From left, York Chancellor Greg Sorbara, Roger Mahabir and York President and Vice-Chancellor Mamdouh Shoukri
According to business trailblazer, innovator and former Atkinson student Roger Mahabir, his journey from dishwasher to CEO wasn’t about following his passion, but following the opportunities and being passionate about whatever he did. “There’s no magic to success, but with endurance and perseverance, success is magical.”
Mahabir was only one of thirteen outstanding and inspiring individuals who took the stage as honorary doctorate recipients at York University’s Spring Convocation. The celebration, which kicked off on June 17 and saw more than 5,000 graduates cross the Aviva Centre stage, was an opportunity for these leaders to impart their wisdom and experience on Canada’s future leaders.
“This year’s honorary degree recipients have made a remarkable impact in their communities through their work, social activism and volunteerism,” said Mamdouh Shoukri, York University president and vice-chancellor. “Their leadership and vision has had far-reaching effects that have inspired important societal changes and positively touched countless lives.”
Jeanette Corbiere Lavell
With new grads set to head out on their own personal and professional journeys, Mahabir laid out four key messages that will help them prosper. The first is to obtain a good grounding, which he believes the graduates have already accomplished at York University. Number two on the list, he added, is to be the best at whatever you choose to do. Number three, he urged, is to avoid becoming a “dinosaur” by reinventing yourself and learning continuously. And finally, Mahabir’s fourth key message is to “embrace diversity by celebrating difference.”
Another of this year's honorary doc recipients was Jeanette Corbiere Lavell, an activist for Indigenous and women’s rights, who took to the Convocation stage on June 21’s National Aboriginal Day. As she closed out her address, Corbiere Lavell imparted a message of optimism and promise. “My hope is to leave you with a story, a few teachings, and my sincerest hope is for you all to realize your greatness. It is not in some of us, it is in all of us.”
Click here to watch recordings of all of our 2016 honorary doctorate addresses or use the links below to learn more about each recipient:
Debbie Field – Food advocate, social activist, educator
John Friedmann – Planning theorist and scholar
Victor Phillip Dahdaleh – Business leader, philanthropist
Jillian Keiley – Theatre director
Jeannette Corbiere Lavell – Native women’s rights activist, educator
Roger Mahabir – Technology innovator, community leader
Ann B. (Rusty) Shteir – Feminist scholar, academic leader
David F. Denison – Businessman, community leader
James Harris Simons – Mathematician, financier, philanthropist
Sylvia Maracle – Community leader, educator, activist
John Manley – Lawyer, businessman, politician
Joseph Arvay Q.C. – Lawyer, advocate for civil and human rights