【毕业典礼致辞】徐化愚：韧性的力量

题记：2025年6月21日下午，北京大学南南合作与发展学院2025届毕业典礼暨学位授予仪式在北京大学承泽园隆重举行。南南学院经济学助理教授徐化愚作为教师代表致辞。本文根据英文致辞内容翻译。英文原文附后。

亲爱的同学们、同事们、朋友们：

欢迎参加北京大学南南合作与发展学院（ISSCAD）2025届毕业典礼！今天，我们齐聚一堂，共同庆祝本届公共管理硕士毕业生与博士毕业生们人生中这一重要的里程碑。这是一个充满喜悦与骄傲的时刻——不仅属于你们和家人，也属于所有陪伴你们走过这段旅程的我们。能代表全体教师在这里发言，我深感荣幸。

你们中的很多人是在微观经济学的课堂、开题讨论会或者论文答辩时认识我的。当院长说让我今天作为教师代表来致辞时，我起初有些犹豫。为什么犹豫呢？因为今天是欢庆的日子，我担心自己的出现会唤起大家一些不那么轻松的回忆——比如被效用最大化问题“折磨”，做一般均衡分析，熬夜改论文，或是考试和答辩时遇到的难题。

但随即我意识到：恰恰是那些痛苦的挣扎，才让此刻如此意义非凡。那些不眠之夜、那些需要绞尽脑汁的挑战、那些感到挫败的时刻——并非是应被遗忘的障碍，而是值得铭记的成就。你们坚持下来了，展现了自律和决心，而最重要的是——你们展现出了百折不挠的韧性。

“韧性（Resilience）”——正是今天我想赠予你们的关键词。它既是对大家过去这段时光的总结，也是对你们未来的期许。韧性不仅仅是咬牙坚持，更是在挑战面前适应、重建、成长的能力。它是一种默默支撑你的力量，让你能在压力下弯而不折，跌倒时不放弃希望，重新站起时更添智慧与从容。韧性意味着承认差距，却从不将其视为定局；韧性意味着稳步前行，哪怕有时步履缓慢，却始终向前；韧性意味着心怀希望，不让挫折定义你的现在与未来。

看到你们中许多人身上闪耀着韧性之光，我深受鼓舞。从你们攻克艰深课业的坚持中，从你们在研讨会上提出的深刻问题中，从你们为成长、服务与引领而默默积蓄力量的决心中——我都看到了这种光芒与精神。韧性支撑着你们走过了在ISSCAD的时光；我毫不怀疑，未来它将继续支撑你们走得更远。

韧性不仅对个人至关重要，对国家亦如此。发展的道路从来不是笔直的，它复杂、曲折，常常伴随着挫折。对于那些资源较少、约束较多的国家而言，韧性不是奢侈品，而是生存发展的必需品。这种韧性需要通过改革、政策探索、制度完善来构建，但最根本的，是需要依靠那些在进展缓慢或遇到挫折时绝不轻言放弃的人们。

那么，这些人是谁？正是你们！我们的毕业生。你们将成为各自国家坚韧不拔的坚强支柱。你们是未来的政策制定者、改革者、领导者。你们将带着在ISSCAD磨砺出的才干和全新的视野回到祖国，设计更优的方案，制定更有效的政策，使你们的社会制度更加完善。你们的领导力会让你们的国家更有能力去适应和迎接未来的挑战。

同时，韧性也是跨越国界的。在保护主义和孤立主义抬头的当下，国际合作比以往任何时候都更为重要。你们在这里建立的友谊、交流的思想、未来可能进行的跨国合作，本身就是韧性的体现。当各国彼此倾听、相互学习、真诚合作时，我们大家都会变得更强大。这正是ISSCAD把我们凝聚在一起的使命：推动相互理解、知识共享和共同进步。衷心希望你们每个人不仅能服务自己的国家，也能成为一座沟通的桥梁——连接不同的国家，融合不同的理念，构建一个更加合作的世界。

最后，我想借此机会感谢你们——因为有你们，我们作为ISSCAD的教师和学者所做的一切工作才变得更有意义。五年前我刚入职ISSCAD时，林毅夫教授对我们说：“欢迎你们参与南南合作事业，我们将共同创造深远影响。”这句话让我深受鼓舞，但当时也心存疑虑。毕竟当时我刚刚博士毕业不久，仍在摸索方向。我能带来什么改变呢？

但改变真的发生了！当我的尼泊尔学生将在这里学到的知识用于推动本国议会的数字治理改革时；当来自肯尼亚的学生自己也成为大学教授，把ISSCAD的理念传给下一代学生时；当每一次看到你们的研究日益深入、发言愈发自信、视野不断拓展时——我就深切理解了：我们的确正在创造影响。你们，就是这影响本身。

