Jocelyn Yow

ALOR SETAR, Dec 20 (Sin Chew Daily) — Jocelyn Yow, the mayor of Eastvale in California, gives her juniors at SJK(C) Keat Hwa (K) a surprise during the school's online graduation ceremony recently.

The school played a video clip of Yow encouraging her juniors to be bold and believe in themselves.

The school posted the video of the graduation ceremony on its Facebook with short clips of the school and its activities recorded for the past six years as well as Yow's message.

In the one-minute and 40-second video, Yow shared her feelings when she graduated from the school 14 years ago.

Yow, 25, graduated from SMJK Keat Hwa in 2011 and KSJK(C) Keat Hwa (K) in 2006.

She encouraged the pupils in Mandarin.

She told the pupils school results are important but leadership skill is equally important.

Yow also took the opportunity to thank her class teacher Yang Li Zhen.

She told the pupils she learned a lot being a girl guide, and the extra-curricular activities at school helped shape her characters.

"When you are in secondary school, there are thousands of students with you. When you are in the university, there are like 10,000 students with you. When you are at work, there are millions of people with you. The world is huge. But the most important thing is: you must believe in yourself and be yourself," she said.

Yow stressed that a person would not be able to convince other people if he does not have faith in himself.

Falling down is part of the process of growth and one should have the courage and confidence to stand up again.

She encouraged the students to pursue their dreams.