Post by University of Toronto Schools

The Graduation of the Class of 2026 was a time for reflection on the years they’ve shared together and a call for the graduates to use all they've learned at UTS to make a difference in the world. Co-valedictorian S6 Max, who was one of the 2025-26 co-captains and co-founded the UTS Cybersecurity Club, told his fellow graduates: “It is now time for all of us to take responsibility in building our futures, and to be honest, that scares me. You see in 10, 20 or 40 years from now, we'll all live in a world where Sherwin may be a talented brain surgeon; Diara, a globally renowned architect; and Jerry on the Supreme Court of Canada, but at the moment I can't help but wonder, will we actually ever become mature enough to be brain surgeons, architects and judges?” But he said it is a good thing they don’t all have our lives figured out, “because it is somewhere in not knowing that we discover the parts of ourselves that we appreciate the most.” UTS 2025-26 Co-valedictorian Jacob described how he came to UTS because of the stories his neighbours William A. Fallis '71 and his daughter Jane Cooper ’15 shared about “the magic of UTS” – the community, the SHOW, the Harry Potter-style House system and more. But when Jacob came to the UTS in the fall of 2020, it was the heart of the pandemic and online and hybrid school. The magic didn’t happen right away but began to take root in community, riding the 63 Ossington bus to Humbert, in his clubs such as the Diplomacy Club and Model United Nations Society and outdoor education trips, with skiing, biking and late-night conversations. Last year, as an S5 (grade 11) leader at Camp Couchiching he saw how shy the F1 (grade 7) students were when they arrived, not knowing what to expect from the House sorting ceremony. “I remember the anticipation and nerves they all experienced, and their sheer happiness afterward. It was the happiness most in our grade did not get to experience, but that we were so incredibly happy to create for them… that was the UTS magic.” He urged his fellow graduates to go out and engineer that kind of magic for others. “Let that be the legacy of the Class of 2026! Thank you so much, and thank you, UTS, for making me the person I am today.”