Eng Se-Hsieng

Valedictory speech, 10 am, 21 July 2003, Commencement 2003

Honourable Dean Professor Seeram Ramakrishna, fellow graduates, ladies and gentlemen, a very good morning to all of you.

I remember taking up engineering four years ago because of my passion for computers. But NUS has taught me a lot more than Maxwell’s equations or Laplace transforms.

My education took a surprising turn when I left for France for 2 years under the Double Degree Programme. I was thrown into an unfamiliar lifestyle and culture but adapting to the new environment taught me many invaluable life lessons. Whether it was not understanding the first few lectures in French, or ploughing through research papers for the final year project, it was always important to persevere despite uncertainty of what lay ahead. In the process, I gained bosom friends and new insights.

Today we celebrate the culmination of our hard work and determination. Each of us has had a unique experience in NUS. Yet how many of us can forget staying overnight to debug our audio amplifiers or going to IMM for exams at 8 in the morning? Certainly, no one could have predicted that we would be the first class to undergo temperature checks before every exam!

There is no doubt that change is inevitable. In fact, as engineers, we will be the ones to bring about change, be it through groundbreaking research or innovative product development.

We have not been alone in our journey here. Let us salute our professors who have been both our teachers and our mentors. To our friends we are grateful for sharing the ups and downs of university life. Most importantly, we thank our parents for their unwavering faith in us. As we begin a new journey, we will hold dear to our hearts all the bonds we have forged here.

Thank you.

After national anthem:

My fellow graduands, this is a proud day for us and for our parents and loved ones, who have supported us in our journey here.

Therefore, before we leave this hall, let us take this opportunity to rise and face our family and friends as we show our appreciation with a round of applause.

Please join me in this gesture. Thank you very much.

My acknowledgements go out to Professor Yeo Swee Ping, A/Prof Ashraf Kassim, A/Prof Lim Kah Bin, A/Prof Hari K. Garg, Cyrille Colin, my dear family and friends.