On September 29, 2024, Tan Tao University (TTU) solemnly held the graduation ceremony for 62 new doctors and bachelor’s degree holders. The ceremony marked an important milestone in the students’ lives, concluding their undergraduate studies and opening a new career path filled with opportunities and challenges ahead.
In this formal atmosphere, Prof. Dr. Dang Thi Hoang Yen, a.k.a. Prof. Maya Dangelas, Ed.D. — the Founding Chairwoman, Chairwoman of the Board of the University Council, and President of Tan Tao University at the 2024 Graduation Ceremony — delivered an inspiring and heartfelt speech to the graduating students. The university is honored to present the full text of the speech at this important event:
“Distinguished Guests,
Honorable Ambassador Michalak,
Dear Mr. Tran Xuan Thao – Former First Vice President of Tan Tao University,
Respected Professors, teachers, parents, and TTU students, especially those of you who are celebrating this momentous day of receiving your graduation diploma to pursue your life’s dreams!
Each year, in September, as new students eagerly enter the university, it is also when senior students excitedly await the day they can wear the graduation gown and be personally awarded the diploma, that they have worked so hard for many years to earn.
Today marks a new beginning: You have been equipped by TTU with foundational knowledge to start your career. You have been fortunate to study and train with a team of educators who not only have deep professional expertise but also a heartfelt dedication to their students.
TTU is a university that follows the liberal arts model of the United States, which has provided you with creative thinking, encouraged you to develop your ability for independent analysis, and fostered lifelong learning for yourselves, your families, and the community.
You may wonder why I am not urging you to live for your country and nation first, before thinking about yourselves and your families, like most other universities in Vietnam.
That’s because I believe in genuine motivation, and I want you to become people of integrity, who live with a conscience and respect for high ethical values. I do not believe in empty slogans, and I hold this conviction: If you cannot take care of yourselves, you will become a burden to the community and society. If you do not know how to care for those around you, if you do not nurture loyalty and gratitude for what your parents and teachers have given you, then all the loudest slogans are nothing but falsehoods.
Therefore, to achieve great things, start with the smallest: work with passion, with all your heart, for yourselves, your parents, teachers, and the community that expects so much from you. Parents gave you life, and sacrificed everything for you — you can say that almost all Vietnamese parents share this incredibly noble cultural value: Sacrificing everything for their children’s future!
Your teachers have given you knowledge, and wings to fly, and, like your parents, their only desire is to see your maturity and success. Do everything you can to live up to that trust! That is the first lesson for true success.
The second lesson: This is my answer to more than 10,000 students from eight universities in Hanoi in 2008: What is the key to sustainable development? ON THE PATH WE WALK, WE MUST CREATE KINDNESS, DO GOOD, AND REFRAIN FROM DOING ANYTHING WE WOULD NOT WANT OTHERS TO DO TO US. Doing this will give you peace of mind, and as you move forward, you will make more friends and allies than enemies. This will allow you to maintain vitality and develop sustainably. Or as our ancestors simply said, it is the law of cause and effect!
The third lesson: At all costs, fulfill your promises, or be willing to die trying to accomplish them! Turn your promises into bonds. Keep your word, starting with the smallest things! It will take much time and struggle with your ego to achieve this, but if you set this as a principle of life, you will succeed!
The fourth lesson: Never give up, and never surrender! I have personally endured terrible years, at times even wishing I wouldn’t wake up the next morning… But when morning came, I continued to fight tirelessly to overcome the harshness of fate…
These are the major lessons I want to share with you today, and deep in my heart, I hope that one day I will see your names and faces proudly honored for your achievements, for your contributions to the community and society, and be celebrated at TTU’s Hall of Fame just as I have witnessed Oxford University honor their alumni all over the world.
Finally, I wish you all the best of luck in turning your life’s dreams into reality!
Best wishes for health to all distinguished guests, teachers, and parents!”
Prof. Dr. Dang Thi Hoang Yen, a.k.a. Prof. Maya Dangelas, Ed.D.
Founding Chairwoman, Chairwoman of the Board of the University Council, and President of Tan Tao University
