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Home / Speeches and Announcements / 2017 / May / 24 / Graduation Address: “This day is about you and what you’ve achieved”

Graduation Address: “This day is about you and what you’ve achieved”

May 24, 2017

  • Honoured guests, members of the Board of Governors and Senate, faculty, staff, alumni… and, most especially, graduands, family and friends. Welcome!
  • What an honour it is for me be with you today to celebrate UBC’s graduating Class of 2017!
  • I can tell you that this is one of the best parts of my job, to participate in this joyful, momentous occasion.
  • This day is about you and what you’ve achieved through hard work, determination, and moments of creative inspiration.
  • Graduation is a time to imagine your future and the world to come. When you think of the road ahead, you may gain perspective by looking back to where you’ve been.
  • And I hope that when you do look back on your time at UBC, you will do so with fondness, and that when you look ahead, you will see UBC as a part of your future.
  • You will always be welcome here, and we look forward to hearing about your personal and professional achievements as you build on the foundation provided by your UBC degree.
  • We also hope to continue to engage with you as alumni as you travel forward to new adventures.
  • As you begin a new stage in your life and experience, you can be confident that you can and will make a difference, because like the UBC graduates who have gone before you, you possess the knowledge and skills that are conferred by an excellent education.
  • In his address to UBC’s initial graduating class in 1916, UBC’s first President Frank Wesbrook encouraged students to make our world a better place in which to live. Today, 101 years later, I echo his remarks. I believe that each and every one of you has the capacity and skill to succeed and make our world a better place.
  • And one more thing. Graduation should never mean goodbye.
  • As Professor Wesbrook also said back in 1916, Tuum Est — it’s your university – today and always.
  • Congratulations, Class of 2017, and my very best wishes for you all.

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