SINGAPORE - “CONGRATULATIONS to the graduating class of 2011. We f***-ing did it!”
Those were the parting words a valedictorian from the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) left her graduating class with during their convocation ceremony last Friday evening.
In her six-minute long speech, Ms Trinetta Chong made analogies between the sections of her faculty and the different houses familiar to all Harry Potter fans - Gryffindor, Hufflepuffs, Slytherin and Ravenclaw.
The graduate from Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information (WKWSCI) also talked about her faculty’s achievements, and thanked her school and family.
Trinetta decided to save the best for last, rounding off her speech on an exhuberant, but bleep-worthy note.
The end of her speech was met with resounding applause from the graduates, with many getting on their feet to cheer her on, a YouTube video which documented her speech showed.
Was it a bold or brash move? YouTube viewers are divided in opinion over whether the valedictorian should have use the profanity.
“People need to calm down. It was THEIR graduation, THEIR ceremony, THEIR time. She can say whatever the hell she wants to say and I think what she said took guts and proved to be on the minds of most of the people there.
“She was a great choice for valedictorian. It was a speech straight from the heart!” said netizen azurenamz.
Another netizen markcenite, however, said he was “shocked and scandalised by the abominable language of wee youth”.
In an interview with evening daily Lianhe Wanbao, 100.3FM disc jockey Ms Anna Lim said it was not only undignified that such a word was used, but it was disrespectful to the audience, which consisted of professors and family members.
Valedictorians are top students elected by the graduating class, the NTU website said. They are nominated by the school in consultation with student clubs.
Besides displaying good academic performance, valedictorians should also have participated actively in extracurricular activities, including community service.
The valedictory speech “should inspire the graduating cohort as they embark on the next phase of their lives, and offer a reflection of accomplishments and times spent together with special mention of people who have played a key role during the programme of study,” NTU stated on its website.
