Good evening!

My name is Sheila Fan, a second-year student from Management and Finance class. I’m very honored to be here to share my thoughts and feelings with all of you. We get together at the opening ceremony once a year to be cheered up for the start of the new school year. In that case I am some kind of a cheer leader which sounds better than a student representative.

One year ago, here on the same stage, I was very nervous standing behind the curtain trying to remember my words as hostess for the ceremony. When the second-year student came on the stage with her confident smile and brilliant speech, I was there watching with respect and hope. At that time, I was wondering what kind of person I would grow into after a year of life in HSBC Business School.

As senior students, we formed our structure of knowledge and ability of managing time during the lectures, exams and piles of cases, reports and presentations we went through. We are supposed to know better and have a more composed and unruffled spirit right now. However, many of us find that the second year is like a mid-life crisis. Our dreams should turn from vague images to clear plans. In many beliefs we should find the future path and start preparing for it. It brings questions and worries. Do I want a job or a PhD degree? What kind of position is ideal for me? What if I make the wrong choice? What if I cannot make it?

My friend, your unsettled mind is not because of uncertainty. It is because you need courage. Courage is an attempt at getting something that you want rather than what other people want. Courage is the belief that I can do more than I know. Courage is going through failure without losing enthusiasm. And as a good saying goes, courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying "I will try again tomorrow."

Our final battle is not graduation. There’s always uncertainty in our lives and we are always on the journey searching for the dream. Dreams are an engine, not a burden, as long as we have courage.

As for the first-year students, my suggestion is to cherish the school life with all your participation and passion. In the coming school year, you will find many things to explore. Here we have great teachers and their valuable lectures are hard to find elsewhere outside. Listen to the speeches. Some of them are so inspirational that they can have a profound meaning on your life. Join associations where you can share knowledge and resources and enjoy teamwork. Go for sports, dances, debates and contests from which you learn to strive for success and so much more. Go to the library for other books not just for reading class materials. You will have plenty of time working in an office in the future. And you can work on the CFA or CPA anytime if you really need them. You can worry about internships or certificates, but the graduate school life you might miss may never come as a second chance. Will Smith, as Alex Hitch in the movie “Hitch” said “Life is not the amount of breaths you take. It's the moments that take your breath away.” All you need is passion, passion for knowledge, passion for friendship, passion for inspiration or even passion for love.

A few days ago, after I blew out the candles on my 23^rd birthday cake, a friend asked me “what did you wish for, a good job or a good marriage?” Actually, I wished for a good spirit. May courage and passion always be with me so I will never lose hope in my life.

I wish all of you have an extraordinary year. Thank you very much!