Valedictory Address - Douglas Storey

Valedictory Address
Douglas Storey, B.Sc. (Hons.)
June 3, 2007 10:00 a.m.
83rd University of Winnipeg Convocation

Madam Minister, Mr. Chancellor, Mr. President, distinguished guests, fellow graduates, family, and friends. It is a great honour to be chosen to represent the University of Winnipeg graduates of 2007.

When I started to write this speech, I tried to think of something that we could all relate to. We all come from different backgrounds, and have different futures ahead of us, but it is our experiences during our time at the University of Winnipeg that we share.

Thinking back to the first day of University, most of us can remember the excitement of speaking to our professor for the first time, or the fear of realizing you're in the wrong lecture all too late. It didn't take long to warm up to our professors who inspired us, and to our classmates who later became the people we spent many late nights with, studying and laughing.

For some of us University meant leaving the comfort of our parent's home for the first time, for others maybe returning to school after taking time off. For the most part, each of us will be leaving today with unique memories of their time spent here. Where ever we came from, we adjusted to this place, and are leaving with new friends, experiences, and not only knowledge, but the ability to question the world around us.

Most of us came here with the hope of leaving knowing more than we did at the beginning. It is our commitment, passion and countless hours spent studying that have earned us our degrees.

Some of us will be leaving here today to start a new job, others with plans of Masters or PhD studies. And I'm sure some of us still have no clue about what the next step will be. Where ever we may end up, we will be leaving here, degree in hand, with feelings of pride, optimism, and the dedication that have brought us to this point.

So after making it through it all, it wouldn't be right to leave without thanking the people who supported us over these past years. Thank you to our families, for their encouragement and for putting up with our late nights of studying; to our professors, for not only being excited about what they do, but for passing on that excitement to us; and of course to our friends, for all of their support, patience, and laughter.

I would like to wish every one of the graduates today the best in everything they hope to achieve. Thank you.