“If a man empties his purse into his head, no man can take it away from him. An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest… Ben Franklin
I recently attended an online Extraordinary Lives series chat with Hon. Brian Mulroney, former Prime Minister and StFX Alumnus, which was very educational and inspiring. Although the discussion focused on the US Presidential election, what I found most interesting were his motivational words about the values of StFX and his work with the StFX community. Mr. Mulroney stressed how lucky we are to attend such an extraordinary university.
Mr. Mulroney told us about his backstory and how his past inspired him to help future X students. He came from small-town Baie-Comeau, where his father worked at a paper mill. The young Mr. Mulroney had the option to work at the paper mill just as his father did, but his father instead encouraged him to attend university, because he wanted him to be successful in life. Mr. Mulroney’s family worked hard for him to attend school. And that's the reason Mr. Mulroney ensured when raising money for the Mulroney Institute of Government that of the 100 million dollars raised, a huge amount would go toward scholarships and financial assistance for future and current X students. Mr. Mulroney wants to help make it possible for as many students as possible to get a degree no matter their financial situation.
Mr. Mulroney talked about how important the Mulroney Institute of Government is to him and hoped the future students would come and tour StFX, look at the building and realize that if a small-town guy from Baie-Comeau can do this, so can they. He hopes that future X students can do something good for their communities and contribute to the betterment of mankind.
Mr. Mulroney talked about the importance of respect and honor and stressed that StFX’s values helped prepare him to be a successful leader. He said the two fundamental components of leadership are substance and style. Yes, it's important to do good things but it’s also very important to be kind, empathetic, and respectful.
The fireside chat with Mr. Mulroney was very inspirational and inspiring, his dedication to StFX, and the commitment to assuring future students get the best out of their StFX experience is very motivational for all of us.
[Halle Cordingley is a student at StFX University]