The Wallace High School | Prospectus 2023

University of BritishColumbia, Iwas introduced to themotto ofmynewuniversity: TuumEst, meaning, “It’s Yours,” inLatin. So, all very inspirational; a fittingway of getting everyonemotivated to seize this opportunity to learn inawonderful place, use it to meet their goals,andpursue their master plan. “It’s yours.” But Tuum Est canbe interpretedanother way. It’s usually translatedas simply, “It’s yours,” but it canalso mean, “It’s up to you.” “It’s yours,” brings a senseof comfort and security. “It’s up to you,” seems todo just the opposite, shifting the focus away fromwhatwehave, towhat we give. But through that tension, I think, is what can really bringout thebest – for us, and theworldaroundus. Weneed to feel a certainamount of comfort and security tobe able to fully function, but feeling some discomfort fromtime to time can helpus grow.We cancomeup withour PlanAbasedonwhatwe think is best at the time, butwe shouldbeprepared to switch to PlanBwhenweneed to. You’ll already be very familiar withanothermotto. It’s onyour blazers, it’s on the lectern, it’s on thewall. Esperance, “hope”. Sometimes the

become so familiar that they lose theirmeaning, or at least fall dormant. NowI alsohave a great deal of hope, this timenot becauseof what lies ahead inmy future, but because I see all of you sitting in this hall in front ofme. I knowthat every singlepersonhas achieved somuch, I knowthat you’ve all receivedor are still receiving anamazing education from exceptional teacherswho really care about you, andwhether you take the scenic routeor another path, I knowthat you’re going togoonanddoamazing things for yourselves and for theworld aroundyou. It’s yours, and it’s up to you.”

LSE, and thatwas all part of theplan–getmydegree there, work in the ForeignOffice, and eventuallywork at theUnited Nations. Thatwas thedream. That was theplan. But it turnedout that I actuallydidn’t like studying International Relations very much. Itwasn’twhat I thought itwouldbe like. I alsodidn’t like studying at the LSE. It’s oneof the top-rankeduniversities in theUK, indeed in theworld, but I didn’t enjoy learning there. And I didn’t like living inLondon. It’s a city that I loved, and still do love, but itwasn’t aplacewheremy 18-year-old self couldeasily settle. So I hadabit of aproblem. The planwasn’tworkingout, and it was particularly toughbecause Iwasn’t surehowmuch this had todowithmere teething issues – things that are an inevitable part of any big transitionand would fizzle away over time–or somethingmore fundamental. I decided itwas the latter. PlanA wasn’t right forme and I neededa PlanB. You’ll be glad toknowthat I’ll not go througheachof these twists and turns along this journey; suffice to say therewere twists and turns. This leadsme to emphasise again the valueof Plan B, evenPlanC, andembracing it for those timeswhenPlanA doesn’tworkout.

words that we’reused to can

We can learna lot about ourselves along these scenic routes.

By far themost scenic place alongmy journey– scenic, this time, verymuch ina literal sense–wasVancouver, on the west coast of Canada.When I first arrivedandwent along to the induction sessionas part of myMasters programme at the