Honouring Alumni Changemaker Colonel, Astronaut Chris Hadfield
Learn more about RRU’s Alumni Changemaker Achievement Awards.
Chris Hadfield (Colonel, Astronaut Retired) remembers the exact day he decided to pursue a career as an astronaut. July 20, 1969, watching the Apollo 11 Moon landing broadcast, nine-year-old Hadfield was enraptured.
Not only did he achieve his dream; Hadfield transformed global perceptions of space travel in the process.
Most know him as the first Canadian to walk in space, or the astronaut who brought space down to Earth with social media. He’s also a six-time internationally bestselling author and released the first musical album recorded in space, Space Sessions: Songs from a Tin Can.
But most people are unaware of one of the first stops along Hadfield’s extraordinary career journey – his time at Royal Roads Military College.
For his remarkable contributions to science, space exploration, and storytelling, Hadfield is being recognized by Royal Roads University this spring with the Alumni Changemaker Achievement Award.
RRU: Where dreams take flight
Hadfield, who attended RRMC from 1978 to 1980, will be honoured with the Distinguished Changemaker Award, which recognizes an alum with a long and established career, who exemplifies sustained impact and leadership over a lifetime.
He describes the award as an honour of special significance: “Royal Roads was foundational in my life,” he said. “It was a pivotal time—my late teens, my first step away from home. To be honoured now as a changemaker, after building on the lessons I learned here, is a tremendous privilege.”
Musically-inclined from a young age, Hadfield led the RRMC "carol-on," a hand-bell show presented by the cadets.
Hadfield attended RRMC as part of his early engineering and military training – an essential step toward his dream of going to space. He recalls his time on campus with vivid fondness: founding the Alpine Ski Club, driving to Mount Washington and Whistler on weekends, practicing trombone in the attic of Hatley Castle, singing carols during the holidays and immersing himself in the discipline and camaraderie of military college life.
A career defined by firsts
Hadfield’s accomplishments are woven into the fabric of Canadian and international space history. He was the first Canadian to operate the Canadarm, flew on three space missions, helped build two space stations, performed two spacewalks, and in 2013 became the first Canadian to command a spaceship.
Before joining the Canadian Space Agency, he served as a tactical fighter pilot and test pilot in the RCAF, flying more than 100 types of aircraft and earning recognition as Top Test Pilot in both the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy. His contributions to aviation and spaceflight earned him induction into Canada’s Aviation Hall of Fame.
Beyond his technical achievements, Hadfield has become one of the world’s most influential ambassadors for space exploration. His six bestselling books, global speaking engagements and pioneering use of social media from orbit have inspired millions.
Hadfield is an internationally-recognized public speaker on leadership, space exploration, and personal growth.
A global perspective
Hadfield emphasized the importance of the astronauts before him sharing their experiences, and he never forgot the impact it had on him.
“I thought, ‘if you ever get a chance to do anything significant or worthwhile in life, don't keep it to yourself.’ I think that’s a part of why I’m receiving a changemaker award, because of the internal resolution to share what I’ve learned in hopes it might positively influence someone else.”
Hadfield has, quite literally, written entire books about the lessons he learned in space, but two defining perspective-shifts stood out for him: Life should be lived with vision and purpose; and we’re all part of a shared human experience.
“Fundamentally, the vision to change your life in pursuit of a dream changes your perspective. Everything worth doing in life has risk,” he explains. “Your job is to choose what’s worth taking a risk for. If you go around the world in 90 minutes, you get a true sense of the shared common human experience and how we're all in this together. The whole world feels like a hometown to me now.”
Hadfield emphasized the importance of the astronauts before him sharing their experiences, and he never forgot the impact it had on him.
Honouring the past, inspiring the future
To all current students at Royal Roads University, Hadfield encourages learning the history of the place.
“When you're a student at Royal Roads, you are a living part of the history of this amazing location. Revel in it and notice it and walk the grounds and really take advantage of the fact that you're not at an average university. You're part of an amazing historically Canadian place. And you can not only learn from that, but you can help write a new story while you're here.”
About the awards
The Alumni Changemaker Achievement Awards showcase the diverse talents and accomplishments of RRU’s alumni network as they advance the university’s vision to inspire people with the courage to transform the world.
A celebration for the award-winners will take place as part of Alumni Weekend May 1–2, 2026, which also includes a keynote address by Nobel Peace Prize nominee Sheila Watt-Cloutier, alongside inspiring talks, workshops, and tours.