The world isn’t waiting for you to be perfect - just to show up.

Today I received an Honorary Doctorate of Laws from Ontario Tech University. I walked in to the convocation hall feeling deeply honoured and I left feeling uplifted by the students, faculty, and family and friends who came to support

I was lifted by the energy in the room and by the faces of students who come from every background and walk of life. By their dreams, their ambition and the possibility for a better future I could literally feel rising off the seats like electricity. By a future that will be carved by their efforts and their humanity.

It reminded me how powerful it is to witness hope and how much we need to feel it especially in a world that is lately so cynical and divided.

These students aren’t just stepping into the future. They are the future. And being asked to speak to them, even for a few minutes, was one of the greatest privileges I’ve had.

Here’s my speech :

Good morning Chancellor Frazer, President Murphy, Provost Livingston, honoured guests, faculty, graduating students, families, and friends.

What an honour it is to be with the students today. You’ve worked hard. You’ve overcome challenges. You’ve earned the right to be here and to celebrate this moment.

Congratulations. This moment is one you will remember for a lifetime.

You’re stepping into a world that is breathtaking, complex, and deeply divided.

A world that is full of possibility and full of problems that need solving.

And while some will tell you that’s daunting, I’m here to tell you it’s your opening.

Because this world needs people who are awake. People who are ready to ignite their lives with purpose. People who won’t accept things as they are, simply because that’s how they’ve always been. People who won’t accept that evil will win but that good both can and will prevail.

Conformity is resignation. Uniformity is stifling. And resignation is how the wrong things will stay in place.

I didn’t find my voice until later in life. I had opinions, but felt I had no right to voice them.

And I sometimes wonder what would’ve happened if I had spoken up sooner and had trusted what I knew deep down was right, instead of waiting for strangers or those in power to give me permission.

So my deepest hope for you is that you don’t wait. Not for the perfect time. Not until you feel “ready.”And certainly not for permission.

Find your voice now, not to be the loudest one in the room, but the truest to yourself and the facts.

Because when you don’t speak, someone else will fill the silence. And, far too often, it’s the people least deserving of influence who take it when others hold back.

Don’t give them that power.

And don’t give away your time either because the minutes you waste thinking you’re not enough become the years you wish you’d lived differently. And this is where regret comes from.

You will make mistakes. I encourage you to make lots and lots of them.

Finding your voice doesn’t mean having all the answers. It means having the courage to ask better questions. To stay curious. To challenge what you’re told and to also be open to changing your mind when you learn something new.

Curiosity will save you, and help you find tolerance and knowledge, confidence and humility, voice and listening. Conviction and grace.

These are the dualities that will shape your life and shape the world.

Because that’s the thing. You’re not just inheriting this world as broken as it seems. You are about to shape it.

Every choice you make in your work, your relationships, your communities will either reinforce what’s broken or help build something better.

So ask yourself three questions: What do I believe? What do I stand for? What am I wanting to build?

And don’t wait for someone else to give you the answers. You. You are the answer.

Ignite your life.

Use what you’ve learned not just to succeed, but to serve. Not just to make a living, but to make a difference. Not just to add your voice, but to help shape the chorus.

The world won’t be changed by those who sit quietly on the sidelines. It will be changed by those who show up and are awake, alive, and unafraid to speak.

And please remember that the world isn’t waiting for you to be perfect. It’s waiting for you to show up.

Show up with your whole self. Your doubts, dreams, questions and all. Double down on you. Because when you do, you give the rest of us permission to do the same.

Congratulations, class of 2025. We need you. And I, for one, can’t wait to see how brightly you shine.

I know with confidence you will make this world a better place by being better people.