Majors:
- Jacqueline Cheng | 程兆和
- Catherine Chin | 秦凯琳
- Harlie Dultz | 杜爱丽
- Feifei Hung | 洪靜飛
- Waverly Shi | 石一涵
- Michelle Song | 宋泽阳
- Max Worman | 田贤友
Minors:
- Jacky Chen | 陈钦宇
- Jodie Gao | 高郁菲
- Bingsong Li | 李炳松
- Sofia Rong Dell'Anese | 荣小娅
- Coco Wen| 温文
Commencement Class Speaker Remarks
Feifei Hung, recipient of the Extraordinary Journey award and class speaker of 2025.
"To my fellow CAPS graduates, esteemed faculty, family and friends,
Welcome to the Levinson Program in China and Asia Pacific Studies Graduation Ceremony. My name is Feifei Hung and it is a tremendous honor to be your CAPS commencement speaker today, representing a cohort that has not only studied China and the Asia-Pacific—but lived it, questioned it, and will help to shape its future.
Many of us came into Cornell in the aftermath of a global pandemic, amid deteriorating U.S.-China ties, and a world more fragmented than ever. But rather than retreating into simplicity or cynicism, we chose to lean in. While each of us came to CAPS with different backgrounds, experiences, and reasons for studying China and the Asia-Pacific, we were united by a shared curiosity—a desire to understand the region not through secondhand narratives, but by immersing ourselves in its societies, grappling with its complexities, and forming our own perspectives through lived experience. From introductory courses that built our foundational knowledge of China’s history and modern transformation, to Chinese language classes that deepened our cultural literacy, to gateway seminars that unpacked the intricacies of China’s economy and its global relations, and to our capstone projects, where we conducted independent research projects on key issues of Chinese politics and foreign policy, our academic journey in CAPS has been both rigorous and expansive. For me, coming from Hong Kong with a rather narrow lens shaped by prior beliefs, CAPS has transformed my understanding of China, teaching me to approach the region with humility, nuance, and an open, critically engaged mind.
This year marked the full return of the CAPS program since the pandemic, allowing us to once again immerse ourselves in the living, learning, and working experiences in Washington D.C. and Beijing - an integral part of our CAPS education. During our time at the Cornell in Washington program, we learnt about the American perspective on the U.S.-China relations from Professor Jason Oaks and top policy speakers from research think tanks and the U.S. government, viewed manuscripts of historical U.S.-China engagement in the Library of Congress, visited the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the U.S., and most importantly engaged with the policy-making environment firsthand, gaining insight into how history, ideology, and strategic interests continue to shape the evolving dynamics between the United States and China from our conversations with people.
A defining experience of our program is definitely our study abroad semester in Beida, Beijing. In addition to gaining insight into China’s worldview through international relations courses taught by Chinese professors, we were given the flexibility to craft a personalized academic experience—choosing from a wide array of cross-departmental courses in both Mandarin and English that aligned with our individual interests. Whether exploring Chinese calligraphy, China-Africa relations, nutritional science, anthropology, or finance, we each had the opportunity to deepen our subject-matter expertise through a uniquely Chinese lens. We also went outside of Beijing together to different tiers of cities and made some of our best memories in China: experiencing the bar culture of Tianjin with new friends from 天津外國語大學, running to the train station in full speed to catch our train back to Beijing, climbing 黃山 in the rain, feeling puzzled about the foreign AI tech terms during our Hefei’s USTC Silicon Valley visit, picking tea leaves under the bright, hot sun, experience Chinese hospitality with 茅台 with Beida alumni at Hefei, karaoke nights, making our soybean milk for the first time with middle school students in Chengde, climbing the Great Wall, dancing 廣場舞 with old aunties and uncles, and many more. We built our own networks and friendships that will last far beyond our time in Beijing: let it be with our language partners, internship colleagues, friends we made from both across China and all over the world. It was the many immersive experiences that helped us answer the question “What really is China?” in our own way. Fueled by the program’s interdisciplinary approach that bridged politics, history, economics, language, and culture, we shaped our own frameworks for critical thinking when approaching new situations. Together, these experiences equipped us with the analytical tools and cultural awareness to navigate future decisions—whether in policy, business, law, academia, or other fields.
To my cohort - Harlie, Waverly, Max, and Jackie - it has been an absolute privilege to have grown, explored, and shared this unforgettable journey with you. Especially to Harlie, I am forever grateful for how our time in Beijing brought us together not just as close friends but like sisters, creating unforgettable memories as we traveled across ten cities, my hometown Hong Kong and always standing by each other through every high and low along the way.
Over the past four years, CAPS has been more than just a major - it has been a close-knit community, where the small program size allowed us to truly know one another, exchanging familiar nods and smiles as we crossed paths across campus, and having countless conversations as we eat our way in Asian Chili Spot, De Tasty, or sipping bobas. To Michelle, Jodie, Jacky, Catherine, Bingsong - while we did not spend our time in Beijing as the same cohort, it has been an absolute pleasure to have met, taken classes, and been part of the community with you.
However, this program and community would not have been made possible without the tireless support from our esteemed faculty and program coordinator. Thank you, Bryant, for always being just an email away - whether it was answering our endless questions, guiding us through visa applications, or making our academic and professional pursuits possible behind the scenes. Thank you, Hao lao-shi and Wang lao-shi, for going above and beyond to ensure that our experience at Beida was nothing short of a 10 out of 10. Thank you to all CAPS professors - for your patience, your thoughtful guidance, and your courageous commitment to teaching China with nuance, integrity, and care. Last but certainly not least, thank you, Professor Xu Xin, not only for your unwavering support, kindness and thoughtful guidance toward each of our individual paths, but also for your deep dedication to realizing the mission of CAPS and serving as the backbone of our department.
To our beloved family members and friends, thank you for being our constant sources of strength and love. To my grandparents, who couldn’t be here today, and to Mom, Dad, my little sister Beatrice and my puppy Whiskey—thank you for your unwavering love, the countless sacrifices you’ve made, and for always being my greatest source of encouragement. Thank you for reminding me that the sky is limitless. I hope I’ve made you proud.
Our journey as CAPS majors and minors has been nothing short of extraordinary. As we leave Cornell and step into the next chapter, may we continue to approach and navigate the increasingly challenging U.S.-China relations with the lessons learned through CAPS - always questioning analytically, observing nuances, and listening to multifaceted perspectives.
Congratulations Class of 2025! We did it! May our journey to come be guided by curiosity, grounded in purpose, and filled with growth, success, and discovery. Thank you."
