Some 19 outstanding expatriate doctoral graduates from Shandong University gather to express their affection for their alma mater, Jinan, Shandong province, and China after their graduation ceremony on June 23. [Photo/sdchina.com]

Some 19 expatriate doctoral graduates of Shandong University (SDU) gathered in Jinan, capital of Shandong province, after their graduation ceremony on June 23 to express their affection for their alma mater, Jinan and life in China.

"I've lived in Jinan for five years and I love everything here," said Dahlala Patricia Sterling from Jamaica, who plans to stay in the city after graduation.

"I really like China so I want to be a teacher at a university in Qingdao," Azka Amin from Pakistan said excitedly when talking about his plans after graduation.

To be a diplomat is also a popular aspiration for a career. Selala Laone Pearls from Botswana hopes to become a diplomat in his home country and then get sent to China, so he can make contributions towards the friendly relations of the two countries.

Of the 19 outstanding graduates, Pakistan's Abdul Sami is possibly the most extraordinary of them all, having published 29 SCI theses during his education in SDU.

Sami owed his success to the favorable academic environment offered by his alma mater.

Liu Mingli, director of SDU's International Student and Scholar Center, said that as more and more expatriate students have come to China to study over the past few years, the education industry in China has enjoyed a prosperous period of development, thanks in part to the continuous promotion of the Belt and Road Initiative.

Shandong University, one of the top-tier universities in China, houses more than 3,000 international students from over 110 countries and the university, each year, would greet over 1,000 another expatriate students.

Graduates of Shandong University pose for a group photo after their graduation ceremony on June 23. [Photo/sdchina.com]