As I approach the end of my university degree, I’m constantly filled with a huge sense of accomplishment.

“In two months, I’ll be a university graduate,” I obnoxiously tell myself at least once a week.

In my head, the piece of paper I’ll hold in about two months signifying my graduation will be something I achieved all on my own. But this couldn’t be farther from the truth.

My professors, TAs, and friends definitely deserve a shout out for teaching me and helping me finish my assignments. However, it’s my parents who really deserve most of the credit for whatever I achieve in my life, whether good or bad—mum, if I go to jail for a white-collar crime, I’ll blame you.

There are no two people who’ve encouraged my curiosity and love of learning more than my parents. My childhood was filled with interesting books, exciting trips to the museum, and engaging conversations, alongside the two people who’ve listened excitedly to every idea I’ve ever had.

My childhood was filled with interesting books, exciting trips to the museum, and engaging conversations, alongside the two people who’ve listened excitedly to every idea I’ve ever had.

I remember sitting in the backseat of a car as a young child, listening to CBC with my dad, who carefully answered every question I had about the story playing.

He sat there attentively as I told him what I thought about each and every story, and he never thought it was cute or funny. When we disagreed, he listened as I defended my position before explaining his own. He never belittled my opinion and always encouraged me to care about the world and society we live in. 

When I was in seventh grade, my class started a fund to support the victims of the 2010 earthquake in Haiti. Being a delusional child, I insisted we write to a newspaper to let them know what we were doing. Rather than telling me nobody cared about what a group of 12-year-olds did with their spare change, my mum helped me write out a press release to send to our local paper.

To this day, my parents are the first people I turn to whenever I read an interesting paper for a seminar or see a crazy news story, because I always want to hear their take on the issue. While I’m far more educated than I was at eight years old, they still listen just as attentively as they did when I was in the backseat of their car. 

My parents have taught me how to work hard, be curious, and remain critical. They’ve always tried to make the world a better place, and growing up with them as examples has made me aspire to do the same.

When I collect my degree in June, it will be thanks to them that I’ve gotten this far.