"Universities would not exist if it wasn’t for the diversity of students that come through and achieve excellence"

On the 21st June 2024, I had the privilege of receiving a Doctor of Laws honoris cause from the University of Dundee. In this edition I publish my graduation speech.

"Good morning graduates and congratulations to you all on your fantastic achievements. I’m so grateful to be here and to speak to you all on this incredible day. I want to thank Professor Schofield for my introduction and extend thanks to the Chancellor, Principal and the wider University of Dundee community for this honour.

Before I share my journey, I have to confess one thing, I did not know much about Dundee before I moved to embark on my PhD here. Whilst I did not know a lot about this beautiful place, I do know that coming to this university in this city, changed my life for the better. I engaged with some of the best academic minds in the world. People who have shaped my skills, learning and thinking that have equipped me with the tenacity to keep driving for change, even when the world felt against me.

When I finished my doctorate, I moved home and left the academic life to pursue adventures in public service. I was able to fully use what I had learnt to work with marginalised communities to make systems, society, and services more socially just, equitable and inclusive. I realised the skills I had developed throughout my course at this institution, would help me overcome adversity in a rapidly changing environment. However, it is with a rapidly changing world that we can often leave those who experience oppression behind us.

My work in higher education is to help universities realise their potential as transformers in people’s lives and best prepare new generations to tackle the complexities of the world. Universities would not exist if it wasn’t for the diversity of students that come through and achieve excellence, like all of you have today. It is this excellence that everyone should feel able to achieve, with no one left behind because of who they are.

I understand feeling left behind, as a queer person of colour, I have fallen through the cracks of a system. When I was an undergraduate at another university, I was unable to get help, and ended up giving more than I could. These experiences of inequality, led to mental illness, anxiety, and shame, resulting in not knowing what my place is in this world. Representation and role models can play a powerful role in helping us think about our place. I remember a time; I was speaking at an event talking about LGBTQ+ rights. I was the only person of colour on the panel, and at the end of the event, a young South Asian lesbian women, came up to me and told me that was the first time she had felt seen. She said seeing me talk gave her hope she can find her place in the world. I learned that being present, being advocates for those who don’t get seen is incredibly important.

When I was at this university, I learnt that no one person is one thing. That none of us fit neatly into boxes. And actually, sometimes these boxes and categories we have to fill can inhibit our joy and connection to each other. It is this connectivity and the sense of community which I have found great joy and happiness. You are all graduating together as a community, and I encourage you to embrace that joy for yourself and with others around you, because community is what helps us when we need it the most.

I have spent my career developing platforms with communities who are marginalised, so we can be seen, heard and able to participate in the changes that impact us the most. When I started my edited book it was to bring voices from across the sector together who had continuously experienced racial trauma to make anti-racist change happen. We put our vulnerabilities on the line in the hope that universities would lead the way. As a result, our book and voices are heard across the world and I have seen the community rise and succeed.

You have all done the hard work, you have achieved a higher education, and you can celebrate with your community. Use that higher education to cultivate bold and brave spaces that enable you to speak truth to power and dive into the unknown. Because it is not knowing that allows us to be open to new adventures that might just change our lives For the better. The world is sadly filled with injustice, and whilst it might feel difficult to not know what the future holds, I invite you all to always bring compassion and joy to disrupt inequality. We all have power to make inclusivity a priority, and you as graduates can help make that a reality.

Thank you and congratulations again to you all"