It was bittersweet for YCIS Shanghai recently as the faculty, staff, and students bid a fond farewell to the graduating classes at both the Century Park and Gubei campuses. Both campuses held graduation ceremonies to celebrate the “Class of 2017” before they headed off to continue their education at a number of prestigious institutions around the world.

At the Century Park Campus, the ceremony was held in the school’s magnificent theatre, where the graduands were introduced by Mr Tim Gartz, their University Guidance Officer, and they received their graduation certificates from the campus Co-Principals, Mr Fred Runkel and Ms Jane Xie. Both Co-Principals gave sage advice to the graduates about their next step forward into adulthood. Two graduating students, Alessandro Davidoni and Sangitha Krishnakumar, gave a fantastic introspective student address. Mr Norm Dean, YCIS Deputy Director, was the 2017 keynote speaker, and Mr Dean gave a beautiful speech framed around the Dr Seuss book, ‘Oh, The Places You’ll Go’. He explained how the students will take what they have learned at YCIS and carry it forward to their bright, exciting futures.

At the Gubei Campus, students all received their graduation certificates from the campus Co-Principals, Dr Richard Swann and Ms Isabel Xu. Both co-principals gave inspiring advice to the graduates, and also explained the meaning of the beautiful graduation artwork on the stage backdrop and programmes, created by Mr Mark Montgomery, the Artist-in-Residence for YCIS’s campuses in Puxi. The Gubei graduates selected Mr Peter Chong, their Mathematics Teacher, as their keynote speaker. Mr Chong gave a motivational speech that garnered huge applause from the crowd. Graduating student Emily Gorthuis gave a student address filled with her memories of the Class of 2017’s time at the school, as she had studied at YCIS for 15 years.

The Class of 2017 is going on to matriculate at leading universities worldwide, including the University of Oxford, University of Pennsylvania, Northeastern University, University of California Berkeley, University College London, University of Hong Kong, University of Toronto, and several leading research intensive and liberal arts universities, as they join other distinguished YCIS alumni around the globe.

Congratulations and warm wishes to the Class of 2017!