She also drew wedding vouchers on the campus lawn, cashed in on her alma mater to hold two graduation ceremonies, and flew back to Shanghai with girls from London to compete for two editions | Wanrong | alma mater

At 9:40 am on June 16th, a flight from London to Shanghai landed at Pudong International Airport. After 2 and a half hours of local buses and 12 hours of intercontinental flights, Pan Weiwei and Liang Yaqi traveled a long distance from Southampton, UK to Shanghai, where they graduated. They went to a ceremony that was more than 300 days late. Because my alma mater, Shanghai Ocean University, has kept its promise and held graduation ceremonies for the 2020 and 2022 graduates.

Pan Weiwei and Liang Yaqi

The 2022 graduates were unable to attend the graduation ceremony offline due to the impact of the epidemic. Last September, the two of them went to the University of Southampton in the UK to pursue a Master's degree in Project Management together, but they have always remembered President Wan Rong's promise: the school will hold a grand graduation ceremony in a timely manner, so that everyone's college life will not leave any regrets. In May of this year, when they received the promise from their alma mater to hold a graduation ceremony, the two girls immediately booked flights from London to Shanghai.

Wearing a bachelor's uniform, performing a tassel ceremony, receiving blessings from a teacher, then embracing with friends, returning to various places such as the teaching building, laboratory building, library, etc. to take photos, and going to the cafeteria to taste the delicious food from memory... This time, Pan Weiwei finally found the true feeling of "graduation". "Although I experienced a tiring long-distance flight, being able to wear my bachelor's uniform and take a late graduation photo with my long lost good friends is unforgettable enough," praised Liang Yaqi. "This is a very worthwhile 'go home'."

On the 17th, more than 3600 graduates from 2020 and 2022 who have been sent to various places have returned from the UK, Australia, as well as Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, Hainan, Yunnan, Guizhou, Sichuan, Hunan, Hubei and other places in China, once again gathering by the shores of Dishui Lake. "In order to make up for the regret that we did not hold graduation ceremonies offline in 2020 and 2022, the school held multiple meetings and assigned various tasks to make up for it. On May 26th, as soon as the registration channel opened, the 2500 spots for the afternoon session were snatched up by students in less than a day." said Zhou Hui, Director of the Student Affairs Office.

It is worth mentioning that a special "alumni" also appeared at the make-up graduation ceremony. Yang Huanhuan, who graduated with a major in finance in 2020, also brought her 8-month-old child to the ceremony. Multiple "little sea dolls" appeared, making the joyful atmosphere at the graduation scene even stronger.

The Jiefang Daily Shangguan News reporter learned that on June 15th and 16th, Shanghai Ocean University also held graduation ceremonies for more than 4000 fresh graduates, including the 2023 undergraduate and graduate programs. In addition to the graduates, parents, and alumni who went to the scene, about 30000 people watched the live broadcast online. Interestingly, the principal on-site urged for marriage and childbirth.

Wan Rong

"The winning prize is the campus lawn wedding voucher, but it is valid for one year, okay?" Principal Wan Rong asked everyone with a smile during the lucky draw at the graduation ceremony party. "No, no, it's too late." The graduates all laughed. "What about those three years?" Principal Wan appeared more anxious than anyone else. The graduates burst out laughing again, "Principal, I can't catch up!"

"Let's agree on a 9-year validity period, that's settled!" The down-to-earth principal drew out the lucky one while also uttering a "startled" sentence: "Wishing everyone an early birth!" As the lucky one drawn out by the principal himself, Zhuang Ying from the School of Economics and Management excitedly accepted the lottery ticket. "Although I currently do not have a suitable partner, I will use up this lucky prize within the validity period." She, who is studying logistics management, will continue to pursue further studies... And another lucky person, Teng Jixuan from the School of Information Technology, said that she will also study abroad. "If the validity period expires, I hope the school can renew it for free."

From the graduation party, flea market to the graduation light show, Haida University has filled the graduation atmosphere, even the security uncles and dormitory management aunts have started to compete with each other. The lobby of the dormitory and the entrance of the school are meticulously decorated by the property management company with rainbow trails and bridges that read "Life always has a farewell, but we always have expectations"; On campus roads and community bulletin boards, "There are millions of roads, safety is the top priority, happy graduation, and safe journey" are the reminders of security guards.

Graduates cannot do without gifts, and logistics staff have specially prepared a "time bottle" for graduates with soil and dried petals at No. 999 Shanghai Ring Road. During the epidemic, the security guard "Bo Shu" who provided free haircuts for students said, "Time bottles can not only hold beautiful memories, but also witness their growth on the road in the future."

Let's not break up. "Even after graduation, remember to eat well!" The school has prepared nearly 10000 graduation meals with four different dish combinations, named "Pengcheng Wanli", "Grand Exhibition Map", "Spreading Wings and Flying High", and "Fish", wishing graduates to ride the wind and waves, spread their wings and fly high. "We are here to the stars and the sea, hoping for your return.".