As a Parent of NYU Shanghai's First Class - Wu Weiping, Class 2017 Parent

This year is a very important one for my family - our daughter just graduated from NYU Shanghai with her bachelor’s degree!
 

When I saw my daughter laughing and dancing among her classmates during the Oriental Pearl Tower send-off performance on May 27, I knew that she actually had  mixed feelings - on one hand, she felt sad to leave this place that had become her second home, on the other hand, excited and looking forward to the future.  Seeing how energetically talented and brave NYU Shanghai students have been, coming together to embrace their differences, regardless of culture, religion and country made us proud as parents.

   Pic：Class 2017 Send-off Performance at the Orientral Peral Tower Square on May 27

The official graduation ceremony was held at the Shanghai Oriental Art Center, where families--even grandparents and young siblings--gathered from all corners of the world to celebrate and share the joy of  their loved one’s graduation. What touched me the most was seeing my daughter in her violet graduation gown, accepting her degree certificate from the chancellor and vice chancellor, and stepping into the next stage of her life. It was not until then did I realize that I have been an NYU Shanghai parent for 4 years.

Over the past four years,  my feelings for NYU Shanghai came in three phases - from  uncertainty, to love for the University, and finally reaping a bountiful  harvest and giving back.

In the summer of 2013, I accompanied my daughter to her first-day at NYU Shanghai, filled with worry as a parent of this experimental first class of students. Walking around ECNU, the University’s presence was epitomized by a tiny signboard on the Geography building labeled “New York University Shanghai,” and for that first year, NYU Shanghai’s students shared a common living space in ECNU’s international student apartment. At that time, everything seemed uncertain to me.

   Pic：Class 2017 student check-in in 2013

But as my daughter gradually began to show me how she enjoyed her life with the University, my doubts were soon dispelled. Over her four years of study, I’ve seen how she has fully developed her potential.

Intrigued with learning, she  finished her Business and Finance major with a high GPA, managing to minor in both Mathematics and Computer Science. Under the encouragement of the diverse and open culture of NYU Shanghai, my daughter also developed profound interests in photography, singing and dancing.

She had a chance to study away in New York, where she met excellent professors and friends, participating in a business honors program and a research program with Industrial Securities. She interned at different companies, such as Galaxy Securities, a Human Resource company in the United States, Solidiance Consulting, and Institute of Higher Education.
 

All of these experiences have enabled her to broaden her horizons, and to focus on  real-world applications of knowledge.  Witnessing her surprising growth over the past four years, I felt how her education had shaped her and enabled her--I decided to start blogging about it, wanting to introduce NYU Shanghai’s uniqueness to the public and how its focus on cultivating student potential for creativity, innovation and social practice has helped our children develop a broader vision.

I wasn’t surprised when my daughter was employed by PwC along  with several other NYU Shanghai students--her graduating peers have achieved many of their own goals in either pursuing a job or further study. I firmly believe that NYU Shanghai will enable more outstanding students in the future.