Guowei Li has been named the valedictorian for UNBC's 2025 Convocation, Ceremony 2

By Tommy Osborne

UNBC Valedictorian

UNBC’s 2025 valedictorian hopes to “bring back blue skies” through environmental research

May 23, 2025 | 1:47 PM

PRINCE GEORGE – Guowei Li has been named UNBC’s Class of 2025 Valedictorian. Graduating with a PhD in Natural Resources and Environmental Studies, Li says he’s always had a big passion for the environment, especially due to his upbringing in China.

“For me personally, I have witnessed how the sky changed from blue, to a little bit of gray, and then later on there’s a haze problem, there’s smoke problems in China. What I wanted to do when I was choosing my undergrad degree is: I want to bring that blue sky back,” Li said.

“When I was young, I loved watching superhero movies, and it just feels so wonderful how they can change the world with their superpowers. But as a normal person, how do you achieve that? I think if you can change the environment, even just a tiny bit, then that’s the way that you become a superhero yourself,” he continued, speaking on his passion for the environment.

He chose UNBC specifically for the chance to work with Dr. Jueyi Sui and his work in cold region hydraulics, as Li’s specific focus is river ice hydraulics. During his many years studing the environment, Li says he became increasingly drawn to the importance of water, leading to his decision to study river ice hydraulics.

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“I realized that water is the most important thing in life. It’s not just for the environment, it’s also for humans, for all the living creatures,” he said.

As for the message he hopes to deliver to his fellow graduates, he encourages everyone to stay curious and remain life-long learners, and also plans to speak on the importance of dreaming big and always pursuing your ambitions.

“People are saying dreaming big is naive. But I think dreaming big is not naive, it’s necessary. Because only when you start to dream big, you realize what is achievable, what is not achievable, so dreaming big is a prerequisite for everything,” Li said.

Li will speak at Ceremony 2 of the 2025 UNBC Convocation, which will take place on May 30.

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