Graduation speech

Dream big.

I remember once my professor encouraged me by saying: “Beca, you need to be an Asian woman with a voice.” I listened and I decided to have my own voice.

It has always been a wonderful memory for me, when I made up my mind to go to UIC four years ago. During my college life in UIC, I learned valuable things, either in a professional way or in the way I interact with people from different backgrounds. If you want me to use one word to describe these four years, it is impossible for me not to use the word “bittersweet”. Of course it is not easy to get through all these assignments, deadlines, presentations and essays. I still remember how nervous I was when I gave my first presentation in front of everyone. However, from all these “difficult” times, I learned to be brave, independent, strong in order to let go, and to embrace changes. I am very lucky to have met “IJ” in my undergraduate experience. I never thought that I would have so much fun involving myself in journalism as a previously being a science student in high school. Journalism shows me a bigger picture of the world because it gives me insights into many other fields and influences me in my way of thinking and being critical.

I am a person that is always ready to take challenges. I love being enthusiastic, passionate, curious, and plucky. The media industry is a field that is full of changes and excitements. I am pretty sure that I am suited to and would do well in the media industry. After graduation, I will go to the United States to do a master’s degree in the advertising and branding field in Syracuse University. I remember when I was a little girl, a factory owned by Li-Ning (a popular sportswear brand in China) was right beside my home. I witnessed how it grew from a small company to a famous brand in China. Li-Ning was started in my hometown, Foshan, and now it has spread its brand worldwide. That’s how I see the potential of branding. It is getting more and more important especially when entering the new communication world where digital and social media is changing the way advertising and branding is used. I enjoy the feeling of working with a team and brainstorming ideas, and I also enjoy the process of voicing my opinions in a confident, humble way.

I see myself definitely going into the field of brand advertising. Under the online business trend and the Belt and Road Initiative, in five years, I expect to enter a brand department as a brand strategist to contribute what I’ve learned to promote Chinese brands to the world and to transform “made in China” into “branded in China”.

Every end has a new beginning! Studying abroad alone may be a wonderful adventure for me. But every little encounter and experience I gained in UIC and in IJ has been enriching and will remain within my memories for life long.