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A Harvard graduation speech on recognizing our shared humanity across borders, cultures, and beliefs in a time of growing global division.
Present perfect with 'has become' — describing change from past to now — "that promise of a connected world is giving way to division, fear, and conflict" and "they've all become part of us" show how situations and relationships evolve over time.
Conditional statements with 'if' — expressing impact and consequence — "If there's a woman anywhere in the world who cannot afford a period pad, it makes me poor" uses the conditional to show how individual suffering is universally felt.
Relative clauses with 'who' — adding detail about people — "those who think differently, vote differently, or pray differently" and "a girl who skips school out of fear of harassment" help define groups and their circumstances within the broader point.
Gerund phrases for abstract concepts — "sitting with discomfort, listen deeply, and stay soft in hard times" (parallel structures using verb forms) express learned skills and values in a fluid, memorable way."
This is a powerful graduation speech delivered by Yurong "Luanna" Jiang to Harvard's class of 2025. She opens with a memorable anecdote about classmates from Tanzania, India, and Thailand calling her in Mongolia to decipher a washing machine with Chinese labels—a vivid illustration of how people from across the world were brought together through their studies. The speech explores her initial belief in a "small village" world united to end hunger and poverty, contrasting this with the fragmentation and fear spreading today. Jiang argues that seeing those who "think differently, vote differently, or pray differently" as evil rather than simply wrong is a dangerous mistake, and she advocates for the values Harvard taught her: sitting with discomfort, listening deeply, and staying soft in hard times.
This is excellent material for shadowing because Jiang speaks with a measured, thoughtful pace and clear articulation. She balances formal graduation-speech language with personal, relatable moments and poetic phrasing ("they too are human"; "in seeing their humanity, we find our own"). The vocabulary ranges from accessible conversational English (labels, spin, ghost mode) to more reflective and sophisticated expressions (perseverance, dignity, division, shared humanity), making it ideal for B1 learners aiming to improve both fluency and expressive range.
This speech suits upper-intermediate learners (B1–B2) who want to practise formal spoken English with an emotional, persuasive tone. You'll gain confidence speaking on complex global themes, experience authentic intonation in reflective moments, and absorb natural transitions and rhetorical patterns used in meaningful public speaking.
giving way to — gradually being replaced by something else; allowing something to take its place. "That promise of a connected world is giving way to division, fear, and conflict."
mistakenly see — incorrectly perceive or believe. "We mistakenly see them as evil."
stay soft in hard times — remain emotionally open, kind, and compassionate during difficult periods. "Stay soft in hard times."
hold on to them — keep someone in mind; maintain a connection or relationship. "You may disagree with them, but hold on to them."
bound by — connected or united through something. "As we are bound by something deeper than belief, our shared humanity."
spinning ghost mode — humorous mistranslation of the washing machine's spin cycle; used metaphorically to mean being stuck in confusion or chaos. "When the world feels stuck in spinning ghost mode."
rise by refusing to let one another go — progress and succeed not through proving others wrong, but by maintaining human connection and support."
