Cambridge, Massachusetts (AP) – Her day after An emotional speech at Harvard University Starting, Yurong “Luanna” Jiang continued to come across classmates and praised the message that people should not demonize others for differences, but should see all people’s common humanity.
“We are beginning to believe in people who think differently, vote differently, pray differently – it’s not just wrong whether they’re sitting next to us, whether they’re on the other side of the ocean, or sitting next to us. We mistakenly consider them evil. But that doesn’t have to be this way,” she said in her speech.
Center “Luanna” jiang spoke at the start of Harvard University, university friends Helen Ji, left, Cynthia Luo, Friday, May 30, 2025, Cambridge, Massachusetts (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
“The message itself will rise and fall like one if I have to put it in one sentence,” Jiang told The Associated Press on Friday. “We live in a very difficult time. There are many divisions in terms of ideas, ethnicity, and identity. This is a time when we can use a little more moral imagination and imagine ourselves connecting with each other.”
Jiang’s speech, 25, has never been directly mentioned. There’s no Trump administration or multifaceted attacks At the oldest and richest university in the country. However, she said the confusion beyond their campus and the impact on her classmates lies in her mind when she conveyed her speech.
Yurong “Luanna” Jiang, who spoke at the start of Harvard University, smiles and smiles while accepting his friend Helen Ji in Cambridge, Massachusetts on Friday, May 30, 2025 (AP Photo/Charles Crupa)
“Students can get very emotionally charged because they care deeply about many issues,” said Jiang, a Chinese native who graduated with a master’s degree in administrative degrees in international development. “It’s very easy to demonize others when you’re emotionally recharged and activated.”
She said the relentless attacks from the Trump administration over school funding and threats to detain and deport people studying in the US on student visas have added great uncertainty to her plans for the future, leaving her uneasy.
AP Audio: Chinese Students hit a chord highlighting humanity during Harvard’s opening speech
Speaking to reporters, President Trump says his administration will continue to make that claim against Harvard.
“As far as plans are planned, I think it’s all in the air at this point,” Jiang said. “It’s hard to say what’s going to happen at this point.”
This week, the Trump administration called on federal agencies to cancel a contract that costs around $100 million in university contracts. The government has already cancelled more than $2.6 billion in federal research grants and moved to block registrations for Harvard international students, threatening their tax-free status. It has since expanded its pressure campaign, suspending visa applications around the world and threatening to deny thousands of visas Chinese students all over the country.
These actions resonate with Jiang and her classmates. Approximately 30% of Harvard students are international, with China having the highest number.
Yurong “Luanna” Jiang, who gave a speech at the start of Harvard University, posed at the gates of Harvard Yard in Cambridge, Massachusetts on Friday, May 30, 2025 (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
“Anxiety is real,” said Jiang, who knows two international students from China who are weighing whether to travel for work in Kenya and Rwanda.
“Because of visa uncertainty, they are faced with a very tricky situation,” she said. “They can go abroad, go to Kenya and Rwanda for internships, address poverty alleviation and public health, but there is a risk that they won’t be able to safely return to campus.
“That’s pretty heartbreaking,” she continued. “They wanted to help humanity.
Yurong “Luanna” Jiang, who spoke at the start of Harvard University, raises his fist while talking to a friend on Friday, May 30, 2025 in Cambridge, Massachusetts (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
Jiang Jiang, who attended a high school in the UK and earned a bachelor’s degree from Duke University, said there should be less academic exchange between China and the US.
“Humanity is facing many crises,” she said. “There’s conflict. There’s climate. Not just one country, but one country, China and the US are two of the most powerful economies or countries in the world. They must work together to combat the problems and problems that affect all humans.”
Jiang also defended the importance of Harvard international students and recalled that 60% of students rose to the start of the Kennedy government when Dean Jeremy Weinstein asked how many people came from outside the United States. He then asked if they had learned anything from their international classmates, and most people were standing.
“Many of us cheered with applause, many of us were crying,” she said.
Yurong “Luanna” Jiang will address the opening ceremony at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts on Thursday, May 29, 2025 (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
Without international students, it would be a challenge for Harvard University to achieve its mission, Jiang said. Campus culture relies on, study and wander together on a globally diverse student body.
“Harvard wants students to change the world and change it. You can’t change the world without understanding it,” she said. “If you don’t have a truly personal connection with people from all countries, you can’t understand the world.”
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