LONDON, 18 September 2025 – Mr. Baiyu Liu AMBCS FRSA MIoD, President of the King’s College London Students’ Union, addressed new international students at King’s College London. President Liu welcomed the new students and spoke about the importance of joining new societies.
President Liu believes that university is a moment for independence and personal growth, which he reiterated to his new constituents.
President Baiyu Liu said:
“Good morning, ladies and gentlemen—welcome to King’s College London, and welcome to the greatest city on Earth. You have crossed continents and time zones; you have wrestled valiantly with Heathrow, Gatwick, border control, and, most perilous of all, the British weather. And yet—you have prevailed. Consider this your first triumph at King’s.
My name is Baiyu Liu, President of KCLSU, King’s College London Students’ Union. Your Students’ Union. I'm here to extend to you a massive welcome. Whether you arrived by boat, plane, bus, or train, you are now part of a community that is old, storied, international, and—crucially—alive to possibility.
King’s was founded in 1829 by Royal Charter, championed by the Duke of Wellington and granted by King George 4th—an answer to the “godless college” at Russell Square. AKA our friends up the road at UCL.
Our Students’ Union has venerable roots: the Union Society of King’s was founded in 1873 this later became KCLSU. I am proud to represent the oldest students’ union in the world. One of its most dynamic early presidents, Ivison Macadam, went on to found and serve as the first President of the National Union of Students in 1922; our Macadam Building bears his name in tribute to that legacy of student leadership.
At KCLSU you can join well over 400 student-led groups—sports teams, cultural and faith societies, arts and media collectives, academic circles, hobby groups, and volunteering and campaigning organisations—the glorious, humming machinery of campus life. Whether it’s watching anime with Manga society or training with the football team, there is something for you. Our Welcome Fair next Monday will be the biggest event in the academic year. Come, roam, collect freebies, and meet the people who will become your teammates, bandmates, and possibly flatmates. Quick show of hands—who’s actually coming to the Fair? Amazing, I’ll see you all there.
If you hit visa, housing, money, or study troubles—come talk to our KCLSU Help and Advice teams early. You are not on your own. With over 70 full time staff at the students’ union, we are here to support you.
Now, a serious note—because you did not travel thousands of miles merely to collect tote bags. You came to sharpen your mind and enlarge your heart. Your families, your communities, perhaps you yourself, have made sacrifices to place you in this room. Honour that. Work hard. Be kind. Phone home. The measure of a great university is not just the papers it publishes, but the people it produces. Be the people who lift others up as you climb.
And finally to quote the Roman Poet Horace—carpe diem. Seize the day. And also, seize the night, responsibly. Seize the office hour with professors, seize the society events, seize the department socials. In a few years’ time, when you stride across a stage to collect a degree from this famous institution, I hope you’ll look back and say: “I squeezed every drop of opportunity from King’s and London. I built friendships across borders. I led, I learnt, I laughed—often at myself—and I left King’s ready to build something bigger than me.”
Welcome to King’s. And welcome to KCLSU. Thank you.”
ENDS
The views expressed on this page are those of Baiyu Liu and unless specified, they do not purport to represent the views of the King's College London Students' Union, its Officers, or its Members.
Media are directed to contact the Office of the President and the Secretary for Employment and Student Success via e-mail at baiyu4prez@gmail.com.
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