执光而行 赴山海之约｜武汉爱莎总园区长贾茜博士在2026届毕业典礼上的讲话

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Dear parents, dear teachers, and dear Class of 2026,

Today, my heart is filled with two things: pride and a deep reluctance to say goodbye.

I'm proud because you're finally ready to fly. But I'm also reluctant to let you go — because you truly will.

Three years ago, you stepped onto the ISA campus for the first time. I still remember those curious, hopeful, eager faces. Back then, I saw your dreams just beginning to sprout.

Three years later, you have proven to everyone through your actions: coming to ISA was not just a choice, but a purposeful journey – not only to achieve for yourselves, but also to give back to the community you belong to; not only to learn, but to learn how to give.

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In the second year of our school’s founding, you bravely chose ISA. Over these three years, you have left the footprints of your youth here. With your wisdom and determination, you have fought for  ISA Wuhan, for Wuhan, and for Central China, achieving one “first-ever breakthrough” after another:

• The S.-T. Yau High School Science Award – for two consecutive years, the only global award for Central China.

• The first Caltech offer in Hubei’s history went to ISA.

• Four Cambridge interview invitations and one official offer – a first for ISA Wuhan.

• At the Space Scholar Conference, a top interdisciplinary competition bringing together the world’s most talented youth – you brought home ISA’s first national championship gold medal.

• At the Princeton University Mathematics Competition (PUMaC), you won Central China’s first Global Group Champion.

• Taking up the banner of the inaugural Student Council, you led the entire school in establishing 22 student clubs, created your own governance systems, and opened a brand new chapter of student-led leadership.

But what makes me even prouder is this –

This year, every single one of you has received offers from world-renowned universities. The ISA Wuhan Class of 2026 has collectively received over 400 admission offers – from the US Ivy League to the UK G5, from top Asian universities to the Australian Group of Eight. Your names are now written across the map of the world. That is the world’s collective response to a group of young people chasing the light.

I know these are not cold statistics.

They represent the desk lamps still burning at 2 a.m., the nervous sweat clenched in your palms before a defense, the stubborn “let me try again” after a failed experiment, and every trying, every argument, and every persistence you made to make this community a better place.

You are fortunate – your dreams and your original aspirations have been realized here. You are remarkable – you have made milestone contributions to the development of ISA Wuhan.

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I remember when some of you could hardly speak above a whisper, yet now you stand on project presentation and competition stages, confidently articulating your ideas in fluent English.

I see someone spending late nights in the piano room refining a single musical note; someone falling and getting back up on the sports field; someone expressing their inner world with colors in the art room; someone quietly giving their time to community service.

I see you debating passionately after researching countless sources, staying up late to create for a charity sale, sacrificing your own rest to help a classmate catch up.

For every late-night effort, for every time you fell and got back up – I applaud you.

I admire your perseverance. As founding students, you faced many challenges. There were people who advised you to transfer. But you looked me in the eye and said, “Dr. Juliana, I’m not leaving. I want to prove here that my choice was right.” When those dream school offers finally flew to you, the teachers and I had tears in our eyes because of your persistence. Those were not just admission letters – they were the echoes of three years of unwavering determination.

I am deeply gratified that you never boast about those dazzling “firsts” and “onlys.” After every honor, you did not become proud. Instead, you put away your trophies, smiled, and continued your journey. Through your actions, you told yourselves: coming to ISA Wuhan was worth it.

Your three years at ISA have given you a global perspective, the ability to think critically, and a deep respect and understanding for different cultures. Here, you have learned not just knowledge, but how to become whole human beings.

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Dear students, you have grown up in an era of deep uncertainty. Pandemic, war, climate crisis, the impact of AI, rapid technological change – this world is not perfect, and it has never been as complex and volatile as it is today.

And precisely for that reason, this world needs you.

It needs your courage to face failure.

Life is long, and you will inevitably encounter difficulties and setbacks. Failure is the best teacher – it gives you the confidence to stand up again and again. With that confidence, you will not bow to hardship; instead, you will draw strength from every failure and create new possibilities.

It needs your character of gratitude.

When you travel far on the road to your dreams, do not forget to look back at those who once supported you: parents who waited silently, teachers who gave generously, classmates who fought alongside you. Gratitude is not a simple “thank you” – it is a lifelong gentleness.

It needs your persistent drive.

I hope you will keep the same spirit of daring to challenge and persevering that you showed at ISA. Do not retreat into a comfort zone at the age when you should be striving hardest. With that persistence, you will not slacken in smooth times, nor give up in adversity. You will use your efforts to reach where you truly want to go, and bring the world forward with you.

It needs your curiosity.

There are so many things in this world worth exploring – knowledge, stories, cultures, and the boundaries of your own heart. With that curiosity, you will not become numb in complexity; instead, you will find sparks of innovation in every new discovery.

It needs your kindness.

Kindness is your softest yet strongest language – it will not make you weak, but will help you walk more steadily, further, and more firmly. With that kindness, you will not lose your way in the chaos; instead, within your reach, you will offer more understanding and tenderness, and change the world in the warmest way.

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Dear students, today you set off from here. You are not leaving to adapt to this world as it is, but to create a better one.

Einstein said: “Try not to become a man of success, but rather try to become a man of value.”

I hope that one day in the future, when people look at the list of Pulitzer Prize winners, when Nobel Prize citations ring out across the globe, when legends in the field of artificial intelligence are told – we will be able to look with pride and see your names there.

Not for the sake of fame, but as proof that the children who come from ISA have always been moving humanity forward – one step, and another step.

Dear students:

With ISA, you met by chasing the light.

At ISA, you walked bathed in the light.

Toward the future, you set out holding the light.

May you, in this uncertain world, honor the covenant of mountains and seas, and find your own shining self.

To all members of the Class of 2026 – congratulations, and happy graduation!

Thank you all.

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The true meaning of education lies not merely in university admissions, but in empowering young people with the confidence to step into the future.

The lights of the graduation ceremony may have faded, yet the vast life journey awaiting the Class of 2026 at ISA Wuhan has only just begun. Melodies echoed in music rooms, hard work poured out in laboratories, and relentless pursuit on debate stages — all these precious memories have forged their strongest armor to withstand unforeseen hardships ahead.

As Dr. Juliana Jia stated in her speech: "You came together chasing light, walked forward bathed in light at ISA, and march toward the future holding light in your hands."

May every graduate of ISA Wuhan Class of 2026 always find their radiant selves amid an uncertain world. May you carry courage, gratitude, perseverance, curiosity and kindness to build a better world of your own.