Speech by Dr. Lamont Repollet, President of Kean University

Thank you for that kind introduction. 

This is Wenzhou-Kean University’s tenth Commencement Ceremony — and you, Class of 2025, are the largest graduating class in W-K-U history!! 

It gives me great pleasure to celebrate the achievements of more than 1,000 graduates across bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral programs. 

Over a decade ago, Wenzhou-Kean existed only in our imagination — based on a bold, shared vision of what education could be when two nations join hands in pursuit of knowledge. 

I stood in this very city in 2012, seeing empty hills, and boundless possibility. 

We did not yet know the names of the students who would one day fill these seats, but we believed in them all the same. 

That vision took root. 

And today, we see the remarkable results realized through each of you. 

To the family members who sacrificed, the faculty who guided, and the friends who supported — you have been the foundation for these graduates’ success. 

Please join me in showing our profound gratitude with a round of applause. 

Class of 2025, what you have accomplished is remarkable. 

You have crossed borders and redefined what it means to be global citizens. 

This year alone, five-hundred students participated in exchange programs between our two campuses and around the world, building bridges of understanding and transcending geographic and political boundaries. 

Today, we celebrate four extraordinary Kean U-S-A students who fully embraced this vision and are participating in this commencement ceremony. Julia Melisa Aviles, who is earning her bachelor’s in psychology and psychiatric rehabilitation; and three graduates of the Master of Architecture program — Florencia Jouan , Rooseventzky Saint-Fleur, and Jacqueline Hernandez. 

These students reflect the strength of our international partnership, as do so many of you here today. 

Let me share a few more stories that highlight the intellect and spirit of this graduating class. 

Take Yanxi Liu, communication graduate and Wenzhou's Youth Ambassador for International Communication, whose voice transcends borders and whose leadership at the W-K-U Leaper has opened doors to attend prestigious universities worldwide. 

Or consider Xiangxin Wang, a psychology graduate who has garnered admission to Oxford, University College London, and the University of Virginia, and whose heart for mentoring youth reveals true intelligence includes compassion. 

And finally, Zitian Shen, an interior design graduate who is combining creativity and purpose to transform rural schools. I hear you have been accepted to at least nine global universities and offered scholarships totaling nearly one million R-M-B — which is more than one-hundred and thirty-four thousand (134,000) U.S. dollars! 

As of a few weeks ago, seventy percent of you had already received graduate school offers from academic giants like Cambridge, Oxford, Yale, Harvard, and more! 

These students are just a small sample of the incredible brilliance, talent and leadership qualities that comprise the graduating class. 

We have so much to be proud of. 

At Wenzhou-Kean, just as in Kean U.S.A., you have inherited the wisdom of both Chinese and American educational philosophies — an understanding that personal excellence and collective responsibility are complementary. 

The world you are entering needs this precise balance. 

Leaders who understand that strength comes from partnership, not dominance. 

From diversity, not uniformity. 

From imagining new futures together, not clinging to the past. 

In my years as president of Kean, I have observed that true leadership emerges not from those who seek the spotlight, but from those who remain steadfast in their commitments to: 

Act with uncompromising integrity. 

Earn trust through genuine service. 

Lead through action, not just words. 

Shape the future alongside communities, not from above them. 

Class of 2025, in a world too often focused on what divides us, you represent what unites us: curiosity, courage, and the conviction that knowledge transcends differences. 

The connections all of you formed here — among disciplines, cultures, and most especially, people — have prepared you to thrive in graduate school, build successful careers, and lead meaningful lives. 

Graduates, look around you. 

The future is here. 

In this moment. 

The future is you. 

Now, go forward with confidence, humility, and courage — embodying the shared vision of two nations unified by the strength of education and purpose. 

From all of us at Kean University, Gōng xǐ. Congratulations, Wenzhou-Kean University Class of 2025!