Passion

Recently I had the opportunity to speak to a group of students studying at one of the leading high schools in Korea. I had been invited as a distinguished speaker to visit the school and address the students. We decided that the best format for this presentation was an interview in which I would answer a series of six questions on such topics as my childhood in Africa, my undergraduate experiences, my days with the NASA space program, my time as President of the University of British Columbia and finally, what I had learned as the President of the Canada Foundation for Innovation. This was essentially an opportunity to explain how my own life experiences had contributed to the vision we have created for Quest.

I enjoyed responding to these questions but what impressed me most were the students at this outstanding Korean high school.

When one of the students asked about the admission requirements of Quest University Canada, we turned the question around and asked, “Knowing what you know about this university, what criteria would you set as being most important for admission?”

Having shared my answers to the questions that had been presented to me, I was hugely gratified when a student answered: “passion”. For of all the things that I have learned and experienced in my life, it is a passion for challenge, for inquiry, for discovery, and for experiencing all that this incredible world has to offer that has shaped who I am today. And I thank that student in a Korean high school for reminding me of the starting point of all education – a desire for discovery, a passion for adventure, a joy in dealing with challenges. (I hope he applies to Quest!)