How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world. - Anne Frank
Despite her years – or perhaps because of her youthful naivety – the brave young lady quoted above saw beyond her desperate circumstances to distill into a few words a wonderfully uncomplicated call to action for us all.
Many of the grads leaving Lethbridge College this month are entering chosen fields that incorporate the spirit of Anne Frank’s words, careers we celebrate in this issue. They are among those who have made a decision to wait not a single moment longer before improving their communities and the lives they will touch in the decades waiting before them.
The careers I speak of are easy to spot. Nursing, policing, early childhood education: all are among those Lethbridge College programs in which we train people to help people.
They’re among the obvious. Ask any who enter them why they chose their particular paths, and they’ll likely take time to explain, as our subjects in this issue do, what it means to don a nurse’s scrubs or a police officer’s uniform, or work with young children: they want to make a direct difference in people’s lives.
They will leave our campus with an absolute dedication just as surely as they leave with their diplomas. That altruism, however, can be found in almost every program we offer, not just the obvious “caring careers” to which I’ve referred. Every spring, Lethbridge College turns out grads in numerous fields who carry with them a desire to improve the world.
They go forth as protectors of the environment; as proponents of building sustainability; as journalists upholding delicate, hard-won rights. They all take with them an understanding that they will shortly be in charge and that improvements must be made in the world they inherit.
And there will be no shortage of need for their talents. As our populations live longer and require greater care; as we strive to protect our besieged environment and discover better ways to build; as we continue to nurture and care for our younger generations: Lethbridge College grads will be increasingly needed on the front lines.
We are imbuing them with the spirit of critical thinking and giving them the knowledge to not just ecure employment, but do so as conscientious members of our communities, ones who can meet the demands of an increasingly complex world.
Each April, I perform perhaps my most rewarding role as president of Lethbridge College: greeting each grad as they walk across our stage to receive their diplomas, applied degrees and certificates. Knowing our institution has played a part in preparing them for the challenge is rewarding; knowing they will measure up is profound.
