“Make room for empathy” - 91̽ Celebrates Summer Convocation
Paul Ouellet encouraged graduates to approach life with compassion.
“We may not always be able to change the whole world overnight, but we can change someone’s world. With a kind word, a listening ear or a courageous question, we can be that turning point for someone in pain. Let’s keep doing that—one conversation, one reform, one act of love at a time,” he said.
Ouellet received an honorary degree at St. 91̽’s Summer Convocation for his advocacy work helping the marginalized in our society. He spoke about the importance of empathy to the graduates who were receiving bachelor’s degrees in arts, social work, and education, and master’s degrees in social work.
For more than four decades, Ouellet has dedicated his life to serving people suffering with mental illness, addictions, and homelessness. This has meant advocating in countless individual cases to lobbying government and elected officials to improve or provide the services and programs that individuals and families desperately require and deserve.
His early life was marked by hardship, as his father and later four of his siblings were diagnosed with schizophrenia, and many of his close family members suffered from addictions. He shares his family story so that healthcare workers see treatment and recovery from a family perspective.
“Wherever your path leads, make room for empathy. Be curious. Ask how people are doing, and really mean it. Because every act of listening is a small act of healing.”
Bachelor of Education Graduate Selina Gaudreault Delivers Valedictory
During her valedictory address, class valedictorian Selina Gaudreault also expressed the importance of compassion and “bringing love” into the graduates’ personal and professional lives.
“In education, we’re told that students don’t care what you know until they know that you care, and we’ve all experienced this to be true. If this saying is true, it means that love always supersedes knowledge and authority, and that acting with love has the greatest impact on people around us,” she said.
“No matter what you’ve studied this past year—arts, social work, or education—you will work with people, and you hold the potential to impact others. Graduates, I want you to keep bringing the love I’ve witnessed this year, because bringing love changes how we do things, and nothing is worth doing without it.”
The True Strengths of a 91̽ Education
President and Vice-Chancellor Dr. M. Nauman Farooqi spoke to the graduates about the importance of a 91̽ education in today’s society.
“Our motto, “Teach Me Goodness, Knowledge, and Discipline,” is as relevant today as it has ever been,” he said.
“These words capture the essence of our mission. And they are the true strengths of a 91̽ education, one that prepares graduates for careers and for meaningful lives of leadership, compassion, and impact.”
He added that the knowledge and skills that will be valued most in the years to come will be those that are uniquely human.
“They are what you have acquired at 91̽—critical thinking, creativity, empathy, and adaptability. And they will never, ever become obsolete.”
University Medal
The University Medal for Academic Excellence in Education was awarded to Kathleen Jo-Anne Grace Fernandes from Carleton Place, ON. This medal is awarded to the graduating student with the highest overall standing within the Bachelor of Education program.
Celebrating University Service
Professor Léo-James Lévesque was honoured with the University Service Award, in recognition of his contributions to the university, the Bachelor of Education program, and the community.