所以，亲爱的毕业生们，当你们离开ISSCAD，步入人生新篇章时，请你们带上在这里学到的知识、收获的友谊，以及那份支撑你们走到今天的韧性精神。请为你们已走过的路而感到自豪，对未来要走的路满怀希望。

再次祝贺北京大学南南合作与发展学院2025届全体毕业生！愿智慧、韧性和同理心指引你们前行之路。谢谢大家！

翻译：白尧 | 编辑：王贤青

致辞英文原文

Dear students, colleagues, and friends：

Welcome to the graduation ceremony for the Class of 2025 at ISSCAD. Today we gather to celebrate an important milestone in the lives of our MPA and PhD graduates. It is a moment of great joy and pride—not only for you and your families, but also for all of us who have accompanied you on this journey. I am deeply honored to deliver this address on behalf of the faculty.

Many of you know me from microeconomics class, proposal workshops, and dissertation defenses. So when our Dean invited me to speak today, I hesitated at first. I hesitated because this is a moment of celebration and happiness, and I worried that my presence might remind you of some of the struggling memories, such as utility maximization problems, general equilibrium analysis, late nights spent revising essays, or the occasionally painful questions during exams and defenses.

But then I realized something. I realized that it is precisely those struggles that make this moment so meaningful. The sleepless nights, the intellectual challenges, and the moments of frustration—these are not obstacles to be forgotten, but accomplishments that deserve to be remembered. You persevered. You demonstrated discipline, determination, and most importantly, the spirit of resilience.

Resilience—this is the word I would like to offer today, both as a reflection on the past and as a hope for your future. Resilience is more than endurance. It is the ability to adapt, to grow, and to rebuild in the face of challenge. It is the quiet strength that allows you to bend without breaking, to fall without losing hope, and to rise again with more wisdom and grace. It means acknowledging the gaps, but never accepting them as permanent. It means working steadily, sometimes slowly, but always forward. It means staying hopeful and never letting setbacks define who you are or where you could go.

I am deeply inspired to see that spirit alive in so many of you. I’ve seen it in your perseverance through demanding coursework, in your thoughtful questions at seminars, and in your quiet determination to grow, to serve, and to lead. That spirit has carried you through your time at ISSCAD, and I have no doubt it will carry you far in the years to come.

Resilience is not only vital for individuals—it is essential for nations. Development is never linear. It is complex, slow, and often filled with frustration. For countries that begin with fewer resources and greater constraints, resilience is not a luxury—it is necessity. It has to be built through reforms, policy experimentations, institutional strengthening, and most importantly, people who refuse to give up when progress is slow or setbacks occur.

And who are those people? You are. You, our graduates, are the backbone of your nations’ resilience. You are the policymakers, the reformers, and the leaders of tomorrow. You will return home with sharpened tools and new perspectives. You will design better programs, craft more effective policies, and strengthen the institutions that serve your societies. Your leadership will make your countries more adaptive and prepared for future challenges.

But resilience also comes from beyond national borders. In a time when protectionism and isolationism are once again on the rise, international cooperation matters more than ever. Your friendships, your exchange of ideas, and your future collaborations across countries are themselves acts of resilience. When nations listen to one another, learn from each other, and collaborate in good faith, we all become stronger. This is precisely the mission that binds us together at ISSCAD: to foster mutual understanding, shared learning, and collective progress. It is our sincere hope that each of you will not only serve your home country, but also act as a bridge—linking nations, connecting ideas, and promoting a more cooperative world.

Finally, I’d like to take this opportunity to thank you—for giving meaning to what we do as teachers and scholars in the Institute. When I joined ISSCAD five years ago, Professor Justin Lin welcomed us by saying: “Welcome to the mission of South-South cooperation. Together, we will make a big impact.” I was encouraged—but I also had doubts. I was just a fresh PhD, still finding my footing. What difference could I possibly make?

But that difference became real. It became real when one of my students from Nepal used what she learned here to propose a digital governance reform in the parliament. It became real when a student from Kenya became a professor himself, passing on ISSCAD’s lessons to the next generation. And it became real every time I saw your research deepen, your voices grow more confident, and your visions expand. In those moments, I understood—we are making an impact. You are the impact.

So, dear graduates, as you leave ISSCAD and walk forward into new chapters, I hope you carry with you the knowledge you’ve gained, the friendships you’ve built, as well as the spirit of resilience that brought you here. Be proud of how far you’ve come, and stay hopeful for how far you can go.

Congratulations again to the ISSCAD Class of 2025. May intelligence, resilience, and compassion guide your journey ahead. Thank you!