education: opening doors everywhere

- - - - -   Degrees Awarded   - - - - -                         

Degree: Bachelor of Mathematics                                 
Honours Operations Research, Co-operative Program 

Confer Date:           June 12, 2009

i did it. i actually did it :D

many days throughout my undergrad, i would sit and despise studying. sometimes due to the content, and other times due to sheer lack of motivation. it was at these times that i'd remind myself that education is a privilege. it's a privilege and it's empowering.

everyone has their own motives for educating themselves. education itself provides countless benefits: it equips one with tools needs to earn an income, immerses one in a field which they are passionate about, and it expands networks. however, i think the most important benefit of education is that it provides one with tools needed to make a positive impact on the world. education is a catalyst for human development.

i believe that my degree combined with my co-op experience has and will continue to open my doors for my future that otherwise would have been unreachable, nonetheless openable (is that a word?) i now have the knowledge, the skills and the network i need to begin to do my part in this world. to take a step forward from being a bystander and to begin to tackle pressing issues of my time. i am no longer a student stuck in libraries, but now more than ever, a global citizen.

i don't think an education is a free pass to create your own life, but a downpayment to enhancing lives.

the world is changing. jobs are being lost, systems are broken, and the world rests on the hands of everyone. not just humanitarians, but developers, accountants, architects, musicians, and everyone in between.

like sam davidson, nicholas negroponte, and jessica jackley, i will choose to use my education and skills set for change. i imagine a world in which every grad will also choose to do so, and that world is amazing.