HFI 2022优秀毕业生代表演讲

Ariel Yu

入读院校：哥伦比亚大学

摄影//胡心怡、许哲

Good afternoon, teachers, parents, distinguished guests, and my fellow members of the class of 2022 – congratulations! We finally make it to the end of three long years of Turnitin, Canvas, Schoology, Quizlet, and all the YouTube videos featuring an all-knowing Indian guy.

My name is Ariel Yu Qianhui. We went to high school together, in case you don’t know me.

I still remember the summer before entering HFI. With excitement and anticipation, I nonetheless looked forward to my high school life with fear. Maybe we were all fearful of something, if not everything. We feared that our social lives would resemble those in the High School Musical – a bunch of rich, good-looking, charming people sitting atop of the social jungle (speaking of you, legendary Istudy square residents). We feared that we could never understand those obscure AP materials – L’Hopital rule, seriously? That’s the sound made by a five-year-old choking on a lollipop. We feared that our crush might not like us in return, or that an unsuccessful eye contact could change us from heartstoppers to heartbreakers. We were also fearful about… not making enough of an impact, making too much of an impact, not getting into a top college, hurting those we care deeply about, losing every turn of CSGO and Civilization VI, being caught not wearing our uniform by Sheldon, trusting the wrong person in Avalon, and many, many more.

But sitting here today and looking back, things that worried us before are either inconsequential or are more educational and even enlightening than we could have ever imagined. Yes, our vocab is far less impressive than that of our beloved Peter-20,000, but we all managed to find a field to develop our own specialties and shine. Yes, sometimes we crammed all exam materials the night before the test, but we simultaneously experienced late-night snack sharing, juicy truth-or-dares, and moments of tears, laughter, encouragement, and companionship. We as a class had conflicts and disagreements, but we cooperated – as we always do – to organize International Days, Charity Runs, Fine Arts Weeks, Halloween Parties, and Soccer matches. And…we could often manage to find a Crow athlete, a Fusion artist, a Musical performer, and a Symposia philosopher bonding together – to be marked a HW in an econ or psych class. Hashtag Senior Power.

And we must not forget that we, the class of 2022, have been through so much more. We went virtual, then back on campus, then virtual, then campus. We dealt with the drastic shift from SAT to ACT. We let the CommonApp torture our egos and question our interpersonal relationships, but eventually we all managed to click that final submission button. We witnessed the moment when the Chinese Women’s Football Team won the championship in the Asian Cup; we experienced the days when 711 renewed its whole structure; and we even listened to a song sang by Reece and Ken – together!

These are what stand out to me most remarkably among our three years in HFI: how we learned to face, diminish, and ultimately defeat our fears. How, through constant struggles and continuous growth, we have come to be who we are today. But also, how we discover new fears in this constant process of learning and strive to combat them every time they appear.

In our college application, we all wrote about how we “impact our community,” “change the society,” or “help xyz minority.” While these are true to some extent, stepping out of the high school bubble today, we are viewing the world from a much more complicated angle. It’s not about fearing bad test scores, but about balancing financial burdens and responsible choices, about surviving unforeseen wars that impact the globe, or about failing to ensure fundamental rights for all. We face the reality that there are things we cannot accomplish, no matter how hard we try. It’s brutal, but it’s true. And no, I’m not talking about getting into Stanford.

But it’s okay, because finding and fighting fear is an ongoing and forever process. It is one in which we try our best to realize every opportunity we are granted, to face each challenge directly, to learn passionately about the best options, and to solve tactically what we and the society dread. At the same time, when we find ourselves facing totally new and startling horrors, we know what freedom means – the freedom to truly choose the “community” and the “contribution” we are ready and willing to make. It might be about inventing a medicine that cures cancer or Alzheimer’s; about trying to solve global warming; about securing universal human rights, peace, and equality; about the ability and the courage to always aim for the controversial. And most importantly, it is always about equalizing our privilege, through the education we receive and the education we spread, to those less fortunate in the society, for the meaning of a higher education should always extend beyond any single person.  

Toby, the man who taught us so much about passive-aggressiveness... Umm, I MEAN, the man who taught us the wisdom of life, said in one Pre-AP class that “few journeys are completed entirely on one’s own.” Our journeys of combatting our fears are the same. In HFI, we were extremely lucky to be accompanied by some of the kindest, smartest, most brilliant humans, and I wish take a moment to express our deepest appreciation.

