大家好，我叫万泽轩，我来自比利时。我是“未来领导者”项目的学生。 I would like to start my speech with a quote by a French author, Marcel Proust :“Soyons reconnaissants aux personnes qui nous donnent du bonheur ; elles sont les charmantsjardiniers par qui nos âmes sont fleuries.” Freely translated, it means that we should recognizethe people who make us happy because they are the gardeners that make our souls flourish.This academic year, I hope we can create this happiness by helping each other to achieve ourgoals.

This is also the first time I left Europe. I came to Peking University to become a leader in global development finance, and — similarly — every single one of you came here with their own hopes and aspirations. Regardless of the goals we have, we should remember the importance of helping each other in achieving these goals: humanity’s challenges are too big to be solved by one or a few individuals. This time of the year provides a great opportunity to take steps towards solving these problems. To make this collaboration a success, though, we should — at all costs — remain motivated to learn about each other, the world, and ourselves.

So, let us start this academic year with a spirit of collaboration. If we maintain that spirit, I am confident we will go a long way towards a better planet for all humans. Thank you.