On June 22, Queen Mary University of London Engineering School, NPU (QMES) held the undergraduate graduation ceremony and the British degree awarding ceremony for the Class of 2026 at the Aoxiang Student Center on the Chang’an Campus. Song Baowei, President of Northwestern Polytechnical University (NPU), and Colin Bailey, President of Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) attended the ceremony and delivered addresses. Yue Xiaokui, Vice President of NPU and Wang Wen, Vice President of QMUL, as well as persons-in-charge of relevant departments of both universities, all graduates of the Class of 2026 of QMES and representatives of graduates’ relatives and friends attended the event. The ceremony was presided over by Fan Xiaoli, Dean of QMES.
On behalf of the NPU Party Committee Secretary Zhang Yunming, and all the faculty and students, Song Baowei extended sincere congratulations to the graduates who have successfully completed their studies, and expressed heartfelt gratitude to the faculty members and families from both NPU and QMUL who have long supported the development of QMES and the growth of its students.
Reflecting on the ten-year partnership between NPU and QMUL, Song noted that the two institutions had worked closely to build a high-quality international education platform that has delivered remarkable achievements in talent development. Addressing the graduating class, he encouraged students to embrace responsibility and contribute to national development with ambition and determination; to pursue lifelong learning and continuously strengthen their professional capabilities; and to remain rooted in China while engaging with the world with an open and inclusive mindset. Song Baowei encouraged the graduates to keep the country’s top priorities firmly in mind, retain sincere patriotism, remain committed to serving the nation, and let their youth shine bright in the pursuit of advancing China’s self-reliance and strength in science and technology.
Colin Bailey extended his warmest congratulations to the graduating class and expressed his sincere appreciation to the faculty members and families who have devoted themselves to cultivating the students. He pointed out that over the past decade, the two universities have integrated high-quality educational resources from both countries and continuously deepened educational cooperation. QMES has maintained steady improvements in school-running strength, talent development and social influence.
He emphasized that the students have been jointly trained by two universities boasting profound teaching and research foundations and solid educational heritage, forging outstanding comprehensive international literacy. He hoped that everyone would firmly seize the opportunities of the times, rely on their solid professional expertise and broad vision, and keep contributing youthful strength to global development.
Wang Chenyu, a graduating student majoring in Materials Science and Engineering, delivered a speech on behalf of the Class of 2026. He looked back on his four years of study at the school’s international education platform, where he advanced his professional expertise and cross-cultural communication skills. He expressed sincere gratitude to his family who supported him wholeheartedly, his faculty mentors who guided him diligently, and his dear friends who walked alongside him throughout the journey. He called on all fellow graduates to hold fast to sincere passion, stay true to their original aspiration and mission, and bravely march toward their boundless dreams.
Liu Shubo, a graduate of the Class of 2021, spoke as the alumni representative. He shared that the diverse practical platforms established by the college had cultivated his self-directed learning capabilities and become the core competitive edge that paved the way for his entrepreneurial journey. He encouraged all graduates to maintain a progressive mindset, seize opportunities in scientific and technological innovation, take the initiative to engage in industries urgently needed for national strategic development, forge ahead resolutely with solid expertise and an international perspective, and help Chinese science and technology step onto the global stage.
Certificates of honor for Outstanding Graduate Awards of NPU, the QMUL Principal’s Awards, the Best Paper Awards and the Best Progress Awards were presented at the ceremony.
Song Baowei and Colin Bailey conferred degrees upon the graduates, presented their degree certificates, and performed the tassel-turning ceremony. Wang Yongxin, Vice Dean of QMES, announced the list of degree recipients.
At the ceremony, graduate representatives presented bouquets to class teachers, grade counselors and administrative staff of the school, expressing heartfelt gratitude for the meticulous guidance and warm company they had received from the faculty over the past four years.
It is reported that up to now, more than 81% of QMES’s Class of 2026 had chosen to pursue further study. Among them, 82 graduates sill pursue further studies at world-famous overseas universities including the University of Oxford, the University of Cambridge, the National University of Singapore and Queen Mary University of London; 103 graduates will continue their postgraduate education at China’s top universities, including singhua University, Peking University and Northwestern Polytechnical University. In addition, a group of graduates will devote themselves to key industrial sectors and contribute their expertise to technological innovation and national development.
(Text: Huang Quanzhang, Yang Xiaonan
Photos: Si Zhe
Initial Reviewer: Yang Fenping
Second Reviewer: Cheng Yin
Third Reviewer: Xiang Dan
Translators: Lu Ruijin, Mei Leyun)
