Valedictory Address

"Valedictory Address" (20 May 2010): 1-2. (UA Case 68, Box 2).

Good afternoon graduates and distinguished guests,

It is a privilege and an honour to be giving this address today.
What is a graduation? Is it that joyous instant when you put the pen down on your last exam? Or is it that sweet, reassuring moment when you receive your last mark? Or does graduation simply refer to today's ceremony?

I suggest that a graduation is three things: it's a "Good-bye", it's a "Hello", and it's a "Thank You".

It's a good-bye to the campus, to our professors, and to the student lifestyle. For many of us, sadly, graduation also means parting ways with some of our closest friends, as we move on to accept new opportunities and challenges in different places. With the advent of social media and Web 2.0, it's certainly very easy for us to keep up, at least superficially, with old friends.

Paradoxically, however, these new forms of communication also enable us to get lazy with our friendships. A tweet instead of an e-mail. A wall post instead of a phone call. Staying current with each other through status updates and text messages instead of coffee and lunch dates. Let's make an extra effort to follow up our 'good-bye' with a 'see you soon'. If we take care of them, the friendships we've made at UNB will last us a lifetime.

Just as we say good-bye to our old lives, we also say hello to our new ones. For some, it's a new job. For others, it's more education. And for others still, only time will tell what is lying down the road ahead. Regardless of the paths we chose, or perhaps the paths that chose us, we'll carry with us the knowledge we've accumulated while at UNB.

The degrees that we receive today are signals to the rest of the world that we are intelligent, educated, and skilled. What will we do with that power? There isn't a single one of us that can look at our world and be completely satisfied with what we see. Whether it's the environment, the economy, or any other issue that you hold dear, your degree gives you more power to make change. Remember that we, and nobody else, are the ones who are now responsible for shaping our futures.

Finally, and most importantly, graduation is a time for us to say thank you. Thank you to the administrative and support staff, who are too often overlooked, yet vital in keeping our university running. Thank you to our professors, who are asked to be teachers, mentors, guidance counselors, and cheerleaders. Thank you to the friends that we've relied on along our journey, both the ones that sat with us in class as well as the ones who supported us from a distance. Your strength has kept us standing.

Thank you to the parents, grandparents, spouses, partners, brothers, sisters, sons, daughters, and significant others, who have aided us in almost every conceivable way. Your sacrifices, both big and small, at every turn have helped us succeed. To you most especially, we say thank you.

So to summarize, my fellow graduates: keep in touch, bring on the new world, and thank you for everything.