Once-in-a-lifetime Journey: Just like making Mosaic Masterpieces

21st August 2019

Closing Speech by Cambridge Summer Project 2019 Headmistress – Dr. Winnie PUI

Good evening everyone, hope you all have learnt a lot after all your hard work during these two and a half weeks. Tonight, I would like to briefly share with you my feelings towards this summer programme, along with what I have learnt from it. I am also looking forward to all your sharing. I hope you all not only enjoy the delicious formal dinner prepared by the College, but also seize the opportunity to exchange meaningful conversations with the professors, teachers, your seniors and classmates sitting next to you.

Do you still remember who I am? Am I Miss Winnie, Auntie Winnie, Teacher Winnie, Headmistress Winnie, or Dr. Winnie?

Actually, my official title should be the headmistress of this summer programme! However, what do you think a headmistress usually does? Do you think it is all about signing documents the whole day? Or just sitting comfortably in the office while enjoying a cup of world-class coffee at the same time?

Haha, jokes aside, here comes the real question. What have I actually done/learnt in the past two weeks? And how about you?

To my surprise, I have learnt:

(1) how to call the police – to look for a lost passport;
(2) how to arrange multiple taxies so that 44 students could arrive at the destination within the shortest practicable time;
(3) how to repair a broken backpack;
(4) how to repair a suitcase with broken wheels;
(5) how to satisfy all the individual needs of our 59 unique students; and
(6) last but not least, how to collaborate with different teachers and colleagues and to adapt to different working styles!

And still, I remember that our final goal is to make sure that each of you will have an unforgettable experience in Cambridge.

The things that I have learnt and mentioned above, might be very different from how we usually define the word “learning”. Learning is not simply about memorising the knowledge written on books or acquiring language skills. Things such as how to communicate with others, the dreams about our futures and how to live a meaningful life are equally as important.

Therefore, I would like to mention that marks on your transcripts do not represent everything of you, neither do your certifications and qualifications. I am not saying that they have no use at all. I simply would like all of you to realise that what you have learnt and understood in life are the key elements that would truly allow you to build up your way to success in your life.

As I have mentioned just now, God created each of us as a unique person, just like this little irregular-shaped piece of rock. Would you choose to use its sharpness to hurt others, or to merely focus on our imperfection, or would you make good use of those unique gifts which were given by God?

Lastly, I would like to share a picture with you all. I am not sure how familiar you are with mosaic, but I am certainly a big fan of this type of painting. Humans can never be perfect. Sometimes we are arrogant, selfish or troublesome. But as I have just said, if you could make use of your own advantages, you can also make a beautiful drawing of your life.

Soon you will be leaving Cambridge, I wish your takeaways would not be just a certificate, a trophy or a medal. I hope every single one of you can treasure what your classmates and teachers shared with you, value all the resources given by your parents, and with that, live a meaningful life.

Finally, I would like to take the opportunity to apologise to all teachers on behalf of KnewSTEP and our students, and at the same time, a big thank you, to all the teachers again. Thank you very much for all your patience and tolerance towards I and all our students.

May the Lord bless you all! Thank you.