Tomorrow, May 22nd, 2024, the English Language & Literatures Class of 2024 will walk across the stage at the Chan Centre and become our newest alumni. Below is a message from EL&L Department Head to celebrate this momentous occasion. Well done, Class of 2024!
Message from the Head
Dear graduating class of 2024,
Congratulations on completing your time with the Department of English Language & Literatures!
In this graduating class, I see expert readers that understand the importance of critique. I see rigorous thinkers that question everything and rarely take assumptions – no matter how entrenched they are – for granted. I see powerful writers that use words coherently, persuasively and, even movingly. I see clever rhetoricians and linguists that understand the English language – how it developed, how it works, and how it can be manipulated to work on people. I see skilled communicators that know how to share thoughts and opinions persuasively, passionately and with empathy. More importantly, I see committed citizens with a sense of curiosity for experiences that are strange and different from their own. You now have valuable skills that very few people come to master. I hope you use them well.
As graduates, you continue to navigate tremendous adversities, including the residual effects of a global pandemic, the financial challenges of living in this expensive city, and the effects of climate change. You are witnessing human suffering and political polarization on a global scale. And yet not only do you persevere, you continue to thrive.
Right now, the world desperately needs thoughtful people who embrace the diversity of experience and opinion, who appreciate contradiction and complexity, and who recognize the value of ambivalence as well as the importance of taking a stand. You are these people. Go out there and shake things up.
I hope that you feel proud of your accomplishments and that you feel as if you have learned a thing or two. On behalf of the Department of English Language & Literatures, congratulations to the class of 2024!
Patricia Badir
Professor and Department Head
UBC Department of English Language & Literatures
