Happy Graduation, UWC Changshu China Class of 2026!
Issue date：2026-05-28
When the Plums Ripened
DP2 was a year of hope, pressure, and change. As the seasons moved across campus, we changed too. By May, the green plums had ripened. Tart and sweet, they seemed to fit the moment. After uncertainty, pressure, and growth, we were no longer the students who had first arrived.
The exams ended. The plums fell. Farewell came.
What we found hardest to leave was not only the campus, but the people: our House families, classmates, Zhi Xing partners, teachers, and friends. We finished the IB exams with relief. But as graduation approached, many of us looked back at the people who had shared these years with us and cried.
▲When we took our IB final exams,
younger students left chalk drawings at
the exam entrance to cheer us on.
Before graduation, all 11 Houses held farewell events. Younger students sent us off with the same warmth with which we had once welcomed them. Some Houses filled their common rooms with balloons and memories. Others made videos and gave out silly awards, including "Best Sleeper," "Most Likely to Become Famous Before 20," and "Cats' Best Friend." Each joke carried a memory only that House could understand.
Graduates left handprints in House colours in the common rooms. These marks will remain after we leave. One day, another student may walk past them and remember they are not alone, just as older generations of graduates once guided us.
Fruit ripens and falls. Seasons move on. Before we leave, we return to the beginning of the year.
Summer, When We Arrived
In late August, lotus flowers bloomed on Kuncheng Lake. Outside the school gates, House flags flew in the wind. Orientation Week had begun.
For many students, the Jam Session in the Black Box became one of their first memories of the island.
Graduate Susan Li, one of the organisers, recalled: "When I first came as an FP student, more than a hundred of us sang 'Perfect' together. In DP1, we performed 'Take Me Home, Kuncheng Road' for the graduating DP2s. This year, everyone sang me a birthday song the night before my birthday. Jam Session gave us a place to express ourselves, enjoy music, and be together."
Even when schoolwork was heavy or pressure felt overwhelming, we still found time to go to the Black Box and sing. Across the years, voices and guitars passed from one generation of UWCers to the next.
Autumn, and What Tested Us
Autumn brought red maple leaves and a harder rhythm.
Life at UWC Changshu China was never only about songs and celebrations. There were assignments, university applications, friendships to build and repair, activities to lead, and UWC values to put into practice. Some students rewrote their application essays many times. Some faced disappointment in the early decision round. Some struggled with relationships. Some tried to balance academics, interests, and responsibility.
In his graduation address, Head of School Simon Head reflected on setbacks: "Life rarely proceeds in a straight line. Some doors will close. Some plans will change. When one path closes, do not let the closed door become the story. Stay open to uncertainty, and to what may still become possible."
Dr Mark Jiapeng Wang also told graduates: "We are all born with certain talents, we are all on the journey to discover our dreams. After you've gone through the difficulties, you will realize how strong you are, and the hard journey is also a gift of life!"
At UWC Changshu China, we met people from many cultures and viewpoints. We disagreed, listened, questioned, and changed. These experiences shaped our understanding of UWC. Setbacks were not the end. They taught us resilience. We learned to value friendship, live with difference, and fail forward.
Last autumn, the school celebrated its tenth anniversary. As the tenth graduating class, we were part of that milestone. Guests, alumni, teachers, and students gathered on campus for forums, workshops, concerts, and celebrations.
During the anniversary preparations, students also shared different views with the school. Because we cared about this community, we spoke honestly. Through these conversations, students and teachers understood one another better. At UWC Changshu China, open discussion matters. The UWC spirit grows through dialogue, participation, and action.
To the younger students who will remain on the island: speak up, ask questions, and help shape the community you live in.
The anniversary also reconnected alumni around the world. The "Alumni Werewolf Game" video created by CoMection Zhi Xing brought together graduates from different years and current students through shared memories of the island. Even those who had never met found common ground. This connection across ten years is one of CSC's greatest gifts to us.
A Winter to Remember
In winter, plum blossoms opened, and the cold slowed the campus down.
One morning in late January, snow fell on the island. Graduate Esther Qin from Harbin said: "During my first two years in Changshu, I never saw snow. In my hometown, snow is ordinary. Here, in this city south of the Yangtze River, it felt rare. My friends and I took photos to remember this CSC snowfall."
For Mohamed from Sudan, it was the first snow he had ever seen. "Coming from a country that is always on fire — figuratively and literally — I was overjoyed to see snow for the first time here on our CSC campus. I woke up to a surprise: every tree had turned white overnight. On my way to class, I couldn't help but share my excitement with everyone around me. It was an unforgettable first snow experience, one that will always connect me to CSC, no matter how far I go."
Students wrote in the snow. Teachers walked their dogs nearby. The campus felt still, bright, and warm.
Winter also brought the CCE choir performance by the Class of 2026. The songwriters, Will Wang, Johnny Zhu, and Felix Miao, said: "There are not many events that bring the whole graduating class together. The choir did that. We came here because of the IB programme, but campus life became the main melody of our time here."
The lyrics recalled our first FP days singing "Waving the Flag," the transition from ManageBac to Toddle, and the ordinary moments we shared with friends.
In their graduation speeches, Elaine Xu and Finn from New Zealand said: "May we hold forever the memories this place has given us, and may we keep up and cherish the dear relationships we have found here."
Spring, Before We Left
In March, cherry blossoms opened across campus. Spring also brought Project Week. For a short time, we left the island campus behind and stepped into unfamiliar places beyond school. Through travel, service, and fieldwork, we learned from real communities and real problems.
Graduate Zoe Cheng from the United States recalled her trip to Zhoushan: "Through collaborations with three NGOs, we participated in otter conservation research and beach clean-up activities, where we witnessed the serious issue of marine waste pollution firsthand. We also learned about support programs for aging populations on Zhoushan's remote islands and discovered how to help others while still respecting their independence. This experience showed me that the passion and perseverance of ordinary people alone can create the power for meaningful change in a short period of time."
Other students climbed 2,000-metre mountains with friends, spent time with people with intellectual disabilities, and collected plastic waste along island shores. Project Week brought UWC ideals into the real world. It pushed us beyond familiar routines and helped us see society in its complexity.
For graduates, the cherry blossom season was also the start of goodbye.
Looking back, growth at CSC was not perfect or easy. It came through pressure, doubt, rebuilding, friendship, encouragement, and the marks we left behind. With all of this, we moved towards our next destinations.
Outside the ceremony venue, we hugged teachers and younger students goodbye. As we pulled our luggage towards the school gate, Heads of House and younger students watched us leave. Some of us cried. Some of us smiled. Many of us did both.
At UWC Changshu China, people remain connected.
By memory.
By friendship.
By love.
By No. 88 Kunchenghuxi Road.
Thank you to every person we met on the island, and to every story we shared.
Two or three years ago, we came to Changshu from different parts of the world. Now, from Kuncheng Lake, we leave for different cities.
When lotus flowers bloom again,
when maple leaves fall,
when snow returns to the island,
when cherry blossoms cover the paths,
when green plums ripen and fall,
and when the evening sky returns above Baijiatan,
remember:
we are still on our way.
Happy Graduation, UWC Changshu China Class of 2026.
-End-
Article：Esther Qin、Cathy Lin；Class of 2026
Photos are contributed by community members.
