President Steenkamp: Hope is the opposite of despair

It’s hard not to focus on the election playing out slowly in real time south of us. I catch myself checking the “latest” update, perhaps more than is truly healthy. And there’s still a pandemic on!

It’s easy to feel despair at times like this, which is why I turn to the opposite: hope. I talk more about hope in my video message this week.

We’re fortunate to have few active cases of COVID on Vancouver Island, and while it can be alarming to watch the numbers rise for the rest of the province, we continue to learn more about the virus and what kind of actions we can take in our own lives to be safe.

I hope you’re planning to join us later today to watch our Convocation (watch the ceremony on Facebook, Twitter, IGTV on Instagram and LinkedIn  starting at 2 p.m. PST). Celebrating our graduates is certainly an antidote to some of the other news. I’m looking forward to hearing honorary degree recipient Dr. Bonnie Henry speak today at our ceremony. Her words give me hope, and hope gives us the energy we need to confront challenges and keep moving forward.

Be kind, be calm, be safe, and have a great weekend.