To our parents, thank you. Thank you for taking care of us. From you we learned the meaning of love, respect, and companionship. Thank you for supporting our decisions financially and emotionally (even when that decision involves majoring in philosophy and potentially becoming unemployed). Thank you for guiding us, encouraging us when we were frustrated, worried, or anxious. Thank you for all the help during these 18 years. Thank you for always being here.

To our teachers, thank you. During our time at HFI, you taught us more than textbook knowledge. We might not remember every Henry and William in European History, every rhetorical and literary technique, or all of the formulas in AP Science, but we will keep in mind the importance of independence, innovation, integrity, open-mindedness, critical thinking, and the courage to question the norms. And there’s no way we can forget your tasty treats, wild metaphors, and the awkward jokes you shared when trying to squeeze your PowerPoints into our minds. We apologize for occasionally daydreaming, or using bad excuses like “digestive issues” to miss a class, but we sincerely appreciate all your hard work and your best wishes for us to succeed (or perhaps the deep desire to get rid of us ASAP).

Last but not least... To my fellow graduates, thank you. You are the highlight of these special years. We brought each other the most joy, the most profound realizations, and the most heart-warming encouragement and company. Some of us volunteered for challenging, complex, but noble causes, some of us were always rays of sunshine with their upbeat vibes, optimism, and humor, and I’m sure some of us will go on to win the Nobel Prize someday. The time I spent with you is truly my greatest asset and supreme blessing. 

To all the staff, security guards, and all the people who have ever helped us, thank you. Any day of school without you would be a mess. Thank you for looking after us and supporting us.

I want to end my speech with a word from my favorite comedian Vir Das. “I like people who get excited about stupid stuff. They fail hard, succeed hard, and feel everything. The worst thing you can call them is idiots or fools. Which is fine. I know a lot of practical realists. The worst thing you can do is call them.” By the same token, today we graduate, so let’s be out there, be raw, be stupid, be impetuous – because that means being fearful, idealistic, brave, young, and profoundly successful. 

Congratulations, HFI Class of 2022!

中文翻译（供参考）

各位老师，家长，来宾，以及华附国际部2022届的同学们，下午好！

尊敬的各位老师、家长、各位来宾，亲爱的同学，下午好。恭喜！我们终于熬过了三年的Turnitin, Canvas, Schoology, Quizlet，终于毕业了！

我的名字是Ariel于千惠。以免你不认识我，我们一起上的高中。

我还记得进入 HFI 之前的那个夏天。怀着激动和期待，我仍对即将到来的高中生活有些恐惧。我相信我们或多或少都害怕一些事情。我们可能担心我们的社交生活会像《歌舞青春》中的那样——一群富有、漂亮、迷人的人在社交食物链的顶端（说的就是你们，ist四宫格人们）。我们担心我们永远无法理解那些晦涩难懂的AP 课程——洛必达原则？那是一个被棒棒糖噎住的五岁孩子发出的声音。我们担心我们的暗恋对象不喜欢我们，一个不成功的眼神交流就能把我们从“心跳漏一拍”变成“心碎一地“。我们也害怕……影响不够，影响太大，考不上顶尖大学，伤害我们深爱的人，输掉CSGO和Civilization VI的每一个回合，被Sheldon抓到没穿校服，在阿瓦隆里相信错误的派，还有很多很多。

但今天坐在这里回首往事，我们发现曾经担心的事情要么无关紧要，要么比我们想象的更有教育意义，甚至更有启发性。是的，我们的词汇远没有我们心爱的江两万同学那么令人印象深刻，但我们都设法找到了属于自己的发光的领域。是的，有时我们会在考试前一天晚上突击复习所有考试材料，但我们同时经历了深夜分享零食、真心话大冒险，以及流泪、欢笑、鼓励和陪伴的每一个时刻。作为一个年级，我们有冲突和分歧，但我们永远会团结起来组织国际日、慈善跑、艺术节、万圣节派对和足球比赛。如果我们愿意，我们总能找到Crow运动员、Fusion艺术家、Musical表演者和Symposia 哲学家团结在一起——在经济学或心理学课上被记上一个HW。#Senior Power.

