlds and try more things to find out what I really want." I remember seeing him for the first time in a classroom waiting for a speech contest. He was sitting at the window and correcting his pronunciation word by word. The sunlight hitting him through the window seemed to herald his shining future.

Facing the World and the Future

We are so fortunate to live in a world that has evolved dramatically over billions of years. The rapid and leapfrog development of science and technology has pushed human society to an era of singularity. Imagine that everything around us is about to experience a qualitative leap. Standing on the shoulders of our predecessors, we have seen a wonderful world, appreciated scenery across the world, and marveled at the great achievements of human society. The diversified world makes it easier for us to understand and experience different cultures and ideas and see the world and ourselves in a broader perspective.

Fortunately, our university is a value-oriented education institution. This unique, innovative, diverse and student-centered university values the life experience and future development of each student. Here, students can acquire new knowledge and skills, develop new thinking habits, and comprehensively improve their personal qualities in a profound way so as to prepare themselves for future life and thrive in an increasingly complex and interconnected world.

Class of 2023, there will be many changes in your future. Think about it. You will even enter the 22nd century that seems far away at the moment. At Xi'an Eurasia University, you will be trained not only to be prepared for your first job but also to be prepared for the unknown. As Sydney Harris put it, "The whole purpose of education is to turn mirrors into windows." Here, you will see farther afield. Here, you will get more support — but more importantly, spontaneously cultivate yourself and understand the world so that you can respond to the unknowns and changes of the coming decades in an intelligent, forward-looking, and creative manner. Xi'an Eurasia University will always support and encourage you with every possible effort. Start here, go anywhere.

Once again, welcome to this vibrant university. Xi'an Eurasia University's achievements depend on every student in the past, present and future. I am looking forward to the class of 2023 bringing new energy to the campus. Thank you!