“May you always dare to do great things with your life"

7 September 2023

Group president (UWTSD Students’ Union) Taya Gibbons’s address to Birmingham graduates.

Wearing an academic gown and hat, Taya Gibbons stands at a microphone on stage.

“My biggest congratulations go out to you all, Llongfarchiadau, you’ve finally done it. There have been people that have spoken before me and will continue after me to congratulate you and wish you well, but I just wanted to ask you all to stop for a minute and take all of the glory in.

Take a deep breath, grab this moment with both hands, celebrate each of those individual achievements, you thoroughly deserve it.

University is not the end of your journey, but the start of a future filled with bright hope and success. In this world, you can’t control how other people see you, judge you or treat you, but by moving forward without fear is how you have controlled your own excellence to be here today.

I am incredibly proud to stand here before you, a cohort of success through and through. University is both a physically and emotionally challenging period of your life, but with the resilience and determination that you have shown, you have reached this point. How incredibly powerful is that?

Although today is all about you, a massive congratulations and thanks has to go to the people around you. The empathy and kindness that these people have shown, in times of doubt and worry is something that you will carry with you for life. Of course you can thank all these important people but I also wanted to stand here and thank them for their patience, and sheer will power for playing their part in your successes here.

A group of about thirty graduates wave, laugh and smile as they leave the graduation ceremony. At the front of the group, the Dean of Birmingham Campus wearing blue and red robes holds out his hat and smiles.

Your lecturers, programme managers, Deans, Institute heads and the Vice Chancellor. Family and friends, your closest loved ones, the people here today and watching over us. A big thank you to all of them, I’m sure you can join me in expressing your gratitude for them.

The one big thing that university has taught me, is that: before you act: listen, before you react: think, before you criticise, wait and before you quit, always try.

Today is all about you, however you plan to celebrate your successes, make sure you cherish each of these moments and best of luck for wherever life takes you.

May you always dare to do great things with your life.”