Congratulations, Class of 2024!
The culmination of years of hard work, the achievement of a major goal, the acknowledgement of a significant milestone and the rite of passage in personal growth and much more. Yes this is about graduation!
11 July, 2024 marked commencement for our physics graduates! The University Cultural Centre was buzzing with excitement and jubilation as the Class of 2024 physics graduates gathered for their convocation. Cheered on by family, friends and faculty as they received their scrolls adorned in their academic regalia, each applause was a testament to their resilience in beating the odds and a celebration of their individual achievement.
The guest speaker for the ceremony was Mr Winston Tan, founder and managing director of Winmark Investments Pte Ltd and Corporate Brokers International Pte Ltd. A recipient of the NUS Outstanding Alumni Award in 2005, Mr Tan has extensive experience in the corporate sectors and investment banking. He reflected on his own career journey where his physics background proved invaluable when he joined the banking industry during the early days of banking automation and technological innovations.
In his speech themed “Physics and Faith”, Mr Tan emphasised that discovery starts as an imagination and the belief or faith in its value is crucial for learning. “Before anything is discovered, it is merely a figment of one’s imagination. The belief that such imagination can come to something that is of real value is essential to good learning attitude. Learning is the discovery process in life. You don’t know what you will know tomorrow until you have made the effort to learn it today. Learning what you don’t know today and might know tomorrow needs a tremendous amount of faith.”
In a continuously progressive world of science and technology, faith in the unknown is necessary to achieve breakthroughs. Besides scientific knowledge and skills, Mr Tan also encouraged graduates to acquire cognitive, emotional and social competencies to navigate today’s complex workplaces. His hope for physics graduates is that they will juggle multiple perspectives, make critical decisions even with limited or ambiguous information, thrive on constant waves of changes, stay employable, embrace learning, be curious about the world, be adaptive and resilient in the face of failures and use their knowledge to give back society.
I wish all of you graduating today, courage, grit, an adventurous spirit and the faith to navigate this brave new world ahead of you. You will inevitably discover not just the world out there but more importantly, yourself, your real potential and your purpose in life. All the very best in your journeys ahead.
In a tea session held at the Department of Physics prior to the convocation ceremony, graduates got to mingle among themselves and with their faculty. Some were seen embracing their peers and capturing memories with photographs. Others were expressing gratitude to their mentors and faculty. The sense of camaraderie and mutual support was palpable, underscoring the close-knit community at NUS physics.
Mr Liang Zhengxin was filled with a sense of nostalgia as he reminisced his days as an undergraduate in outside classroom experience. “I was in the Physics Society. We helped out in a lot of events like planning and organising the physics engagement and orientation camps to promote physics.” An astrophysics enthusiast, he would miss the opportunity to be engaged in astrophysics activity such as star gazing sessions. “Graduation is about a nice ending of this phase of my life to begin a new phase.”
Friendship clearly remains dear to many. Valedictorian Mr Phee Yong Han shared, “I’m quite excited to start the next phase of life, like going to postgraduate school. But also, a bit bittersweet. I have made many good friends in NUS Physics and after today, everyone will be going on their own separate paths. Hopefully we will get a chance to work together again, maybe in other fields.”
“I feel very excited to graduate and to continue on with my PhD studies. I think four years really give me a good foundation to do research now. I will miss my friends. I don’t know if graduate studies will be similar,” Mr Ayush Anand remarked thoughtfully.
The sense of fulfilment and joy must have resonated equally if not more strongly in the hearts of parents as they witness the dreams of their children coming to fruition. The years of support, encouragement and shared aspirations will surely create a tapestry of memories that will be cherished for a lifetime. Perhaps only parents have the privilege to bear close witness to every milestone of their children’s lives.
Mr Tan Keng Beng is happy about the positive change he saw in his son. “He has grown to be more independent and very adventurous. I think is to do with the wonderful exchange opportunity he had at Norway during his time here. Obviously, he has found his niche area. I’m not sure about his career prospect but I trust that he will do his best which I think is the most important. He has a lot of passion in physics.”
Another proud parent is Mdm Sylvia Thomas who is all praised about what the university and department have done. Echoing the same sentiments is Mdm Nandini Sivakumar, a family friend. “NUS is a prestigious university. I am very happy when I know my daughter Nirmala got into NUS. I should thank all the faculty of physics for being an immense support to her educational journey especially during year one when she is really struggling to move from a school curriculum to independent learning. At the end of year four, her final-year project was another great learning journey for her as it was a completely different learning process. Credits go to all the profs, research and lab assistants, and administration for their guidance. She is now motivated to go for higher studies.”
The department is glad to be a pillar of support for students in their academic journey. It may also well be a place for graduates to gain some practical experience. Miss Xu Zifang expressed, “I’m very happy to have found which field of physics interest me during my undergraduate days. I look forward to continue my work as a research assistant here in the meantime.”
Prof Gong Jiang Bin, head of department, shared his fond memories teaching the undergraduate class. Physics is indeed a challenging subject and he is glad that the graduates have overcome the odds. Prof Gong quipped, “Since physics is not a fear factor for you, what else could you not do? Think about that, finance, statistics, data science, electronics, communications, you name it.” Prof Gong is certain that our physics graduates will be able to shine quickly in any sector as they can learn fast and analyse deeply due to their physics training. The department welcomes each and every alumnus and will be here to listen to their stories.
University graduation is indeed a moment that celebrates past achievements and heralds new beginnings, filled with reflections as well as opportunities and challenges. It is a significant transition for the graduates as they move forward to make meaningful contributions to the world. Congratulations to all our graduates! The journey has finally come to an end, or rather, your new adventure is beckoning!
