*Adapted from President Feng Donglai’s original 2026 Commencement Address
Igniting individual sparks, shining brighter together—President Feng encourages graduates to discover their unique potential and contribute to something greater than themselves.
Dear graduates, faculty members, distinguished guests, alumni, and families,
Today, we gather to celebrate the Class of 2026 as you complete your studies and embark on a new chapter of life. On behalf of ShanghaiTech University, I extend my warmest congratulations to each of you. I would also like to express my heartfelt gratitude to the faculty who have guided you and to the families whose unwavering love and support have brought you to this moment.
Graduation marks not only the end of your years on campus, but also the beginning of a lifelong journey of discovering who you will become. Today, I do not want to talk about how to achieve success. Instead, I would like to reflect on a question that I believe will stay with you throughout your lives: How should we understand the relationship between “I” and “we”?
Over the years, we have received valuable feedback from both our graduates and their employers. Two observations have stood out to me.
First, ShanghaiTech students are widely recognized for their broad perspectives, independent thinking, confidence, curiosity, and willingness to challenge convention. You are unafraid to ask questions, eager to explore new ideas, and bold enough to pursue innovation.
Second, there is still room to grow in leadership, teamwork, execution, and resilience.
These two observations are not contradictory. Together, they point to a deeper question: How can we become strong individuals while also becoming part of something greater than ourselves?
I have always believed that genuine innovation begins with independent minds.
Whether you choose a career in scientific research, technological innovation, entrepreneurship, management, or art and design, I hope you will continue to think for yourselves. Stay curious. Question assumptions. Have the courage to persevere when progress is slow and uncertainty feels overwhelming. Have the courage to think for yourselves. Resist the comfort of simply following the crowd. Never settle for a life smaller than your potential.
Each of you has a light that is uniquely your own. Ignite it. Let it shine. Become someone with conviction, capability, character, and the determination to keep moving forward.
At the same time, I want to offer one reminder.
If our lives contain only “I” and never “we,” our paths will become increasingly narrow—and ultimately, increasingly limited.
The challenges that define today’s world are more complex than ever before. Scientific discovery depends on interdisciplinary collaboration. Innovation flourishes through teamwork. Society advances when people from different backgrounds bring their strengths together to solve problems that no individual can solve alone.
AI can amplify individual capability, but it cannot replace trust, shared responsibility, or our willingness to work alongside one another. Without collaboration, complexity seems to be confusing. With collaboration, complexity becomes the source of creativity. Even in the age of intelligent agents, the breakthroughs that change the world will belong not only to extraordinary individuals, but to extraordinary teams.
Our own campus offers countless reminders of this truth.
The hard X-ray Free-Electron Laser facility now under construction is the result of years of collaboration among scientists and engineers from many institutions.
Last year, ShanghaiTech students captured the top prize in their first appearance at the SensUs Biosensor Competition through the combined efforts of students and faculty from multiple schools, including SLST, SIST, SPST, BME, and SCA.
These achievements remind us that our greatest strength has never been individual brilliance alone. It has always been our ability to work across disciplines, learn from one another, and succeed together.
As you leave ShanghaiTech, let me share three thoughts with you.
Develop yourself, but never isolate yourself.
Independent thinking, individuality, and a critical mind are precious qualities. But when we magnify the self too much, independence can become stubbornness, individuality can become arrogance, and confidence can become an unwillingness to listen.
Maturity lies not only in standing by your own convictions, but also in understanding the perspectives of others. It means not only achieving your own success, but also creating opportunities for others to succeed.
No one travels far entirely alone. Behind every individual achievement stands a community that has made it possible.
Pursue personal excellence, but help your team succeed as well.
As you enter the next stage of your lives, you will discover that the people who earn the deepest trust are not always those who shine the brightest. They are the ones who take responsibility, collaborate generously, and help those around them become better.
True leadership is not about proving that “I am stronger than you.” It is about making it possible to say, “Because I am here, we are stronger together.”
When you find yourself ahead of others, slow down just enough to bring someone with you. When you reach higher ground, do not hesitate to extend your hand to those still climbing.
Finally, place your life within a larger horizon.
Each of you has your own dreams and your own path to follow. But the true measure of a life is not only what we accomplish for ourselves. It is also what we contribute to our communities, to our country, and to the world we share.
I hope you will always see your personal growth as part of something larger than yourselves. When individual aspirations become connected with a greater purpose, they gain deeper meaning. And when countless sparks come together, they become a light capable of illuminating the future.
Graduates,
Today, I leave you with one final thought.
To ignite your own spark is to remain true to the person only you can become. To bring those sparks together is to create a future brighter than any one of us could build alone.
May you always have the courage to think independently, the generosity to walk alongside others, and the conviction to devote your talents to causes greater than yourselves.
Wherever life may take you, I hope people will one day say this about ShanghaiTech graduates: They are not only thoughtful and talented, but also compassionate, responsible, and committed to making a difference.
Congratulations, Class of 2026. I wish you every success in the journey ahead.