Among the 2016 graduates at St. Lawrence College (SLC) being honoured for their hard work on June 17, 2016 was CSC Commissioner Don Head who received an honorary diploma.
Having been deployed to the military straight out of high school, Commissioner Head never got the chance to graduate from college but has seen great success throughout his close to 40-year career with CSC.
Among his many achievements, Commissioner Head has received other honours including the Public Service Award of Excellence for Diversity and Employment Equity as well as the Aboriginal HR Council’s CEO Leadership Award for Diversity and Inclusiveness.
After accepting the honour, Commissioner Head spoke directly to the graduates saying that it was a great day for both he and the community as 400 newly qualified leaders enter the workforce. He also gave them advice for their futures after graduation.
“Use every day as a learning experience. I often say, ‘I will stop learning the day I stop breathing’.” He added that the new grads should “strive to be leaders who inspire, innovate and empower others.”
Commissioner Head also told the grads to use the network they’ve established at SLC and that everything they do from this point forward will have an impact on someone. If the grads were to remember only one piece of his advice, he said, it should be to always take care of yourself. “We’re often the first to know when we need help, but the last to ask for it...Good leaders ask for help,” he explained.
Throughout his career, Commissioner Head has collaborated with SLC to provide students with employment opportunities, placements, and program development. In closing his acceptance, Head said he was confident in the graduates’ futures and looks forward to hiring many of them. And just for fun, while on stage Commissioner Head said that he wanted to capture the moment so he pulled out his phone and took a selfie with the crowd.