On September 13, the 2024 Freshmen Opening Ceremony and First Class of the New Semester for SBC students was held in the Grand Hall of the Jungong Road Campus. CAI Yonglian, Vice President of USST, Dean of SBC, Professor Rupert Ward, Executive Dean of SBC, LI Yan, Secretary of the Party Committee of SBC, Professor SHAN Yanguang, Vice Dean of SBC, CAI Hui, Deputy Party Secretary and Associate Dean of SBC, as well as representatives of the faculty and over 500 new students of the Class of 2024 attended the ceremony.
The event began with a short film showcasing the exciting moments and growth experiences of the freshmen during their two-week training. Professor Rupert Ward then delivered a speech, warmly welcoming the new students on behalf of the College. Following that, speeches were given by student representative Fang Jier and international student representative Nikolas Alfred Mittermays. Both expressed their high hopes for SBC as an international platform to help realize and surpass their own potentials.
Professor CAI Yonglian presented the First Class for the 2024 freshmen, beginning with two short films that highlighted the charm of Shanghai as an international city and the rich historical and cultural heritage of USST. She then delivered her lecture around three themes: What Kind of School is USST?, Becoming a Better Version of Yourself, and Stepping into a Bigger World. Through this, she led the freshmen to gain a deeper understanding of USST’s century-long history from past to present, while also looking toward the future.
At the end of the class, Professor CAI encouraged all the new students of Class of 2024 to strive for success, pursue their dreams with youthful vigor, and become better versions of themselves at SBC.
The two-week “2024 Top-Table T-Week” concluded successfully. It is hoped that the freshmen will always rememberthe school motto of “Honesty, Integrity, Diligence, Benevolence; Learning, Reflection, Vision, Aspiration”. Guided by SBC’s three overarching themes, they are encouraged to move forward with a more vibrant spirit and well-rounded skills, ultimately cultivating themselves into international talents equipped with leadership responsibility, innovative thinking, and cross-cultural communication skills.
