Yesterday I attended York’s convocation ceremony which included graduates from the programs in which I teach, Bachelor of Human Resource Management and Master of Human Resource Management. The day prior to that I attended a graduation ceremony for the Faculty of engineering at Ryerson University where I watched a much loved family member graduate. Needless to say, graduation has been on my mind.
I do love this time of year. The graduates are so happy, so warm, and so excited – as they should be. It is a wonderful and daunting time. The best part of the ceremony is most certainly the moment when the graduates cross the stage and receive their degrees. Second to that is (potentially) the convocation address. I say ‘potentially’ because there are times when the address is a complete miss (see Woody Harrelson for York’s Faculty of Environmental Sciences a few years ago). But when they work, they can be moving and motivating and inspiring.
Yesterday, Senator Donald Oliver addressed convocation. He spoke eloquently about the work that he has done to increase diversity within government and organizations within Canada. It was lovely and worth watching. It should be available as a ‘webcast’ on York’s site in the coming weeks.
However, this morning I found a great high school commencement talk that really hit the mark. It is titled “you are not special.” This is a variation on the saying I use frequently with my own children “you are special; just like everyone else.” Well, this one is certainly worth watching. It is really saying ‘get up and do something.’ Take a look and let me know what you think.
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