A new chapter

I was asked by my alma mater, Royal Roads University, to be the alumni orator at two convocation ceremonies last week in Victoria. I have been quiet on LinkedIn about my cancer diagnosis in July 2023, but it's time to share what's been happening. While I debated long and hard about whether to share this health news at a ceremony such as this, I also wanted to share with graduates how much my RRU education has shaped my view of the world.

It's what education is meant to do.

Here's my speech -- and I look forward to your feedback.

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Good day, graduates, staff, family and friends… before anything else, let me say congratulations for reaching this milestone. Let’s take this moment to give yourself a huge pat on the back. No really, let’s do this together.

[pat your back]

We are all so proud of you!

Now normally, this speech is given by a member of the RRU alumni, who has achieved great success in their field. Since those people were tied up today, you’ve got me instead.

The theme of my speech today is this… you never know how this important and worthwhile education will shape your future – giving you resiliency in new ways.

My time at Royal Roads was incredibly rewarding. I started my studies in 2008 when I was single parenting and working full-time at CHEK News. I haven’t forgotten how adept I became at doing homework during any free moment. Like, when I was anchoring the news and that two-minute window when a story was running and I was off-camera, and I was sneaking away to write or edit a paper for one of my courses.

Being a night owl came in handy. As soon as my two young sons were in bed, I would furiously write an essay. I became a master of time management. I pushed myself in ways I had never known… can you relate? Oh yes, I know you do.

When it came to whether to do a thesis, I chose the hardest road on purpose. I could have done a video project, and that would have been so easy for me as a veteran television journalist, but I wanted to truly understand how interpersonal communication helps people deal with a job layoff – and real, scientific research was the only way to do this. This was in 2009, and there were many people reeling from layoffs following the recession in the previous couple of years.

Doing a literature review proved to be the biggest challenge. It was very difficult to find previous research on how people psychologically deal with a layoff. However, there were many papers on how people with other life-altering events, like getting a cancer diagnosis. My amazing and patient thesis advisor, Dr. Jennifer Walinga, confirmed that even cancer research would help me to better understand coping mechanisms in a time of crisis.

I finished my thesis in July 2010 and graduated later that year. I joined the communication faculty at the British Columbia Institute of Technology, and my passion for research writing only grew, as I helped students ask important questions in their own work.

However as life goes, there was an unexpected benefit of writing and researching my thesis. In July 2023, I got a phone call from my doctor with news no one wants to hear… those two lumps in my breast were malignant.

I was home with my then-fiancé, Pete, as we just kept staring at each other – stunned by this news. After a couple of hours, I began to realize something from that research for my thesis: When you don’t ACCEPT the changes that are happening around you, you will be stuck. I realized that if I did not accept this cancer diagnosis, I would be hurting myself in the long run.

So, I accepted this unwelcome news that same afternoon, because decisions needed to be made. Treatment needed to begin immediately. I wanted to stay working for my wonderful employer, Global BC, but I would see how that goes. And, after more than four years of being engaged, Pete and I finally got married, I got my long hair cut off the very next day – and started six months of gruelling chemotherapy two days later.

I have said often over the years that attending Royal Roads University was one of the best decisions I ever made. All of those sacrifices helped me to learn to weather any storm, and even gave me the scientific knowledge to understand what was coming next.

I am so grateful every day for my time at RRU.

My hope for you all is that you will see how those sacrifices are helping you right now — and will keep doing so in the years ahead.

Because you never know how this important and worthwhile education will shape your future – giving you strength and resiliency in new ways. You’ve put so much work into this accomplishment. Take this moment to reflect on how far you’ve come.

Again, congratulations, graduates. You are going to do great things, because you are now a member of this remarkable alumni community.

[pats on back]

And we are all so proud of you!

Thank you.