Duke Kunshan University honored 455 graduates at its 2026 commencement May 15 in DKU Square, celebrating 327 undergraduates and 128 master’s students.
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The outdoor ceremony brought together graduates, families, faculty, staff, university leaders and supporters, many of whom traveled long distances to celebrate the milestone.
Chancellor Yaolin Liu called commencement “a defining milestone” and praised graduates for helping shape DKU’s spirit of openness, rigor and ambition.
Education, he said, is “not simply the accumulation of expertise” but “the formation of judgment, character and responsibility.”
“You leave with a degree, but also with a way of seeing the world, with intellectual openness, respect for complexity, and a commitment to serve,” Liu said. “May curiosity be your compass, purpose your guide, and service your legacy.”
Executive Vice Chancellor John Quelch said graduates were leaving DKU at a time “both full of promise and full of uncertainty,” with technology reshaping life and work and economic, environmental and geopolitical challenges growing more complex.
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“What you have gained here at DKU is a distinctive way of seeing the world, with curiosity, humility, and the ability to view issues from more than one perspective,” he said. “Such a world needs people who can help others move forward steadily, responsibly, and with purpose.”
“From time to time, ask not only, ‘Am I succeeding?’ but also, ‘Is what I am doing meaningful?’” Quelch said.
Undergraduate student speaker Amanda González Mejia, who will continue her studies as a Schwarzman Scholar at Tsinghua University, described the Class of 2026 as students who began their DKU experience in Barcelona, online or during COVID-19, then arrived at a university still taking shape and chose to help define it.
“We are a class of architects,” she said. “What explains us is what we built. And I don’t mean that in some vague, inspirational way. I mean literally built.”
Looking ahead to a world shaped by AI, uncertainty and division, she said the class had learned not to retreat when the future feels unclear.
“When something feels unfinished, we do not back down. We build,” she said. “As we did here, as we decorated steel pillars with colorful memories and grew flowers from arid soil.”
Graduate student speaker Yiran Liu, a medical physics master’s student, reflected on the years spent in school and the passion that led him to DKU.
“If undergraduate study marks the beginning of discovering one’s dreams, then the master’s stage is the path that turns those dreams into reality,” said Liu, who will pursue doctoral studies at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.
He also spoke about the importance of human connection in an age of artificial intelligence, saying AI has reshaped how people live and learn but can also leave people more isolated.
“I believe that communication and exchange are all the more precious in such a rapidly changing era,” he said.
Members of the Class of 2026 are now preparing for a wide range of next steps. Many are heading to universities including Duke, Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Oxford and Tsinghua, with dozens have been admitted to Ph.D. programs, while others are beginning careers at global companies such as Bank of America and Texas Instruments.
The ceremony also included the appointment of honorary fellows Jingnan Liu, DKU’s founding chancellor and an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, and William C. Kirby, vice chair of the DKU Advisory Board and a Harvard University professor, who also served as Duke’s senior advisor on China when DKU was in its early planning stages.
In remarks following the appointment, Kirby reflected on DKU’s place in a longer tradition of China-U.S. cooperation in education and described the university as “a teenager, growing up fast.” He encouraged graduates to carry forward the spirit of “spirits independent and minds unfettered” as they look to the future.
Alec D. Gallimore, provost of Duke and chair of the DKU Board of Trustees, conferred the degrees with Liu and Quelch.
Graduate students were recognized by Xin Li, associate vice chancellor for graduate studies and research.
Undergraduate students were recognized by Lingling Wang, registrar and dean of academic services, and Christopher M. Van Velzer, dean of student experience.
Scott MacEachern, DKU’s vice chancellor for academic affairs, announced the degree conferral proceedings.
Separately, members of the Class of 2026 from the international Master of Environmental Policy and Electrical and Computer Engineering programs who studied at Duke this semester took part in Duke’s commencement May 10.
Andrew Cheon, associate professor of international relations, reflected on impostor syndrome in a performance-oriented world and the pressure graduates may feel to appear perfect.
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“I would like to convince you that this binary mindset — I am either perfect or I am a fraud — is a crippling mistake,” Cheon said. “Life does not always go as planned, and when we fall short, the result does not invalidate our effort.”
He encouraged graduates to redefine excellence as a habit rather than a fixed outcome, reflect honestly through adversity and remain grateful for loved ones.
The ceremony began at 9 a.m. with an academic procession led by Floyd Beckford, professor of chemistry and chair of the Faculty Assembly. Student flag bearers represented the academic divisions, the Language and Culture Center and graduate programs.
The DKU Chorus performed the alma mater, “With Voices Raised,” between the procession and speeches.
In the final moments, a tribute video featuring graduates’ memories and messages from faculty added an emotional note to the ceremony.
Graduates later tossed their caps into the air, marking the close of one chapter and the beginning of their next steps as members of the global DKU and Duke alumni communities.
