Graduation 2025｜Year 13 Graduation Ceremony: From Harrow to the World Stage, Shine On!

As time flows and the seasons turn, each graduating class of Harrow Beijing has drawn knowledge, forged lasting friendships, and achieved personal growth on this vibrant campus.

Since its founding in 2005, hundreds of Harrow Beijing graduates have set out from here to attend the world’s top universities, building their paths across the globe, carrying with them the Harrow spirit, and embarking on remarkable journeys of their own.

Now, the Class of 2025 at Harrow Beijing is ready to embark on a new chapter of life. With dreams and determination, they step into a wider world – growing through exploration and challenge as they begin the next stage of their journey.

In the 2025 university application season, Harrow Beijing graduates once again delivered an impressive set of results.

They received hundreds of offers from the world’s leading universities, including prestigious G5 institutions such as the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge – with an outstanding Oxbridge offer rate of 9%—as well as several Top 10 global universities and numerous other Top 30 institutions worldwide. In addition, they were awarded over RMB 14 million in scholarships in total, marking a triumphant conclusion to their secondary school journey with excellence and distinction.

Headmaster’s Address
Mr. Philip Akerman
Headmaster of Harrow Beijing

Today, we gather not just to celebrate the end of our time at Harrow Beijing, but to mark the beginning of something far more meaningful—our journey into the world as thoughtful, courageous, and compassionate individuals who embody our Harrow Values and our mission statement: Educational Excellence for Life and Leadership.

As you step out into the world, remember some key things. You are already amongst the most talented and exceptional people in the world. You have more knowledge, more wealth, and more opportunity than the majority of people who have ever lived. That’s something!

It’s both exciting and a little daunting. Exciting – because there is so much you can do. Daunting – because this privilege comes with responsibility: to make the world we live in better… and kinder.

But before we rush out to change the world, we must keep remembering where all true change starts: with ourselves. Think of life as a series of concentric circles. At the center is you – not just your mental health, but your whole self: your habits, your values, your character. Living well means more than just surviving or succeeding. It means living with intention. It means cultivating discipline, humility, and a sense of purpose. It means aligning your actions with your beliefs—even when no one is watching.

When we live this way—when we take care of our inner life – we become stronger, steadier, and more generous. That strength ripples outward: first to our families, then to our communities, and eventually to the world.

This isn’t about perfection. It’s about formation – about becoming the kind of person who can carry the weight of responsibility, who can lead with wisdom, and who can serve with joy. So as we step into this next chapter, let’s remember: The world doesn’t just need our ambition. It needs our authenticity.It needs people who are grounded and whole, who form healthy and powerful relationships, who thrive in life and also give generously of their time and talent.

My great encouragement today is to be those people – who live well, love deeply, and lead with purpose.

Congratulations, Class of 2025! The world is waiting – but start with you.

Guided by Harrow’s core values – Courage, Honour, Humility, and Fellowship – students at Harrow Beijing continue to challenge themselves, striving for academic excellence while achieving well-rounded personal growth.

At this year’s graduation ceremony, student leaders from the Class of 2025 also delivered heartfelt speeches, sharing their journeys of growth at Harrow and their aspirations for the future.

Kaiser Z
2025 Head Boy

Good afternoon everyone, my name is Kaiser and I am honoured to serve as the Head Boy for the Class of 2025 at Harrow Beijing.

Today, I stand before you with a deep sense of pride and gratitude as I deliver my final speech in the place I’ve called my second home for the past ten years. This school is where memories were made, friendships were built, and where I slowly grew from a mischievous little boy into a young man.

To our teachers: thank you for your tireless dedication, not only in guiding us academically, but also in preparing us mentally and emotionally for the road ahead. To my friends and classmates – you have been my joy, my comfort, and my greatest support. And to my parents – Mom and Dad – thank you for believing in me, for choosing this school for me, and for your unconditional love. None of this would have been possible without you. Time slips away so quickly. Today is our final full gathering as a class at Harrow. There will be laughter, and there may be tears. So please—take in this moment. Treasure every face around you, because for some of us, this may be our last time together.

In just a few months, we’ll leave Beijing and step into different parts of the world, starting a new chapter filled with uncertainty and excitement. I wish every member of the Class of 2025 courage to embrace change and strength to thrive in university life.

Lucy S
2025 Head Girl

Good morning parents, teachers, staff, and my dearest peers,

It is an honor to be standing here speaking to you for the very last time as your head girl for the past academic year. No words can describe how proud and grateful I am of everyone sitting in this room today, and how far we’ve come together as the class of 2025. Yet here we are. Sitting here today in our graduation gowns. We did it. So, let’s take a quiet moment now, right here, to close our eyes, breathe in deeply, and truly say to ourselves: “I made it.”

Personally, when I think about what we’ll carry forward with us to the future, it will be the bonds we’ve made with our peers. Take a look to your left and right, the people that’s sitting beside you, these are the people who brought our classrooms to life, who turned pressure into laughter chattering with each other in the common room, stressing over what they should order for lunch today. They will be the puzzle pieces that will turn your day-to-day life at Harrow into stories that you will tell for a lifetime.

As someone who has been nurtured within these walls since year 1, I can tell you that I don’t remember a single question on my entry exam – it’s all gone. What I do remember are the warm smiles that greeted me after I stepped out of the headmaster’s office, welcoming me into the place that I knew I belonged. That feeling of being part of a family never faded. It has been the heartbeat that has kept me going for these 13 years.

After we step out of the school building today, something will shift, everything I’ve said here today, and our experiences at this school, will become mere memories. The days of seeing each other in the same halls at the same time every single day will be officially over. Our time at Harrow will then become the “good old days” we will share with future friends, partners, and even children someday. It’s funny, isn’t it? That we only learn to cherish moments once they’re memories. Weirdly enough, standing here now, I feel a bittersweet gut-wrenching ache in my chest – I know that I’m already missing this very second even as I live it. But reality is something we all have to face, endings are a part of life – sentences end with full stops, movies end with “happily ever after”, and our schooldays will have to become a distant memory sooner or later. This feeling of stepping into adulthood may seem scary and daunting at first, but it is something that we all have to push through with courage in our hearts, just like we did through our time at Harrow. So, as you board flights to new countries, cities, and campuses, grip tight to that ticket to your dreams. Stay true to who you are and remember the resilience that you’ve built here at Harrow.

Whether it be two years or thirteen, it’s time to let go of our umbrella and break free from our safety net – the place we once called our home. Wherever your next destination may be, know that as alumni of Harrow, we will clasp our hands together across oceans and continents to support each other, for eternity – You won’t walk alone.

I don’t want to see this as a farewell, or goodbye, but rather a ‘see you later’, composed of all our shared memories and time spent together. I want to thank everyone once again for honoring me to be your voice for the past academic year. Now – let’s go write the next chapter of our life story.

As Albert Einstein once said, “Imagination is more important than knowledge.”

Congratulations to the Class of 2025 – may you carry your curiosity forward, imagine boldly, and create your own brilliance on the journey ahead.