当然，我们还有着更不同寻常的经历。我们的课堂从线下转到线上、然后线下、然后线上、然后线下。我们经历了从SAT 到 ACT 的急转弯。我们让CommonApp 折磨我们的自尊心，质疑我们的人际关系，但最终还是成功点击了提交按钮。我们见证了中国女足夺得亚洲女足冠军的那一刻；我们经历了711关门“全面升级”的日子；我们甚至还听了 Reece 和Ken 一起演唱的歌曲！

而这些正是我们在 HFI 的三年中最令我印象深刻的：我们如何学会面对、减少并最终战胜我们的恐惧。我们如何通过不断的奋斗和不断的成长，成为今天的我们。以及，我们如何在这个不断学习的过程中发现新的恐惧，并在它们每次出现时都努力与之抗争。

在我们的大学申请中，我们大都写过我们如何“影响我们的社区”、“改变社会”或“帮助某个少数群体”。尽管这些在某种程度上是正确的，但今天走出高中无忧无虑的环境，我们需要从更复杂的角度看待眼前的世界。这不再只是担心考试成绩不好，而是要学会平衡经济负担和负责任的选择、要在不可预见的影响全球的战争中幸存下来、或者发现自己可能无法确保所有人的所有基本权利。我们要学会面对某些残酷的现实，譬如无论我们多么努力，有些事情我们都无法完成。（不，我不是在谈论被斯坦福大学录取）。

但没关系，因为发现和对抗恐惧是一个持续不断的过程。在这个过程中，我们尽可能充实我们获得的每一个机会，直面每一个挑战，充满激情地学习何为最佳选择，并尝试有战略地解决我们与社会的恐惧和担忧。与此同时，当我们发现自己将要面临全新的恐惧时，我们也在学习与体会自由意味着什么——不被功利束缚、可以选择我们真正愿意持久地做出贡献的社群的自由。这可能是发明一种治疗癌症或阿茨海默病的药物；可能是试图解决全球变暖问题；可能是致力于确保普遍人权、和平、平等；可能是始终拥有参与辩论复杂议题的能力和勇气。最重要的是，我们始终会——通过我们所接受的教育和我们所传播的教育——来运用我们的特权帮助社会上那些不如我们幸运的人，因为高等教育的意义永远超越任何一个个体的人。

Toby，这位教导我们如此多生活智慧的老师，在其中一节Pre-AP 课上说道，“很少有旅程是完全靠一个人完成的”。我们与恐惧斗争的旅程也是一样。在HFI ，我们非常幸运地有一些最善良、最聪明、最闪耀的人陪伴。我想花一点时间表达我最深切的感谢。

感谢我们的父母。谢谢你们照顾我们。从你们身上，我们学到了爱、尊重和陪伴的意义。感谢你们在经济上和情感上支持我们的决定（即使那个决定是关于主修哲学并失业）。感谢你们指导我们，在我们沮丧、担心或焦虑时鼓励我们。感谢你们在这18 年中给予的所有帮助。谢谢你们，一直都在。

感谢我们的老师们。在 HFI 的这些年里，你们教给我们的不仅仅是教科书知识。我们可能不记得欧洲历史上的每一个亨利和威廉，每一种修辞和文学技巧，或者AP 科学中的公式，但我们会牢记你们教给我们的独立、创新、正直、开放、批判性思维和质疑传统规则的勇气的重要性。我们无法忘记你们带来的小吃、奇怪的比喻、以及在试图将PPT塞进我们脑子时所讲的冷笑话。我们为有点顽皮，或偶尔在课堂上走神表示歉意，但我们真诚地感谢您所有的辛勤工作以及您对于我们成功的希望（或尽快摆脱我们的希望）。

最后， 2022届的同学们，谢谢你们。你们是高中时代的高光时刻。你们带给我最大的快乐，最深刻的领悟，最暖心的鼓励和陪伴。我们中的一些人自愿为具有挑战性、复杂但崇高的事业而奋斗，我们中的一些人总是带着乐观和幽默成为所有人的小太阳，我们中的一些人总有一天会赢得诺贝尔奖。我和你们一起度过的时间将是我最大的财富和幸运。

感谢所有工作人员，清洁人员、安保人员，以及所有帮助过我们的人，谢谢你们。没有你们的任何一天都会是一团糟。感谢你们对我们的照顾和支持。

我想用我最喜欢的喜剧演员 Vir Das 的话来结束我的演讲。“我喜欢那些对愚蠢的事情感到兴奋的人。他们努力失败，努力成功，感受一切。你可以做的最糟糕的事情就是称他们为傻瓜。这也不差。我认识很多实际的现实主义者。你能做的最糟糕的事情就是打电话给他们。”同样的道理，今天我们毕业了，所以让我们出去闯荡吧，保持原始，保持愚蠢，保持冲动，因为这意味着保持恐惧，保持理想，保持勇敢，保持年轻，保持成功。

HFI 2022届，恭喜！