In Principio August 2017

HONORARY DEGREE FOR VICE CHANCELLOR Notre Dame Vice Chancellor, Professor Celia Hammond, has received an honorary degree from The University of Portland in the USA. The Doctor of Public Service honoris causa was conferred on Professor Hammond by Father Mark Poorman, President of long-standing international partner, the University of Portland, for “changing the landscape of education in Australia”. The University of Portland, a long standing international partner of Notre Dame, was established by the Congregation of the Holy Cross in 1901 in Portland, Oregon. It is currently home to more than 4000 students and over 1000 faculty and staff. For the last 22 years Portland has earned a top-10 ranking by US News & World Report in its annual list of best colleges in the United States. Professor Hammond, was also honoured to be invited to deliver the Commencement speech to nearly 1000 graduates and their families at Portland’s 2017 Commencement Ceremonies. A series of excerpts from her address throw a spotlight on her journey through life. …ON LIFE AND LOVE I am an ordinary girl, born a long time ago in a place far, far away (in the late sixties in a small country town in Western Australia – who has been blessed beyond her desserts to be doing what she does, to be living how she does, to be loving and being loved as she is. Like all of us here, I have my own unique gifts and talents. And I assure you, to make it clear, this is not false modesty. I also work very hard. But I am not extra-ordinary, I am an ordinary girl who has been extra-ordinarily blessed. …ON AMBITION I spent the first two decades of my life as a Walter Mitty type dreamer (in the original James Thurber sense). › › In 1976, at age eight, I wanted to be Olympic gymnast Nadia Comaneci. › › In 1977, I wanted to be a pop singer like Agnetha from Abba (which, with short hair, glasses, freckles and no front teeth was never going to happen). › › In 1981, I wanted to win Wimbledon – just like Chrissy Evert. › › In 1982, I wanted to win an Oscar – just like Meryl Streep. › › In 1985, I wanted to be a supermodel (I had front teeth by then, but no other qualifications). › › Through my university years I dreamt of becoming a female partner at a law firm before the age of 30 – with five kids. I also dreamt of becoming the first female Prime Minister. I have achieved none of these things and if I were to judge my life against these childhood dreams I have failed miserably and should feel grossly unfulfilled. And there was a time when I did, dark days which were actually one of the biggest blessings I received as they made me open to accepting my own frailties and imperfections: open to accepting me for me; open to accepting the help of others and open to God. …ON LIFE LEARNINGS Today my dreams, my hopes my aspirations andmy prayers are no longer about being someone else – but rather they are about embracing what has been gifted to me, about striving to be the best I can be, and about trying to do something ‘good’. This is what I have learnt: contrary to so many popular songs, films, books – we can’t all “be whatever we want to be” nor can we “have it all” (whatever that means). We can’t all be the ‘best’ in a Hall of Fame. The ‘best’ that I can be is the best ‘me’. The best that you can be is the best you. We should direct our hopes, our dreams, our aspirations and our prayers to (i) having the insight and openness to recognise our own uniqueness, our own gifts and talents, our calling, our vocation in life – and to (ii) trying to live a life in which we use and develop what we have been gifted with for the betterment of the world in which we live. This does not need to be big, grand or take place on the world stage. We do not need to be in a Hall of Fame to live a good and fulfilling life, to make a difference and to do good in the world. As wonderful as achievement and success may be they are poor substitutes, indeed no substitute, for a life guided by faith, a life of love, and a life in which you develop and use your distinct, unique gifts. I N P R I N C I P I O | 4 F E A T U R E

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