Graduation Address

I am reminded of the words of the Afghan poet Rumi.

"On a day when the wind is perfect, the sail just needs to open and the world is full of beauty. Today is such a day."

As you open your sails and set off on your journeys, today is truly full of beauty. Today is such a day.

Lt Governor, Chancellor McCain, President Campbell, platform guests, dedicated faculty, friends, proud parents, and you the happy, spirited UNB Graduating Class of 2015, soon to set sail.

What an honour it is for me to be here with you. I stood here at this same podium as UNB's first female valedictorian in 1971 - please don?t do the math! I am delighted that the winds of fate have steered me back here to accept this honorary degree - all the more because this time I didn?t have to study for exams!

I believe I am here today because I have the privilege of being Canada's first female Ambassador to Afghanistan, continuing the work that so many brave Canadians have done over the past 14 years, helping the Afghan people rebuild their nation, including giving Afghan girls and boys the chance to take the same educational journey that you have just completed.

Sometimes I wonder: how did a young girl from a large, poor family growing up on the Miramichi River in northern New Brunswick, become an Ambassador?

Well, that's easy to answer - I am a UNB GRADUATE!

I was here at UNB at the beginning of the women's movement and the middle of the Cold War. We thought talking on a pay phone was cool and we spent hours planning the next student demonstration and organizing sit-ins. You all have behaved much better!

Every generation feels they are special - mine certainly did. After all, we were hippies - I'm just glad we didn't take selfies back then.

I'm here to tell you that your generation actually is special. Yours is the First Generation that can end poverty but also the Last Generation that can stop climate change. I also believe that yours is the generation that can get us to true equality - equality regardless of gender, race, sexual orientation, religion, or any other form of discrimination.

When I graduated, women were only a third of university graduates. Today they make up nearly 60 per cent. At that time, it was virtually unheard of for women to be appointed as ambassadors; now one in four are women.

But even this limited progress in our country remains a distant dream for many women around the world.

Women and girls make up over 70 per cent of the world's poor and two thirds of its illiterate population.

I am proud of Canada's efforts to help support Afghan women in their daily struggle for a better life, a struggle that has become iconic of women's empowerment around the globe.

I've been told by Afghan women that I give them hope in my role as Ambassador. But in truth, watching them risk their lives to vote, to get their babies vaccinated, it is THEY who give me hope!!

Each day in Afghanistan I see us all move a little closer ... a little closer to a global family where ALL are valued... and given the opportunity to be ALL that we can be.

I was introduced to "the women?s movement" right here on this campus, and it changed my life. Now I take that wisdom and use it, as an unrelenting advocate, to help improve the lives of others.

That's what UNB taught me to do. That's what this proud university expected me to do.

Now, it will expect you to do the same, to take what you have learned here and make your own contributions, to the world around you.

We call this "your commencement" because your journey is just beginning. You must now chart your own course through life's adventures. And I must, as your Commencement speaker, try to offer you a bit of wisdom that I gathered along my voyage.

Here's what I've learned: 1) Remember your roots, 2) hang on to the people who matter, 3) and be courageous.

First. No matter where you sail; always remember your home ports. You don't know where you're headed yet and even if you have some ideas, life can be full of surprises. I studied biology and the arts here, yet somehow ended up running a fishing/hunting lodge, building schools in Africa, teaching in the West Indies, working in Tokyo, negotiating with the US, travelling in military helicopters in Afghanistan. But everywhere I went, I carried the essence of home with me - and I came back every year to be strengthened and renewed.

I was raised by caring, committed parents who taught me to love deeply and often and to work hard always, and who in spite of having no money, or perhaps because of it, put a huge value on education. They would be bursting with pride today. I want to say their names to you, now - Joe and Rita Lyons. They are my own personal heroes. And I know you all have yours.

And beyond family, neighbors on the Miramichi and the wise professors here at UNB taught me - that we are all here to take care of one another. That when tragedy happens to one of us it happens to all of us, and so too joy is shared. With their winds in my sails, is it any wonder that I became a diplomat working in the global neighborhood?

Second. Remember that the journey is all about the people you will meet along the way. Some will become treasured friends, and others will be the briefest of encounters. Be open to learning from everyone you meet.

I have many special people in my life. I would be less of a person if I had not met up with them.

My 75 year-old neighbor - Fent - who, when asked for gardening advice, replied simply... "Well, I don't know I just put the seeds in the ground and see if they grow". A motto I now use for life - don't be afraid to plant the seed and let it grow!

My colleague Alan, who gave me the best advice on parenting - spend time with your kids, they'll turn out ok!

The wisdom I learned from my Japanese friends, the joy of music that my Irish ancestors (and cousin Harry) taught me, the gift of friendship that my roommates here at UNB gave me and continue to share to this very day.

The best part of the journey is the people, they will provide the love, the fun, the shared laughter along the way. And when your boat goes off course, they will help to tow you back to your North star.

Third. Be courageous. You now face an exciting world of possibilities, but also great uncertainty.

In Afghanistan, I have had to search for reserves of courage I never knew I had, living in a conflict zone where suicide bombings are tragically common. I have seen true courage in action, the courage of the young Canadian soldiers who have served so bravely and with kindness, as Canadians do. Their courage drew me to Afghanistan to continue their legacy and it propels me every day in their memory.

The courage of young Afghans risking their lives simply by going to school. When I meet with them, I have a full security team protecting me. I watch them leave the school alone, these young girls and boys with their courage and their great vulnerability. I ask myself who protects them. And the answer is simple ... I must ... we all must. Guided by their courage we must never again allow fear to dimtheir essential and illuminating flame of Knowledge.

You don't need to go to Afghanistan to see courage. You see it in the everyday acts of ordinary people. The courage it took for your parents to get you to this point. The courage it will take each of you to pursue the job of your dreams, commit to a life partner, become a good parent - or whatever it is you'll choose to do. Life takes courage.

When life presents you with different paths, my advice is to choose the one that takes the most courage. You will find more of yourself there.

So today the wind is perfect - and our world is full of beauty. I wish - I so wish - I could tell you you will have calm seas and a steady breeze. But you know that the seas will get rough; the winds, fierce.

Your journey will be long and you'll end up changing your destination, sometimes by choice and sometimes by necessity.

But if you remember where you started, if you focus on people, and if you are courageous, you will love this journey - and, if you're lucky and take what UNB has given you, you may even make the passage a little easier for the people who follow.

So off you go ... sailing away from the Hill. Whatever your course, you will always carry UNB with you.

UNB graduates of 2015, I am proud to count you as fellow alumnae and wish you all the very best - full, open sails and safe travels!