Congratulations on your graduation.Diplomas were awarded to 14 graduates and 560 undergraduate graduates.I am very happy that you have overcome various events and reached your graduation day.congratulations.
Kobe University merged with Kobe Yamate University on April 4, 1, creating three campuses.The school song at the end of the ceremony will be sung by the students of the music department of Kobe Yamate Girls' High School, which has become the same corporation.
How was this year for all of you?The last year on campus has been extremely inconvenient due to COVID-XNUMX, and the entire student life, including not only studies but also job hunting and extracurricular activities, has become completely unexpected. I think it's a pity.Today, we will not be able to hold a graduation party after this, and we are asking everyone to refrain from having dinner together.
Looking back, in response to the coronavirus pandemic, our university has made it a condition to enter the campus with thermography and registration with the COCOA app recommended by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare. has done its best.
Today's diploma conferment is different from usual, and we cannot invite guests and parents to the venue, so we can only watch the ceremony later on the web.I would like to extend my heartfelt congratulations to all the families watching this ceremony on video for their graduation, and I apologize for not being able to attend the ceremony in this way.
At today's ceremony, in order to avoid the three Cs, I did not wear an academic gown as usual, and although I was able to hand over my diploma, I was not able to shake hands in congratulations.However, today we have received video messages from the mayors of Kobe City, Amagasaki City, and Miki City, where our campuses are located.I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to you for giving flowers to today's ceremony despite your busy schedule.
Now that you are graduating, today I would like to talk about disasters such as the corona disaster, and talk about two leaders.
On March 3th, we celebrated the 11th anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake.A total of 10 people have been confirmed dead or missing so far, and 1 people have died or gone missing, including "earthquake-related deaths" who died while evacuating.A sudden natural disaster and a nuclear power plant accident overlapped, and life and death were divided depending on the difference in the living area and how you responded to the earthquake.It is a tragedy that should not be forgotten, and we have learned many lessons about the limits of what humans can do before disasters and catastrophes brought about by nature.
Many things have been stolen from us during the current corona crisis.To date, 1 million people have been infected worldwide, and 1800 million people have lost their lives.There have been several cases of infection at our university over the past year, but I believe that we were able to prevent clusters from occurring thanks to everyone's cooperation in preventing infection.
In addition to the direct damage caused by infectious diseases, unfortunately, many latent problems around the world have surfaced.In particular, there are many situations where lives are affected by racial discrimination issues such as Black lives matter in the United States, discrimination based on gender, disparities between developed and developing countries, and even disparities between rich and poor.Furthermore, when I heard reports that black people who had been discriminated against were violently persecuting Asian residents one after another, it seemed like a chain of persecution from the weak to the weak, and I had mixed feelings. To do.
Natural disasters are certainly terrifying, but what has made us realize through the corona crisis is the weakness and strength within humans themselves.In the midst of the corona crisis, prejudice and discriminatory awareness among humans will cause discrimination and persecution against people in weaker positions.What are your thoughts on these actions?Wrong, wrong, you would think.Certainly, if you think about it calmly, you should be able to understand it well, but it is inherent in us humans that our senses and perceptions become strange depending on the situation.
When faced with a crisis, there is not always one answer to the solution.It is a question that has no single answer.Here, I would like to talk about Prime Minister Ardern of New Zealand, who is said to be a successful example of dealing with COVID-4.Despite New Zealand's heavy reliance on tourism revenue, she took a strong policy of closing borders early and cutting off travel to and from abroad, thus preventing the spread of the virus and doing the best to deal with the virus. was evaluated.Although tourism income dropped sharply, she proposed to the people to work four days a week, keep their wages unchanged, and have them enjoy leisure time in their own country.It is a resilient response.I admire her decisiveness and decisiveness in calling on the entire nation to slow down.Seeing her indomitable judgment and actions reminds her of a few words of America's civil rights leader, Martin Luther King.
We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.
We have to accept finite disappointments.But never lose hope.
The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.
A person's true worth is not measured in moments of joy, but in the attitude they show in the face of challenges and controversies.
Even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream.
Difficulties await us today and tomorrow.I still have a dream.
そ し て,
Take the first step in faith. You don't have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.
Climb the first step without question.You don't have to be able to see all of the stairs.Anyway, take the first step.
I would like to say to everyone, "Even if you face difficulties, never give up and continue to have the courage to take the first step."In the future, even if you face various difficulties and trials, I hope that you will never give up and continue to have the courage and ability to take the first step.
I have to do it!I could do it!I can do more!
I want you to be honest with your possibilities.
Finally, when the coronavirus pandemic subsides, I would definitely like to hold your graduation party on campus on Homecoming Day.Please come back to Homecoming Day.
Thank you again.Congratulations on your graduation.And see you soon!
Congratulations and see you again!
2021 January 3
President Atsushi Hamana
↓ Please see this as well.
[Student Affairs Division] 2020 Commencement Ceremony Held
