Nagoya University Civil and Environmental Engineering International
Programs Closing Ceremony, 2022 Fall

Pema SYLDON
Master Student, Graduate School of Environmental Studies
Good afternoon,
Respected senseis, staff members, families and all my dearfriends. I am Pema Syldon. I am from the Land andInfrastructure Design Lab, Tomita and Nakamura Shinichiro
Lab. And I am from Bhutan.
First of all, I would like to thank the Civil & Environmental
Engineering International Programs Office (CEEIPO) forgiving me this opportunity to deliver this speech at theclosing ceremony of Nagoya University Global Environmental Leaders Program(NUGELP) and Forefront Studies Program, representing all my graduating friends today.
I am honored to have been given the opportunity.
Today is an important day not just for us graduating students, but for everyone in thisroom. It is even more special because we passed this course under the COVID-19
pandemic.
We were admitted to our courses amidst the pandemic, however the CEEIPO office ofNagoya University has been taking special care of us since day 1. And today we would
like to deeply show our respects to the university, especially the CEEIPO office forguiding and helping us throughout our study program.
The NUGELP and Forefront Program provided us with opportunities to experiencelectures on cutting-edge expertise and special lectures by practitioners, internships,and study tours.
I am sure that each and every one of us graduating from these programs today would
have gained the aimed skills and knowledge of the program. With this new knowledge
and skills, we shall do our best to rise as global environmental leaders and civilengineers towards a sustainable future.

We take this opportunity again to thank and also congratulate the CEEIPO office, eachand everyone in the office for guiding us to successfully complete our program. We
shall do our best in the future.
Furtheron, today is the day when all our senseis’ guidance can be seen in each andeveryone of us. We would like to sincerely thank all our senseis, especially academic
supervisors for closely guiding us, not just in our study but also in our day to day lives.
My sensei Shinichiro Nakamura sensei has been guiding me throughout. We would not
be where we are today, if it wasn't for the patience and continued support andguidance from our senseis. We are forever grateful.
We also take this opportunity to thank our families for always supporting us. We areaway, however, your blessings have always been with us.
And finally, to all my graduating friends here, Congratulations! We finally did it !
Those new faces we saw online on zoom and teams when we first started our course
are now our friends, who are more like families here in Japan. I am sure that we will
never forget each other. We have gained tremendous knowledge, skills, met a lot ofpeople, attended so many classes, we were under the pandemic, there were many
restrictions but … we did it ! Congratulations !
Let’s not forget why we came here, and what we learnt here. We must not forget to do
our part by further implementing and sharing our knowledge and experiences to thewider audience. This is our responsibility. Let's give our best! I wish you good luck inyour future endeavors!
Once again, our two years of hard work finally came into fru-i-tion and it's theconcerted effort of everyone in this room, as well as of our families back home.
Congratulations again and thank you very much for all your support and cooperation.
Thank you everyone, domo arigatou gozaimasu :)Teuku Habil Putra
Master Student, Graduate School of Engineering
Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen.
I am sure that today is an exciting day for all of us. My nameis Teuku Habil Putra and I’m from the Steel Structures andBridge Engineering Lab. First of all, I would like to give a big
congratulation to everyone for being here at the closingceremony. I know for a fact, that these past two years may
not be all easy and trouble-free for everyone. Personally, I
have gone through a lot of sleepless nights and frustrations
during research. Not to mention that the COVID-19
pandemic is also still around (I hope everyone is well). Despite all of that, we still
manage to graduate. Let’s give ourselves a round of applause.
On behalf of my fellow graduates, I would like to express our gratitude to theprofessors, faculty members, and staff for the guidance, kind support, encouragement,
and immense knowledge throughout our study. Special appreciation goes to myacademic supervisor, Associate Professor Takeshi HANJI from the Department of CivilEngineering.
Studying in Japan is like a dream come true, especially for civil engineers. I was able toabsorb all sorts of knowledge in Bridge Engineering through first-hand experience,research works, and study tours provided by my laboratory. Aside from that, I havereally enjoyed my two years stay in Japan. I was able to witness the beauty of Sakura
trees in the spring, and the freezing cold of the winter. They were totally unforgettable
moments for me.
For the Forefront and NUGELP Programs, thank you very much for the opportunity.
These programs have enlightened us about the environment and engineering issues
globally. If we recall SDGs No. 11, to make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe,
resilient, and sustainable, an effort from a separate party will certainly be hopeless. But
through these programs, international bonds have been developed and cooperation
will be made. I hope for a bright future for everyone enrolled in this program.
Once again, congratulation, and see you all at the top! Thank you!

SUKULTHANASORN Naruethep
Doctoral Student, Graduate School of EngineeringFirst of all, as the representatives of the student in theinternational program, we would like to thank all Professors andFaculty members from the department of Civil andEnvironmental Engineering. We know that you have worked so
hard over the last three years for us to overcome the challenges
and difficulties during the COVID-19 pandemic. We reallyappreciate it and will remember this as a valuable part of ourjourney at Nagoya University.
As student members of "Forefront Programs", we all received experience in theintensive training from coursework, conducting research, publication in the journal,and attending the conference, but on top of that, " Sustainable Development" is theone issue that we have learned and is emphasized a lot through the program,combined with our experience living in Japan, I believe we all have intrinsic motivationto achieve sustainability goals in whatever we plan to do in the future.
To the friend, "Forefront/NUGELP" students, if we throwback to the first moment thatcame to Japan, on that day, we cannot imagine the difficulties, obstacles, and good andbad stories that happened like this in our journey, especially the unpredictable thing
like the COVID-19 pandemic. We are directly and indirectly trained from thesechallenges, we push our limits, and we are more flexible and patient in order toachieve our goals. Now, we have reached this point, graduation, and I know that this is
not easy and requires much effort along the way. So, today, we should be proud ofourselves as the graduating student of Fall 2022. In the future, no one can say it will beeasy, but with the experience received from the Forefront/NUGELP programs, I believe
we will finally pass through it.
Now this journey is ended, however, our next journey just beginning, be ready andwelcome new challenges. We have a special bond as alumni of Nagoya University. Feelfree to get in touch and collaboration.
Congratulations!
Many thanks to Sensei and the relevant people in the international program.