Convocation Day is one of the best days of the year at Lethbridge College. But by the time it rolls around, I am exhausted.
The weeks at work that lead up to the big day are some of the busiest for me and my colleagues on the Communications team, with nonstop writing, countless events to attend and a steady stream of storytelling to prepare and share. So once the ceremony actually starts, I like to make my way up to the media box at the Enmax Centre to catch my breath, settle in and enjoy the speeches.
This year’s speech by honorary degree recipient Troy Reeb has stayed with me since the ceremony. Troy, who has worked his way up in the news and media business for 31 years and now serves as Executive Vice President for Broadcast Networks for Corus Entertainment, is one of the college’s best-known grads. He is a familiar face not only for his reporting and leadership at Global News, but also because he returns regularly to the city and college where he got his start and gives back in so many ways.
Troy’s speech was a wonderful blend of honesty and inspiration. Yes, he’s had a lot of success. Yes, he’s worked hard. But there have also been struggles and hard times that might not always show up on an Instagram post – or in a typical story written in an alumni magazine.
The words Troy ended his speech with are the ones I can’t forget. “’What can I offer you?’” he asked the students – just as a man who had welcomed him into his home when he was reporting in an impoverished area of Ethiopia asked him once.
What can I offer you? What can this magazine offer our community? What can this college offer our students? We all have so much to offer, as the students listening to Troy must have realized, and as I realized as well listening that afternoon. As editor of the magazine, I am committed to offering our readers the best possible stories and photos of our college community, ones that reflect the grit and greatness of our people and that celebrate their quirks, collaborative spirit and creativity.
My colleague, Paul Kingsmith, has done a wonderful job illustrating all of these qualities in his cover story on Troy. While we’ve featured Troy in a lot of shorter stories over the years, usually in the context of celebrating the winners of the one-of-a-kind internship he created for our communications students, this is the first time we’ve devoted a full-length feature to Troy and his work.
Our hope is that – as with every story that appears in Wider Horizons – you enjoy the profile and illustrations. But just as Troy inspired me and the graduates at Convocation, I also hope that Paul’s story about Troy Reeb inspires you to ask “what can I offer?” – and then respond with the same generous spirit Troy has throughout his life. Thank you for reading!
Lisa Kozleski, Editor
