Valedictory Address

"Valedictory Address" (19 May 2011): 1-3. (UA Case 68, Box 1).

"When I graduated from UNB I had no idea that I was taking away anything more than my undergraduate degree. I have since realized that my four years at UNB provided much more than that. Yes, I got a great education, but I also made wonderful friendships, which endure even today. Both of these things helped shape my life and have brought me back to UNB as an active volunteer. I have found it to be a very enriching experience." - Kathryn McCain

Your Honour, Mr. Chancellor, Members of the Board of Governors, Mr. President, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, and graduates. The first time I was on UNB's campus I was two weeks old. I'd like to say I immediately knew this was going to be the school for my undergraduate degree - but I honestly don't remember what was going through my head at that time. Seventeen years later, when I was applying for schools, I made the decision to come here.

We all remember that first day, being a little (or very) lost. For me, it was Head Hall and the science buildings and figuring out how they are somehow all linked. Many of us remember looking around, wondering how we were ever going to survive the next four (or five, or six) years of our degree.

As an engineering student, I set up a tactic. I introduced myself instantly to as many female engineering students as I could. This worked well, but I shouldn't have worried-UNB became a home to all of us. The atmosphere here is exceptionally warm and we've all met more people than we ever thought possible. I know that the friends that I've made here are going to last a lifetime. The UNB community has helped me grow into the person I am today. The relationships that we've built through this school's unique environment have supported us throughout our time here. We all have a classmate, teammate, roommate or professor who has helped us through a course or a tough time. In the UNB community it is easy to get involved, no matter what your passion, as there are so many opportunities available and I am truly thankful for this. We have all had our lives influenced by this community and, whether or not you realize it, everyone present here today has had a significant impact on life at UNB. I know each graduate today has had parents, grandparents, or other family and friends that have formed a support system to help them obtain their degree. I would personally like to thank my parents, Dan and Michele, for all of their support throughout the years. Thank you for the sacrifices you've made and for the words of encouragement and advice that you've offered.

Every step in this journey, we have learned many lessons, in and out of the classroom. We've learned to approach problems with a critical mind, how to take derivatives and how to use excel spreadsheets, really well. We've had hands on experience, whether we were playing with computers, robots or dirt in labs or going on simulating field trips. We can now resolve difficult problems in teams no matter what the group dynamics, a skill that you can carry forward regardless where life takes you. We've learned how to juggle the academics with the extracurriculars, and multiple part-time jobs. And we've hopefully learned to budget the money from those part-time jobs.
I am proud to be a part of UNB and proud to be here with all of you today. I value all of the lessons I have learned during my time here and I sincerely hope that you, my fellow graduates, have gained as much from your time here as I have.

The next phase of our lives offers us many opportunities. You might be starting a career, continuing your education, volunteering or travelling the world. We're all going to have to start paying back our loans, and hopefully give back to the community. No matter what we decide to do, or where we decide to go, we will remember our friends and our time here at UNB.

This year, UNB celebrated its 225th Anniversary. Meeting the alumni that were on campus this past fall for homecoming made it clear that UNB will always be a part of us. Alumni travelled back here from all over the world be part of the festivities, celebrate their accomplishments and reminisce about their experiences at UNB with their former classmates.

In 25 years, the oldest English Language University in Canada will be celebrating another big anniversary. Hopefully, we will join these alumni and return from all over the world to share stories, reflect and celebrate 250 years of UNB.

UNB has more than 64,000 living Alumni living all around the world. They include Allison McCain, an engineering graduate, CEO of McCain's Foods; Warren MacKenzie, a CS Graduate, and CEO of Redmond Group; David Ganong, CEO Ganong's Chocolates; and Frank McKenna, former Premier of NB and former Canadian Ambassador to the U.S..

Every one of these successful alumni demonstrates two important points. First, as graduates of UNB, we have the potential to go anywhere and do anything we set our minds to do. Second, and maybe more importantly, alumni before us have shown us the importance of giving back to our communities—as volunteers and through generous philanthropy. As students, we have benefited from their generosity to UNB. As UNB alumni, I hope generations after us will benefit from our contributions. Each of us has our own story of how we got to UNB. And we have all had different experiences here. But one thing we have in common is that we are now all UNB Alumni, and no matter where we go, we'll find other alumni, and continue to be proudly UNB.

Thank you for the honour of making me your valedictorian, congratulations on completing your degree and best wishes to all of my fellow graduates in the future.