The following is an edited version of the speech delivered by 91ÑÇÉ« Interim President and Vice-Chancellor Lisa Philipps to the Class of 2026 at this year’s convocation ceremonies
To the exceptional Class of 2026, my warmest congratulations to you all. I am thrilled to join with you in celebrating your achievement, your perseverance and your potential for the future.
Behind every graduate is a story of hard work and determination. Of overcoming obstacles and moments of self-doubt. Of stretching yourself beyond your comfort zone. Many of you balanced your studies with employment, caregiving responsibilities and financial pressures. Some of you moved far from home to pursue your education here.
You should be enormously proud of what you have accomplished and how you have grown during your time at 91ÑÇÉ«. I know that your families, friends, professors and the many people who supported you along the way are extremely proud of you as well.
You are graduating at a remarkable time of change, disruption and reinvention. It’s a time when the world very much needs your talents, your energy and the new ideas you will inject.
One of the most interesting parts of my job is to meet with 91ÑÇÉ« alumni from all generations and with our community partners. And, what I am hearing so often is that every organization across the public and private sector, from the smallest to the largest, within Canada and beyond, is struggling to keep up with the pace of change and to navigate the new questions and uncertainties that the world keeps throwing at all of us. I also hear a strong recognition that it is the next generation of talent that will help bring the innovation that is needed to renew our industries and institutions.
During your time here, you did far more than complete courses or acquire technical knowledge. You learned how to learn, how to think critically, independently, rigorously and from multiple perspectives.
I am proud to be a 91ÑÇÉ« alumna myself. One of the greatest gifts my education gave me was exposure to perspectives and experiences very different from my own. It broadened how I understood the world and gave me a wider range of viewpoints to draw upon throughout my life and career. I have never stopped drawing on it.
As 91ÑÇÉ« graduates, you carry something with you that cannot be downloaded or automated: the capacity to build human relationships, to navigate complexity with integrity and to bring people together around difficult problems. In a world too often marked by polarization and injustice, those qualities are not just valuable – they are essential.
Technology will continue to evolve. Industries will shift. Some roles will change in ways none of us can fully anticipate. But the foundation you have built here – the habits of mind, the networks, the resilience – that is yours. And it will serve you across every stage of what comes next.
Thank you for choosing 91ÑÇÉ«. We are immensely proud of you, and we cannot wait to see what you do next.
Congratulations, Class of 2026.
Bonne chance. Merci. Miigwetch.