The Hong Kong Institute of Education
16th Congregation
Words of Appreciation by Ms Lam Sui Oi
(Session 5)
Good morning, Mr Pang, Professor Cheung, Honourable Guests, Parents, and Fellow
Graduates:
The first thing I must say is a simple “thank you”. The Hong Kong Institute of
Education has not only gifted me with the extraordinary honour of delivering a speech
on behalf of my cohort, the Bachelor of Education (Honours) (English Language
Education) and the Bachelor of Arts (English Studies) graduates, but also weeks of
nervousness, which have enabled me to lose weight. A win-win situation, indeed!
Four years ago, I thought this day would never come. Graduation seemed so distant
and untenable. But after 4 years of adventure, a joyful harvest season has finally
come. To extend the same metaphor, Aristotle once said: "The roots of education are
bitter, but the fruit is sweet." This rings especially true, in retrospect. I still
remember the very first day I was at HKIEd, when our journey began with both
excitement and uncertainty. Back then, we were young and knew nothing; every one
of us akin to a blank piece of paper. In the blink of an eye, 4 years have gone; we
are still as young, but more mature and independent than ever, and have all become
well-qualified teachers. We have turned that blank piece of paper into colourful
pictures, each with our own unique character. Thank you HKIEd for providing us
with the essential tools so that we could paint our own pictures. At HKIEd,
academic life was fascinating, and dorm life was terrific; although I only spent one
year living on campus, I shall never forget the good times I had at JCSQ.
My dearest fellow graduates, we are lucky to be a part of the Institute. In addition to
training us to become knowledgeable and caring educators, the Institute also
endeavored to nurture us into a generation of young professionals, well-equipped and
ready to flourish on the road ahead.
Taking myself as an example, having had a chance to study at HKIEd has widely
broadened my horizons. I am truly lucky to have benefited from the many
programmes the Institute organizes to enrich its students’ lives. To name a few:
when I was in year one, I joined a school trip to Beijing to learn more about our
motherland; after finishing year 2, I had the opportunity to immerse myself in an
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English speaking country to study and enrich my cultural literacy; and in my third
year of study, I had the privilege of taking part in an overseas internship programme
to further widen my international exposure. On this graduation day, I really want to
extend our deepest appreciation to our alma mater for working so hard to provide the
best for its students!
Apart from the Institute and our teachers, I would like to extend our most heartfelt
gratitude to our parents, who have given us their unreserved support throughout the
years. You have never failed to take care of us, support us every step the way, and
make everything we have done possible; we truly appreciate all that you’ve
done. Thank you!
Ladies and gentlemen, we all have different hopes, aspirations, and goals in life. We
need these differences; if they were all the same, we would be pretty bored. But today,
on the 20th of November, we gather together to celebrate a common similarity –
something that we have in common for the rest of our lives – we are the graduates of the
Hong Kong Institute of Education!
My fellow graduates, congratulations to you all on having achieved a remarkable
milestone in your life! I wish you every success in your future endeavors. Thank you.
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