Property developer and philanthropist Howard Sokolowski returned to York University June 15 to receive an honorary doctor of laws during the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies (LA&PS) convocation ceremony.
Sokolowski is a leader in Canada’s development industry, having overseen the construction of more than 50,000 homes shaping residential communities nationwide. He is the founder and principal of Metropia, a firm focused on large-scale, master‑planned communities, and is also a former co-owner of the Toronto Argonauts.
A dedicated philanthropist, he has supported organizations including Sinai Health Foundation, the Art Gallery of Ontario and York University.
“What makes Mr. Sokolowski stand out is not only his support, but his dedication to lead and thrive,” said LA&PS Interim Dean Kathryn McPherson. “We affirm the values of leadership, community building and generosity that we seek to inspire in each of our graduates.”
In his address to graduands, Sokolowski highlighted his deep and decades-long connection to York, which began when he enrolled as an undergraduate student in 1970. While he went on to build a successful career, he shared that he left university before completing his degree, a decision that stayed with him over time.
“Today marks the first time I am receiving a university degree,” he said. “Most degrees take four years. Mine took 50.”
Reflecting on that experience, he spoke candidly about the sense of unfinished business that followed him throughout his life and the significance of returning.
“I stand here with gratitude and humility to finally complete that journey,” he said.
Sokolowski used his own story to remind graduating students that life rarely follows a predictable path, and emphasized that success is often shaped as much by detours and setbacks as it is by achievement.
“The truth is, no one’s life follows a straight line,” he said.
His journey was heavily influenced by the story of his parents, who survived Auschwitz and immigrated to Canada, and witnessed first-hand the importance of resilience and making the most of opportunity in difficult circumstances.
“When you are given an opportunity – however unlikely – you do not waste it,” he said. “You repay it by contributing, by building and by leaving something that lasts.”
That belief has guided his longstanding connection to York University, including contributions to the development of The Village near Keele Campus, the Tribute Communities Recital Hall, and more recently, the Metropia Student Centre at the Markham Campus.
“I’ve made these investments because I know that whatever success I’ve had has never been mine alone. It is rooted in the opportunities this institution – and this country – gave me.”
Throughout his address, Sokolowski returned to the theme of responsibility, acknowledging that individual success is never achieved alone and carries an obligation to give back.
He encouraged graduands to recognize the contributions of those who supported them and to extend the same generosity to others as they move forward in their careers.
“No one reaches this milestone alone. Success is always shared,” he said. “And with it comes a responsibility: to give back, to lift others and to leave things better than we found them.”
Sokolowski recounted an experience from his first job, using humour and humility to describe how he worked persistently to secure a building permit for a project that ultimately failed, illustrating the inevitability of setbacks and the importance of perseverance.
“Some of your efforts will fail,” he said. “But what matters is how you respond – with humour, with resilience, with perspective and with the courage to keep going.”
He concluded by urging graduands to return to what matters most over the course of their lives and emphasized it is never too late. Follow-through is a defining quality that builds character and earns trust, he said.
“Unfinished things have a way of staying with us. But so do the things we see through to the end,” he said. “Choose to be someone who finishes.”