Dear students, alumni, colleagues, and partners of CDE,

In his valedictory speech, Bryan Lee Jia En remarked, “Behind every finished image is a folder with forty-seven other versions named ‘Final_version2’, ‘Version 3’, ‘Really Final’, ‘Final Final.psd’, and so on.” It captured something familiar: our constant effort to refine, improve and perfect what we do. As he rightly observed, “The final image never tells the full story, because much of our learning happened in those unseen moments of failure, questioning, and uncertainty.”

At every Commencement, I am struck by the wisdom that emerges when people reflect on their experiences—whether shared by a young graduate at the beginning of a new journey or by a guest speaker drawing on many years of growth and discovery.

Commencement is a time of celebration, but it is also a reminder that learning does not begin and end in the classroom. We grow through our interactions with others, through being open to understanding the people and the world around us and through embracing the differences that make these experiences so enriching.

My thanks to the Class of 2026 for allowing us to be part of your journeys. We will always be proud to count you as part of our community.

Professor Teo Kie Leong
Dean
College of Design and Engineering (CDE)