I am very proud of our graduates, and I would like to share three special words that best encapsulate my thoughts and feelings on this momentous occasion with you all.
The first word is passion.
Our pupils receiving great offers from top institutes is some of the best news I could hope for. What makes me the happiest, however, is that our pupils have all gone in a diverse range of academic directions – the holistic education at Wellington College China has inspired them to pursue their passions. Studying at top institutes is but another step for them to achieve further successes in their lives.
I want to let you in on a little secret of mine: when I was in school, I didn't know what my passion was. I ended up studying Computer Science at Oxford University – I could do it, but I didn't love it.
I was good at maths and science, but the kind of education that I received when I was in school focused a lot on what we should do rather than what we wanted to do – which is probably true for most in my generation in China, and probably still true for a lot of people in China today. As a good student, my time was filled with homework and exam preparation. I had very little spare time to pursue what I felt was my passion. 20 years on, I'm still trying to work out where my passions lie outside of my profession, and I see that as, almost, a regret.
This is why Wellington is so important to me, and why I'm committed to bringing it to China to offer it to more young people so they can enjoy what you have enjoyed. They can find out more about themselves – who they are and what their passions are – before they leave school at 18.
You're very lucky to be in that position. Very many congratulations.