Exiled Activist Nathan Law’s Life of "Failures" - Washington & Jefferson College 2022 Commencement

Nathan Law, convener of HKDC’s advisory board, delivers his commencement speech.
Excerpt:
Let me end on a personal note. Before entering college, I actually missed a year because my public exam results were not up to my expectations. I was upset at the time and felt like I failed and wasted a year of time. But it was actually because I postponed my enrollment to college that I happened to be in a position of student leadership in 2014, when the Umbrella Movement broke out. The massive protests marked a turning point when Hongkongers stood up and resisted in the face of blatant lies from the Chinese government. I stepped into the limelight and became a student activist from that point on. As they say, the rest was history.
Sometimes we feel like we are stuck in a bad spot. It is only in retrospect that we may realize it has been a gift all along. For me to be able to even stand here on this stage today is extremely unlikely. Inviting a Hong Kong activist to campus is not easy and certainly not without cost, let alone awarding me an honorary doctorate degree. So I want to acknowledge, once again, the entire Washington and Jefferson College community for your hospitality and friendship.
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讓我以個人的故事作結。在考上大學之前，我因為公開試成績比預期中差而錯失了一個學年。那時候我感到很挫敗，覺得我浪費了整整一年的時間。但也因為我遲了一年入大學，輾轉之下我在2014年，雨傘運動爆發那年，成為了學生代表。那場運動成為了香港人對抗以謊言橫行的中國政府的轉捩點。我站進了聚光燈之下，成為了社運人士──就從那起點開始，其餘都是歷史。
有時候我們發現自己置於困頓之中，總是在回顧的時候才發現那些事其實是一種祝福。對我來說，可以站在這台上也是很不容易的事。邀請一個香港社運家來校園致辭，為他頒上榮譽博士的名銜，絕對不是無須代價。我想就此再次衷心感謝華盛頓傑斐遜學院的款待以及友誼。
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