On Sunday, May 25, an audience of proud families and friends cheered on the Class of 2025 in NYU Shanghai’s New Bund campus quad as they claimed their place in NYU Shanghai history. At the University's ninth commencement ceremony— and the first to be held on campus—over 400 graduates from 44 countries, including 226 Chinese students from 25 provinces across China, received NYU bachelor's degrees and NYU Shanghai diplomas—symbols of their perseverance, growth, and global connection.
World-renowned pianist Kong Xiangdong was in attendance as this year’s commencement speaker. After being presented with NYU Shanghai’s Chancellor Medal of Honor by Chancellor Tong Shijun, Kong addressed the Class of 2025, reminding them that as they step out into the world as graduates, they should embrace what makes them stand out from the crowd. “The world ultimately belongs to those who dare to reimagine it,” he said. “Just like NYU Shanghai itself—born from Sino-US collaboration and global vision—it proves that ‘difference’ is the very starting point of innovation. You are ‘Made in NYU Shanghai,’ and ‘different’ is your most powerful label.”
Before performing “The Tree of Hope,” an original composition specially improvised for the occasion, Kong encouraged the graduates to think of themselves as “composers” of their own lives. “Whether through code, equations, business plans, or social initiatives,” he said, “let your ‘masterpiece’ carry three notes. 1st: Truth—Like a piano’s steel frame, enduring time’s test. 2nd: Goodness—Like a child tiptoeing to donate, small acts that change the world. 3rd: Beauty—Like Rachmaninoff’s melodies, forging order from chaos.”
At the ceremony, the torch bearer and banner bearer were selected from members of the Student Commencement Committee, as per NYU Shanghai tradition. This year’s torch bearer was Deziree Joy Harmon '25, who served as chair of the Student Commencement Committee and Senior Class Representative and spoke as student speaker at NYU’s All-Campus Commencement a week earlier. She passed the torch to Daniel Arturo Woc Garcia ’26, the Class of 2026 representative. The banner bearer was Chen Danqing ’25, who was this year’s Commencement Day Director.
NYU Provost Georgina Dopico introduced the student speakers. International student representative Sam Kominowski ’25, of San Francisco, USA, who graduated with a double major in Business and Finance and Global China Studies, and Chinese student representative Shao Yanrui ’25, of Chengdu, China, who graduated with a degree in Interactive Media Arts, addressed the graduates together in English and Mandarin, calling their four years at NYU Shanghai “an experiment—in what education can be when you challenge what’s expected.”
The two celebrated the Class of 2025 and what they ultimately gained from attending this unconventional university. “Not just facts and theories, but the ability to communicate across cultures, collaborate across differences, and lead in spaces where there is no clear roadmap,” said Kominowski. “And now, as we step out into the world,” said Shao, “we take that with us—the ability to navigate uncertainty, embrace complexity, and thrive in the unfamiliar.”
In their speeches, NYU Shanghai leadership used the opportunity to give one last “lesson” to the graduating class and expressed their wishes for the lives they will pursue beyond NYU Shanghai. Chancellor Tong Shijun shared reflections from his own personal experiences, and philosophizing on the nature of life. Referencing his famous love of biking, he told the graduates about a recent ride he took. “As I approached the end of the ride, I found myself gradually circling back to where I started,” he said. “Life is like cycling around a lake. Only by continuing forward can we truly appreciate the sense of fulfillment.”
Vice Chancellor Jeffrey Lehman advised the graduates to craft the stories of their lives with purpose, humor, and with many subplots. “The present is always a bridge between past and future,” he told them. “Much of the work of life is an effort to make that bridge meaningful. It is creating, and then re-creating, a story that links who you have been with who you will be, a story that is both authentic and gratifying.”
Provost Joanna Waley-Cohen, in her last commencement as provost, took the opportunity to reflect on the importance of intergenerational learning. “We are here neither to cut ties with the past, nor to cling to the past so tightly that we cannot move on,” she said. “We are here to carry it onward, reworking, reimagining, repairing where needed — and to stitch our own new bright patterns into the fabric of what is to come.” She reminded the graduates to listen and exchange wisdom across generations. “Receiving and transmitting wisdom will help to create a richer and better world for us all,” she said.
In the afternoon, Dean of Arts and Sciences David Atwill, Dean of Business Chen Yuxin, and Dean of Computer Science, Data Science, and Engineering Nasir Memon presented degrees to the graduates at the Degree Awarding Ceremonies. Student speakers Elisabeth Cabanas Monfort '25 (Arts and Sciences), Travis Liu Tanruizhi '25 (Business), and Xu Zihan '25 (Computer Science, Data Science, and Engineering) also spoke at their respective Degree Awarding Ceremonies.
The ceremony in Shanghai was the pinnacle of a weekend full of activities leading up to the commencement for the graduates and 1400 family members and friends. On Friday evening, graduating seniors gathered at the iconic Pearl Tower, which was lit up in violet hues in honor of the Class of 2025.
Inspired by NYU’s Grad Alley held each year in Washington Square Park, NYU Shanghai brought the beloved tradition to our own backyard for the first time, collaborating with nearby New Bund Redlane to create a Grad Alley open to the public. Graduates and their families joined a lively street fair, featuring live student performances, local vendors, and the lighting of the New Bund Center. It was a festive event that celebrated NYU Shanghai as a central part of the local community.
As the Class of 2025 take their first steps into the “real world,” they will contribute in different ways. Some have won highly-competitive opportunities such as the Erasmus Mundus Scholarship, the Yenching Scholarship, the Princeton in Asia Fellowship, and the Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship. Some will enter the workforce, joining multinational companies such as Alibaba Group, Apple, L'Oreal, Mashreq Bank, Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group, Mastercard, McKinsey & Company, Morgan Stanley, P&G, SAP, and Xiaomi, or founding startups. And others have chosen to join volunteer service with international programs such as Special Olympics International in Mongolia or FSJ Kultur in Germany. But no matter where they go, they’ll always have a home at NYU Shanghai.
Watch Class of 2025 Tribute Video:
Senior Spotlights: