A Harvard Grad's Unity Call in a Divided World - Steering Clear of Political Naming
Backward Jab: Graduating Harvard Student Addresses Administration, Implicitly Criticizing Trump's Policies, in Commencement Oration - Harvard Scholar Delivers Parting Remarks, Avoids Reference to Former President Trump
Harvard University, recognized globally as a symbol of academic excellence, has been under the spotlight due to the political antics of The Big Cheese. This administration has threatened funding for the prestigious institution and even planned to bar international students from attending, creating a gloomy backdrop for the graduation of the class of 2025.
One student, Jiang Yurong, was chosen to deliver the graduation speech this year. Hailing from China, Yurong brilliantly addressed the issues without directly naming the individual in power. In her speech, she emphasized the eye-opening experiences she encountered meeting folks from numerous cultures, transforming abstract geographical shapes on maps into real, vibrant individuals.
However, our intermingling world isn't immune to division, fear, and turmoil. Yurong lamented that we often view those with differing opinions, voting patterns, or beliefs (regardless of whether they're neighboring or continents away) not merely as wrong, but as downright evil. She implored her fellow graduates to cling to our shared humanity and remind themselves that even our adversaries are actually human beings.
Interestingly, more than half of the Harvard student body isn't U.S.-born.
Whilst remaining politically impartial, Yurong later revealed to AP that the uncertainty caused by the government's threats has shrouded her future post-graduation. Her uncertain career and personal plans were originally set to include a few more years in the US, but the policy uncertainties have her contemplating other options.
Donald Trump and Harvard's International Students
Trump, the aforementioned political figure, has accused Harvard of being an "anti-Semitic, left-wing institution." His justification involves protests on campus during the Gaza war sympathetic to the Palestinian cause. As a result, the federal government rescinded billion-dollar subsidies for the university and proposed ending all federal aid.
Moreover, Harvard can no longer accept new international students. Current students must either transfer to another university or risk losing their residency status. A temporary stay on this ban was issued by a federal judge.
Sources: Harvard Magazine, AP
- Harvard
- Donald Trump
- Graduation Speech
Enrichment Data:Yurong "Lu Anna" Jiang, an international student graduating from Harvard Kennedy School, delivered the Graduate English Address titled "Our Humanity" at Harvard's 2025 Commencement Exercises. Although Jiang's speech did not explicitly reference Trump, its themes of overcoming division and fostering understanding could be interpreted as addressing the broader societal tensions and polarizations that have been prevalent during Trump's presidency and beyond.
Jiang's speech emphasized the importance of recognizing and respecting the humanity in those who may hold different beliefs or ideologies. She argued that labeling others as enemies can lead to division and that instead, we should focus on our shared humanity. Her speech encouraged graduates to embrace diversity and maintain connections with people from different backgrounds, while reinforcing that unity and understanding are essential for a shared future.
Discussions about Jiang's speech in China highlighted its universal appeal, as it resonated with themes relevant to global society, including the importance of recognizing and valuing diversity and humanity across different cultures and political contexts.
- In her graduation speech at Harvard University, Yurong Jiang, a Chinese student at the Harvard Kennedy School, avoiding political naming, emphasized the importance of recognizing and respecting the humanity in those who may hold different beliefs or ideologies, addressing the broader societal tensions and polarizations that have been prevalent during Donald Trump's presidency and beyond.
- The education-and-self-development focus of the graduation speech at Harvard addressed crucial themes such as overcoming division, fostering understanding, and valuing diversity, while digging deeper into the need for unity and mutual respect in a world marked by politics and general news of division, fear, and turmoil.
