For most students, graduation day is a memorable day. Graduation day is a moment of celebration, where the graduates celebrate their achievements, look back at their best memories of their times in the program, being thankful for the friends and connections made and most importantly, reflect on their growth during their studies.

   

The graduates arrived early and were greeted by the GMBA Office and the assistants. Walking proudly with their gown and hat, they chatted with their fellow classmates and took some photos to capture the moment with their classmates, some they now call friends. All the graduates were then directed to take a group photo- all lined up in three rows they gave their best smile- this was their first official graduation photo.On Sunday 12th of June, the NTU GMBA Class of 2022 gathered at the College of Management Building 1 for the ceremony. This year has been impacted by Covid-19, so the attendance was restricted and social distancing measures had to be in place. Fortunately, the ceremony would be broadcasted live on youtube to make sure that the Class of 2022’s friends and families do not miss out on their important moments.

Around 10am, the graduates were guided by an assistant waving the GMBA flag. As they walked through the auditorium, the entrance music played beautifully and they all sat at their seats, where there was a personalized teddy bear with their names on it. They were followed by the guests and professors who marched towards their seats.

As the music stopped, Ms Helen Sun (The Student Council President) and Mr Michael Tsu (The Student Council Vice President), the two MCs for the day, greeted and congratulated the graduates on their special day. The graduates were a diverse bunch from different countries: Canada, Hong Kong, Netherlands, Vietnam, Mexica, Japan, South Africa, Philippines, Spain, Thailand, USA and Taiwan. The MCs then proceeded to play a video of the Class of 2022 special moments and events compiled by the GMBA office- it was the time for the graduates to look back at their memorable highlights and good times during their stint with the GMBA family.
 

   

This year was the first ever Valedictorian Award. Professor Leon came on stage to explain the award and the criteria for such award. The award was given to Mark Van Huijkelom due to his constantly high GPAs, commitment to lead and help his classmates in group work, being a former member of the Student Council and his participation in business competitions.It was then time for Dean Hu to give a send-off speech to the graduates followed by some words of wisdom. This was followed by a speech from the guest of honor, Robert Wang, the Managing Director of AWS for Hong Kong and Taiwan. He was an NTU graduate. He talked about how people should learn from their failures or setbacks, learn and try new things (he talked about his experience of writing a book), how persevere and find your tick. Then, GMBA Director, Professor Hsu gave a special speech to the graduates congratulating them on their journey with the GMBA family. Lastly, it was Liv Chen, the former Student Council President, who addressed her cohort, professors and guest speaker. She started by thanking all the professors and GMBA staff and then her classmates, with whom she learned a lot from. Through her motivational speech, She encouraged them to go and achieve what they want.

It was now time for the certificate distribution. Each student lined up and walked towards their professors who turned their tassels on their hats and presented them with their certificates. The crowd applauded every graduate as they walked happily with their certificates in hand. They did it! NTU GMBA Class of 2022 Graduates!

The graduation day marked the end of a great journey for the graduates but it is only the beginning with the GMBA family. The GMBA program was not only a fantastic opportunity to work with some diverse, motivated and intelligent group of individuals but also was a chance to grow their network, build long lasting friendships and even for some, find their future partner.

撰文者／GMBA二年級Brian Li Kam Wah