Speech by Narantungalag Enkhtur for 2019 GBJ Commencement

Graduation Speech for the TSJC's GBJ Class of 2019 

Ms. Narantungalag Enkhtur (International Student Representative of 2019 Graduating Class)

July 4, 2019

Good afternoon, Ladies and Gentlemen.

My name is Narantungalag Enkhtur, master candidate of Tsinghua’s school of Global Business Journalism, from Mongolia. First, I would like to express my gratitude to our professors and faculty members, and my fellow classmates from the class of 2019.

Now, I would like to ask you all to congratulate our hard work by giving a warm applause.  We successfully finished this two-year ride and are finally graduating. Together, we did it!

It is also a great honor for me to stand here and share our most memorable moments. First, let me address a few thoughts. Over the last few weeks, many people asked me "What are you going to do next?" and “What is your plan after graduation?" In the beginning, I always answered very diligently, but later, I started to get tired from this question. I am sure that many of you have faced these questions too!

On the other hand, these questions remind us that we are moving on to the next chapter of our life. Today might be the last day for some of us as students of journalism, but I believe our journey to become Global Business Journalist will kick-start from today. Every end has a new beginning.

When I left my career at Bloomberg TV in Mongolia three years ago, I wasn't sure what I would get in return from my journey to study abroad. Four years ago, Tom Orlik, Asia's chief economist of Bloomberg visited Mongolia, and I was assigned for interview him. When I was preparing the interview questions to discuss with him, I found out about the GBJ program on our schools’ website for the first time. It took me two years to make the decision and apply. When I asked my executive producer to write reference letters for me, he asked me "Are you sure to study journalism in the most censored country in the world?" That time, I wasn’t sure. But today as I stand here and am proud to say that I made the right decision to come to China.

Studying journalism at the most prestigious university in China has helped me to see the things differently. For example, my expectation of classmates was incorrect. I assumed that my classmates might be some students from southeast Asia, or neighboring countries like Mongolia, Nepal. Because my mind was already framed by western media. But the first day of school, I met my classmate from 20 different countries like America, Australia, Canada and Botswana. This discovery shows us that the world is coming to China. It means that our business journalists have more stories to tell from all around the world, each with a different and unique perspective.

Like our professor, Lee Miller said to us, "Show, don't tell".  Now, it's our time to show how much we gained from our GBJ program. Even 20 of us enrolled in the class of 2017. To this day, only half of us reached the finish-line. I am sure that for the coming months and following years, more and more GBJers will join our big family, and help spread valuable words and connections through the media all over the world.

Tsinghua, and GBJ program have provided us with the most excellent opportunity to build and network for both Chinese and international students, and share each other's culture and stories. We all know that journalism is also about networking, so let's maximize that purpose. Let us use our differences to benefit the whole.

During the orientation week of the first year, one of our alumni said that "Today we are proud of our school, tomorrow our school is going to be proud of us." So whatever you decide to do next, lets make our school proud of us! Like the spirit of Tsinghua’s motto, “Actions speak louder than words" — "自强不息，厚德载物!" So, let’s show the world what Tsinghua’s graduates of the GBJ program are capable of!

Finally, congratulations once again and I wish you all good luck with the future ahead. Have a great day, and be proud of this marvelous achievement!