普林斯顿大学开学典礼_普林斯顿大学开学典礼校长致辞

视频加载中…

I am delighted to greet you today as the University welcomes Princeton's Great Class of 2027 and… and celebrates the beginning of a new academic year.

今天，非常高兴见到大家，普林斯顿大学迎来了 2027 届优秀新生，祝贺大家新学年的开始。

One of the marvels of university life is the excitement that comes each fall when our classrooms, athletic fields, dining halls, and myriad other spaces across campus blossom with vibrant life and we welcome new members of our community.

大学生活的奇迹之一就是每年秋天，当我们的教室、运动场、餐厅和校园里无数的其他空间都充满活力， 我们欢迎社区的新成员时， 我们会感到兴奋不已。

I am so glad that you are here!

我很高兴你在这里！

I realize that, if the year's beginning can feel exhilarating and uplifting, so too can it feel bewildering or disconcerting.

我意识到， 如果新年的开始让人感到兴奋和振奋，那么它也会让人感到困惑或不安。

It is often all of these things at once, and that combination will likely persist during your time here.

通常所有这些事情都会同时发生，并且这种组合很可能会在您在这里期间持续存在。

Indeed, when I speak to Princeton alumni about their education, the word they use most often is "transformative." I would say that about my own undergraduate career at Princeton, and Anthony Romero said that about his time here.

事实上，当我与普林斯顿校友谈论他们的教育时，他们最常使用的词是“变革性” 。 我会这样评价我自己在普林斯顿大学的本科生涯，安东尼·罗梅罗也会这样评价他在这里的时光。

I want it to be true of yours.

我希望你的也是如此。

Transformation is a wonderful thing.

转变是一件美妙的事情。

It's also very demanding.

要求也很高。

It brings worry along with joy, frustration along with happiness.

它带来忧虑和喜悦，带来沮丧和幸福。

That's okay; indeed, it's part of what it means to get a great education.

没关系;事实上，这是接受良好教育的一部分。

Professor Toni Morrison, one of the world's greatest novelists, wrote that at Princeton "Every doorway, every tree and turn is haunted by peals of laughter, murmurs of loyalty and love, tears of pleasure and sorrow and triumph." I like this passage very much, partly because it recognizes that learning and growth are not easy, not for anyone.

世界上最伟大的小说家之一托尼·莫里森教授写道，在普林斯顿大学“每一个门口、每棵树和转弯处都充斥着欢声笑语、忠诚和爱的低语、快乐、悲伤和胜利的泪水。”我非常喜欢这段话，部分原因是它认识到学习和成长并不容易，对任何人来说都不容易。

There will inevitably be not just triumphs but also sorrows, not just laughter but also tears, when we challenge ourselves, when we develop and change, and when we care deeply – as we should, as we must – about our academic and co-curricular endeavors and our community.

当我们挑战自我，当我们发展和改变，当我们深深关心——我们应该、我们必须——我们的学业和课外活动时，不可避免地会有胜利，也会有悲伤，不仅会有欢笑，也会有泪水。努力和我们的社区。

As you think about your own Princeton careers, you have an extraordinary example in Maria Ressa – a member of the Great Class of 1986, not to mention the winner of the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize – who, in this year's Princeton Pre-read, writes candidly about the transformations that she experienced at Princeton and after her graduation.

当你思考自己的普林斯顿职业生涯时，玛丽亚·雷萨（Maria Ressa）就是一个非凡的例子， 她是 1986 年优秀毕业生的一员， 更不用说 2021 年诺贝尔和平奖获得者了，她在今年的普林斯顿预读中写道坦率地讲述了她在普林斯顿大学和毕业后经历的转变。

For example, she recounts first-year conversations with her classmate Leslie Tucker, whose blunt, direct criticism taught Maria that "to have a clear view of the world, you have to ask yourself the toughest questions."

例如，她回忆了第一年与同学莱斯利·塔克的谈话，塔克直率、直接的批评教会玛丽亚“要对世界有一个清晰的看法，你必须问自己最棘手的问题。 ”

Maria describes how her relationship with Leslie began with an uncomfortable classroom conversation that became the foundation for a lifelong friendship and "transformed [Maria's] way of being in the world." Maria writes that for two weeks during her junior year, she could not control her anger, "which kept erupting in strange flashes" after her acting teacher encouraged her to express emotions she had previously suppressed.

