As the golden autumn of September arrives, a new semester has commenced. This year, Shenzhen University WeBank Institute of FinTech (SWIFT) welcomes new students from 26 provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions, as well as international students from the US, Japan, and Russia. On the morning of September 9th, the 2024 opening ceremony was grandly held in the No. 3 Lecture Hall of Huixing Building. The leaders and distinguished guests in attendance included: Wang Lipeng, Assistant President and Chief Financial Officer of WeBank; Yin Xiaoyong, General Manager of WeBank’s Human Resources Department and Vice Dean of the Institute; Wang Huan, an expert from the Human Resources Department; Liu Haishan, Secretary of the Party Committee of SWIFT; Lou Zhuonan, Deputy Secretary; Deputy Deans Gu Wei, Ge Rui, and Qi Han; as well as teacher representatives and the 2024 freshmen. The ceremony was hosted by Gu Wei.

The ceremony officially commenced amid the resounding and majestic national anthem.

Liu Haishan extended the warmest welcome and sincerest congratulations to each new student and delivered a speech titled “Follow the Compass of Your Heart, Unconcerned with North or South”. Under the theme of “Choice and Perseverance”, he addressed how college students should face choices in the era of AI and how to achieve their ideals through persistence. He pointed out that, first, one should establish lofty ideals and let beliefs serve as a guiding beacon. In the era of unprecedented changes in the world, students should strengthen their ideals and beliefs, to deeply root in the faith of Marxism, to embrace the belief in socialism with Chinese characteristics, and to be confident in the Chinese dream. Second, he emphasized the necessity to hone core competencies, especially data analysis skills. In the AI era, data is the cornerstone of decision-making, and data analysis can be applied not only to academic studies but also to significant choices in students’ life. Lastly, he stressed that perseverance is the bridge to success. Perseverance is not only an attachment to ideals but also a challenge to oneself. No matter the starting point, as long as the goal is clear and one remains steadfast, success will ultimately be achieved. He expressed his earnest expectations for the new students, “I hope every student can bravely seize your own destiny, fearlessly face difficulties and challenges, firmly make your own choices, and persistently pursue your goals.”

Wang Lipeng, representing WeBank, extended his congratulations to the new students and welcomed them to the big family brimming with wisdom and innovative spirit. He stated that FinTech is a crucial driver for future economic development, and talent is the most valuable resource in this field. Therefore, as the corporate partner, he expressed his honor to collaborate with the college to provide students with the most cutting-edge educational resources and practical platforms. Besides, he offered three hopes for the new students: First, embracing change and being brave in innovation. FinTech is a rapidly evolving field, and students will learn the latest technologies and ideas here. Therefore, he encouraged them to maintain curiosity, boldly explore the unknown, and constantly challenge themselves. Second, integrating theory with practice. To support the insttute’s development, WeBank provides comprehensive support, including the WeBank Special Internship Program, courses taught by industry leaders like “Frontiers of FinTech” and “Practical FinTech”, and the establishment of the “WeBank Scholarship” and “WeBank Scholarship Summer Camp”, and other talent cultivation projects with the institute’s characteristics. He urged students to maintain passion for learning FinTech, integrating theoretical knowledge with social practice to enhance their future skills. Third, striving for lifelong learning. In this era, where knowledge updates at an ever-increasing pace, lifelong learning has become an essential capability. Students were encouraged to keep their passion for lifelong learning and continuously enrich themselves to adapt to the ever-changing world. Finally, quoting a famous saying from Steve Jobs, he hoped that students would “Stay hungry, stay foolish”, wishing everyone a fruitful journey in learning at SWIFT filled with knowledge, skills, and friendships.

Ma Mingxuan, the representative of the freshmen of 2024, spoke on behalf of all new students. He mentioned that the first gift they received at the university was the “Shenzhen University Box”, which carries their expectations and dreams. Its theme, “Infinite Forward, Not Defined; Infinite Progress, Starting Anew”, perfectly resonates with their current state of mind. Now, new students are at the crossroads of time and life, and the doors of Shenzhen University have already opened, waiting for them to step into a broader world and an unlimited future. He hoped every student will reflect on what attitude to adopt in order to write the next four years. In conclusion, he quoted a line from Portuguese writer Fernando Pessoa in “I Carry the Universe with Me” - “Let’s live a lifetime in a day, for the moments we have lived are all that exist amidst the darkness before and after.”

Ma Long, a freshman from Russia, as one of the first foreign student representatives, shared the reasons for his choice of Shenzhen University in fluent Chinese. He believed that Shenzhen University is one of the fastest-growing universities in China, with a good reputation and significant influence both domestically and internationally. In the past two years, he has self-taught and mastered skills in data analysis and some machine learning. With aspirations to become a data analyst in the future, he chose the institute and hoped to study FinTech courses with classmates to achieve their dreams together.

To further attract outstanding students, the institute has established the “Undergraduate Excellence Scholarship” to reward new students with excellent admission scores. During the ceremony, Yin Xiaoyong awarded prizes to two undergraduate scholarship recipients, Ni Hongfei and Lu Yuhang.

At the end of the ceremony, the excellent team from 2024 WeBank Scholarship Summer Camp, Supercity, shared their summary report - “Digital Collection of Major Museums in the UK - Creating a Mini Metaverse”. This year, the Summer Camp took students on a journey to the UK, where they traveled from Cambridge to London, visiting prestigious universities and companies. Through “learning”, “practicing”, and “observing”, they explored the new coordinates of FinTech development between China and the world amidst the interplay of different cultures and histories.

The 2024 opening ceremony has successfully concluded. From this moment on, SWIFT officially officially welcomes 89 new members. May you bravely face challenges and forge ahead to achieve an even more outstanding version of yourselves!