This spring more than 10,000 students became Humber alumni. Spring convocation (June 18-21) ceremonies were held at the Toronto Congress Centre over four days and ten ceremonies. 

Humber College
2019 Spring Convocation
President’s Address
June 19, 2019

“The courage to change and be the change”

Members of the platform party, honoured guests, faculty and staff, family, friends and especially our graduates, it’s my pleasure to welcome you to today’s convocation.

This year, we’ll recognize more than ten thousand graduates across ten ceremonies, a significant number and certainly a reason to celebrate. Thank you all for being here with us to mark the occasion.

Thank you as well to all of the Humber employees who help to make this event happen. A day like this takes many people to produce. From when our graduates arrive and receive their gowns, to when they cross the stage in a few minutes, you, our staff and faculty, work tirelessly to make this day memorable for our graduates and their families, and we are grateful for your efforts.

I’ve been a part of many convocation ceremonies as a professor, as a President and most importantly, as a parent. I share the many emotions that we’re all feeling today. The pride of achievement, the joy of success and the relief that this significant day has finally come.

Convocation is my favourite time of the academic year because it’s a time for our community to celebrate our students’ achievements, and to look ahead to the new beginnings and abundant possibilities that await our graduates.

Before we recognize their accomplishments, I’d like to take the opportunity to thank those who helped our grads along the way.

To Humber’s faculty and staff, thank you for your dedication and commitment. Our students wouldn’t be here without your support, wisdom and encouragement. Let’s give our faculty and staff a big round of applause!

Thank you also to friends, families and loved ones for supporting our graduates through the ups and downs of college life. Your support comes in many ways – financial, emotional, financial, lending a helping hand, or financial. I think you deserve a round of applause as well.

And now, to you, our graduates – you did it! You’ve earned the spotlight you’re receiving today.

The spotlight is on you not just because of what you have achieved but because you are the leaders of tomorrow.

According to an article published last year in the Harvard Business Review, great leaders are confident, connected, committed and courageous. All of these attributes are within each of you.

You have spent the last weeks, months and years honing your skills and knowledge in classrooms and in workplaces. Your experiences have helped grow your confidence.

You are connected. You have networked with fellow students, faculty and industry representatives throughout your program. You are also now part of the growing community of Humber alumni around the world who are making their mark and making a difference.

You are committed. You made the decision to change your life through education and have put in the work to get to this day.

You are courageous. As students, each of you came to Humber from somewhere else. From high school or another postsecondary institution, from a job, from another city or even another country.

It took courage to reach this point and it will take more in the future as you are faced with new situations and environments.

Some consider courage to be an innate character trait – something you’re born with.

Others consider courage to be a skill – something that you develop and can strengthen over time.

I believe it is a choice.  

Here at Humber, we chose to make courage one our strategic values. We need to be bold to chart a new course when it comes to education. To change our programs to ensure they are relevant, responsive and anticipate how the world is evolving. To change how we operate to give our students more choice and flexibility.

We believe everyone at Humber should feel empowered to make bold choices, tackle inequity, and try new things. And we want the same thing for our graduates.

We want you to leave Humber with the courage to act, to take risks and to fail. And, if you fail, to have the courage to get up, learn from what you did, and try again.

Right now, there is a special on Netflix by University of Houston research professor Brené Brown, called “The Call to Courage.” And yes, I am hip enough to know what’s trending on Netflix.

According to Brown, courage requires two things – vulnerability and involvement. Vulnerability, she says, is not about winning or losing. It’s having the courage to show up when you can’t control the outcome.

It’s having the courage to admit you don’t have all the answers. It’s pushing yourself outside of your comfort zone because that’s where you’ll learn the most. It’s the courage to let yourself change and grow.

Courage is needed now more than ever. And you have the skills and knowledge to lead the way.

We live in uncertain times. Across the globe, we are all grappling with political tensions, the climate crisis and changing economies.

I encourage you to get involved and be the change you want to see in the world.

Remember that global network of Humber alumni I mentioned, let me give you an example of someone who did just that.

Rahul Singh graduated from Humber’s Paramedic program in 1993. Soon after, he was back-packing in Nepal when a series of landslides wiped out a village.

He ran a disaster response team to help manage the crisis, but found that most of the funding got lost in administration before getting to the people who needed it.

He changed that by founding GlobalMedic, an organization that provides efficient and cost-effective disaster relief.

GlobalMedic has led more than 50 missions in more than 30 countries. Since they started, their efforts have helped countless people around the world survive life-threatening situations following catastrophes.  

In 2009, Rahul was named one of “Canada’s Top 40 Under 40” and, in 2010, he was included on Time magazine’s list of 100 most influential people in the world.

All of that because he had the courage to be the change he knew would benefit others.

So, no pressure, but the world is counting on you and I know you’re up for the challenge. 

As you move on, remember to think critically, to question and challenge what some accept at face value, and seek ways to contribute, give back and get involved.

You leave here with a strengthened ability to make sense of the world. To make the right choices to engage and make a difference for yourself and others, even when it isn’t easy.

As a Humber student you’ve been part of one of Canada’s most diverse and inclusive institutions – so embrace diversity, in all its forms. From race, religion, place of origin, culture, sexuality, gender identity, age, to economic status and more, it’s up to each of us to acknowledge and seek to understand these differences and find ways to build bridges, establish common ground, and be allies.

You are now one of the more than two hundred and fifty thousand alumni who are the college’s reputation in action. I encourage you to continue in their footsteps by making your mark on the world, doing your community proud and of course, keeping in touch with us – we’ll keep an eye on your IG stories.

Everyone here is proud of all you have achieved. You are now and forever part of the Humber family and no matter where you go, our doors are always open and you will always be welcomed home.

So, be bold. Be brave. Be amazing.  

Because we know you can.

Thank you!