玛丽亚描述了她与莱斯利的关系是如何从一次不舒服的课堂谈话开始的， 这场谈话成为终生友谊的基础， 并“改变了[玛丽亚]在世界上的生活方式” 。 玛丽亚写道， 在大三的两周里，她无法控制自己的愤怒， 在她的表演老师鼓励她表达之前压抑的情绪后， 她“不断地以奇怪的方式爆发” 。

And she tells us that her senior thesis involved writing a play that was her "own private exorcism, " leading up to an opening night performance that left both Maria and her parents in tears.

她告诉我们， 她的毕业论文涉及写一部戏剧， 这是她“自己的私人驱魔”，导致首演之夜的演出让玛丽亚和她的父母都流下了眼泪。

These experiences were life-changing for Maria.

这些经历改变了玛丽亚的生活。

They were transformative.

他们具有变革性。

But they were not easy.

但他们并不容易。

Your Princeton experience, of course, will differ from Maria Ressa's.

当然，您在普林斯顿的经历将与玛丽亚·雷莎的经历有所不同。

It will be uniquely yours.

它将是独一无二的属于你的。

I expect, though, that your path through Princeton, like Maria's, will include inspiration but also anger, discoveries that may elicit both enlightenment and tears, and lasting friendships along with vexing challenges.

不过，我希望你在普林斯顿的道路，就像玛丽亚的一样， 将包括灵感， 但也包括愤怒，可能会引起启发和泪水的发现，以及持久的友谊和令人烦恼的挑战。

All of that is necessary to an undergraduate education that, in Maria's words, inspires students to "think for [themselves], " "nurtur[es] [their] tendency to inquiry," and encourages them to "prob[e] why we [are] on this planet and what [each of us is] here to do." Maria offers advice about how she navigated the challenges she confronted at Princeton and beyond.

所有这些对于本科教育来说都是必要的，用玛丽亚的话说， 本科教育可以激励学生“独立思考” ，“培养他们的探究倾向”，并鼓励他们“探究为什么我们[我们]在这个星球上， [我们每个人]来这里要做的事情。 ” 玛丽亚就她如何应对在普林斯顿及其他地方所面临的挑战提供了建议。

She says that she had to "lear[n] to trust: to drop [her] shields and be vulnerable." Admitting that we need help is hard, and doing so can be especially difficult for students who attend Princeton – you are all extraordinarily talented and you are accustomed to succeeding.

她说她必须“学会信任：放下防护罩，变得脆弱。 ” 承认我们需要帮助是很困难的，对于就读普林斯顿大学的学生来说尤其困难——你们都非常有才华， 而且你们已经习惯了成功。

I experienced this personally.

我亲身经历过这一点。

When I came to Princeton as a student (long, long, long ago!), I… I took a physics class that was too advanced for me, and I struggled throughout my first year.

当我作为一名学生来到普林斯顿时（很久很久以前！ ），我…… 我上了一门对我来说太高级的物理课，我在第一年都在挣扎。

I was too proud, though, to ask anyone for help.

但我太骄傲了，不愿意向任何人寻求帮助。

I wanted to prove that I could get through it myself.

我想证明我自己可以度过难关。

That was a mistake, and it made that year much tougher than it needed to be.

这是一个错误，它让那一年变得比需要的更加艰难。

I hope you'll follow Maria's example, not mine!

我希望你能效仿玛丽亚的榜样，而不是我的！

If Maria Ressa, a courageous journalist whom Amal Clooney describes as a "superhero," can admit her vulnerability and trust in the goodness of others, then so should the rest of us.

如果被阿迈勒·克鲁尼称为“超级英雄” 的勇敢记者玛丽亚·雷莎能够承认自己的脆弱并相信他人的善良，那么我们其他人也应该如此。

You will find yourself surrounded by supportive people at Princeton – classmates, professors, deans, chaplains, counselors, and coaches, to name just a few.

你会发现自己被普林斯顿大学的支持者所包围——同学、教授、院长、牧师、辅导员和教练等等。

But you need to be strong enough to ask for help when you need it, which, at some point, you will, because that is part of what it means to get a really good education.

但你需要足够坚强， 在需要时寻求帮助，在某些时候你会的， 因为这是获得真正良好教育的一部分。

If you do, I suspect that you'll not only find people ready to assist, but that you might also form relationships that last long beyond your time on this campus.

如果你这样做， 我怀疑你不仅会找到愿意提供帮助的人，而且还可能会建立比你在校园里时间更长的关系。

As Maria says, "when you're vulnerable, you create the strongest bonds and the most inspiring possibilities." I hope, too, that you will look for opportunities to support those around you and help them to thrive on this campus.

正如玛丽亚所说， “当你脆弱时，你就会创造出最牢固的纽带和最鼓舞人心的可能性。 ”我也希望你能寻找机会支持你周围的人， 帮助他们在这个校园里茁壮成长。

We are fortunate to be together on a campus and in a community with strong commitments to diversity and inclusivity, but we live in a time of intense social conflict, when hateful speech is too common and when some people prefer to stoke division rather than build a shared common good.

我们很幸运能够在一个对多样性和包容性做出坚定承诺的校园和社区中相聚，但我们生活在一个社会冲突激烈的时代，仇恨言论非常普遍， 有些人更愿意煽动分裂而不是建立一个和谐的社会。 共享共同利益。

I thought about those schisms while reading another part of Maria Ressa's story, when she recounts her recognition, some years after graduating from Princeton, that she is gay.

我在阅读玛丽亚·雷莎故事的另一部分时想到了这些分裂，当时她讲述了她从普林斯顿大学毕业几年后承认自己是同性恋的情况。

Maria writes about how it felt to "throw away gender signals ingrained since birth," and about the rejection she experienced from friends and relatives.

玛丽亚写了“抛弃自出生以来根深蒂固的性别信号”的感受，以及她经历的朋友和亲戚的拒绝。

She also describes what it was like to be "working in several countries where it was illegal to be gay." Until recently, many of us dared to hope that such experiences would become a thing of the past.

她还描述了“在同性恋违法的几个国家工作”的感觉。 直到最近，我们中的许多人还敢于希望这样的经历将成为过去。

We believed that this country was on a path toward full inclusion and respect for LGBTQ and non-binary identities.

我们相信，这个国家正走在全面包容和尊重 LGBTQ 和非二元身份的道路上。

I hope that it still is.

我希望现在仍然如此。

In the last few years, however, we have seen increasing numbers of vitriolic and unjust attacks directed at gay and trans people in the United States.

然而，在过去几年中，我们看到美国针对同性恋和跨性别者的尖刻和不公正的攻击越来越多。

These attacks are cruel, they are heart-breaking, and they are wrong.

这些攻击是残酷的、令人心碎的，而且是错误的。

Always, and especially now, this campus must stand firmly for equality, inclusion, and respect.

始终，尤其是现在，这个校园必须坚定地支持平等、包容和尊重。

Our community must be a place where students, faculty, and staff of all identities feel fully welcome, free to express themselves, and able to participate fully in the transformational educational experiences that Princeton offers.

我们的社区必须是一个让各种身份的学生、教师和工作人员感到受到充分欢迎、自由表达自己并能够充分参与普林斯顿大学提供的变革性教育体验的地方。

Of course, that does not mean that we will all agree with one another.

当然，这并不意味着我们都会彼此同意。

On the contrary, I expect that you will disagree with one another, with your professors, and, for that matter, with me.

相反，我预计你们会与彼此、你们的教授以及我的意见不一致。

You are free to do that; indeed, you are encouraged to do that.

你可以自由地这样做；事实上，我们鼓励您这样做。

Engaged discussion and passionate argument are essential to a college education.

积极的讨论和激烈的争论对于大学教育至关重要。

So too are mutual respect and collegial support that allow us to learn and grow together.

相互尊重和同事支持也是如此，让我们能够共同学习和成长。

We can, and should, aspire both to think critically and to embrace generously.

我们可以而且应该渴望批判性思考和慷慨拥抱。

I hope that is the path you choose while you are here at Princeton and throughout your lives.

我希望这是你在普林斯顿大学期间以及一生中选择的道路。

Please let me close by saying that I am so looking forward to getting to know the Great Class of 2027 in the days, months, and years ahead.

最后请允许我说，我非常期待在未来的日子、几个月和几年里认识 2027 届优秀毕业生。

I am so glad that you are here, full and welcome members of this community.

我很高兴你们来到这里，成为这个社区的正式成员并受到欢迎。

To Princeton's Great Class of 2027, and to everyone who joins or returns to this beautiful campus as we begin a new academic year, I say: Welcome to Princeton, and best wishes for the year ahead!

对普林斯顿大学 2027 届优秀毕业生， 以及在新学年开始时加入或返回这个美丽校园的每个人，我说：欢迎来到普林斯顿大学， 并祝愿新的一年！

Welcome to Princeton, 2027.

欢迎来到普林斯顿，2027。