Thursday, September 24, 2026 — Athletics and Wellness Centre, Branksome Hall

Good afternoon, everyone.

Today, we do something important.

We formally recognize those who have chosen to step forward and lead.

And this year, I want to begin by remembering someone who understood deeply what it means to use your voice, to challenge what needs challenging, and to create space for others to lead.

Just a few weeks ago, Gloria Steinem died at the age of 92.

For more than six decades, she was a journalist, writer, activist and one of the most influential voices in the women’s movement. She helped bring issues of gender equality into the public conversation at a time when women had far fewer opportunities and far less power to shape the institutions around them. Through her writing, speaking and activism, she challenged assumptions about who gets to lead, whose voices get heard, and what becomes possible when women have the courage to imagine something different.

For those of us who know her work, Gloria Steinem was a remarkable force for change. For those who are hearing her name for the first time, I hope you will remember her as someone who understood that progress begins when we are willing to question what we have inherited and imagine what could be better.

But Gloria was not simply someone we read about.

She was a friend of Branksome Hall.

In 2017, she visited our school and spoke with our students. She sat with young women and students who were themselves finding their voices, asking questions and beginning to imagine the kind of impact they might have on the world.

So, it feels especially fitting that, as we install this year's student leaders, we draw on some of the leadership wisdom she shared both while she was here at Branksome and throughout her life.

And what I love about her advice is that it isn't really about power.

It is about people.

So, to our prefects and all of our student leaders, here are five things I hope you carry with you this year. These come from Gloria herself; lessons she shared with Dr. Jason Wingard, Dean of Columbia University’s School of Professional Studies. 

First: Pursue your uniqueness.

Steinem reminded us that each of us is the result of an extraordinary combination of experiences, circumstances and qualities that has never existed before and never will again.

That means there is no one else who can lead exactly as you can.

You don't need to become the loudest person in the room. You don't need to imitate the prefect or student leader who came before you. You don't need to have every answer.

Find what you care about. Find what gives you energy. Find the contribution that only you can make.

And then bring your whole self to it.

Because the best leadership does not come from trying to be someone impressive.

It comes from being fully yourself in service of something that matters.

Second: Listen.

Steinem believed that listening is one of the most important qualities a leader can have because, when you listen, you tell someone: you have something to say.

Think about what that means in a school.

There will be students who are confident and students who are uncertain. Students who will come to you immediately, and students whose concerns you will only hear if you take the time to notice.

Leadership is not always having the answer.

Sometimes leadership is asking:

What do you think?

What do you need?

What are we missing?

And then actually listening to the answer.

Third: Champion diversity of thought.

Steinem challenged leaders to notice who is missing from the room, whose perspective isn't being heard, and where something is unfair.

At Branksome, leadership means making our community bigger, not smaller. Not more exclusive - more inclusive.

It means noticing the person standing at the edge of the group and making room.

And it means understanding that empathy, patience, attention to detail and care are not lesser forms of leadership.

They are human qualities.

The strongest leaders develop the full circle of those qualities and they lift others up. In the wise words of Gloria when she spoke here in this very room: "I am not giving up my torch; I am using it to light other torches."

Fourth: Create realistic expectations for yourself.

This one may be especially important for Branksome.

Steinem talked about the danger of measuring ourselves against an ideal or a ranking. Against perfectionism rather than against real people. When she visited Branksome, she said, "We are linked, not ranked." Hierarchy is not as important as connection. We are connected by our imperfection and humanity.

So, please don't spend this year trying to be the perfect leader.

You will make mistakes. I certainly do.

You will have days when you get it right and days when you don't.

You will sometimes say the wrong thing, miss an opportunity, or wish you had handled something differently.

That's not a failure of leadership.

That IS leadership.

Give yourself permission to learn.

And remember: excellence is not perfection.

Fifth: Find your people.

Steinem reminded us that we are communal creatures. We are not meant to do difficult things alone.

Find the people who will challenge you, encourage you, tell you the truth and remind you why you stepped forward in the first place.

And then be that person for someone else.

Because leadership is not a solo performance.

It is a community.

And perhaps that is the most important lesson Gloria Steinem leaves us.

She spent her life using her voice, but she also spent her life helping other people find theirs.

She understood that leadership is not about being the person everyone looks up to.

It is about making it possible for more people to stand up.

And that is what I hope you will do this year.

You have been entrusted with influence.

Use it well.

Use it to listen before speaking.

To make room before taking space.

To notice what others might miss.

To challenge what needs challenging.

To lift others up.

And to leave this school a little better because you were here.

Today, we give you a title.

But over the year ahead, you will give that title meaning.

So, be brave enough to be yourself.

Curious enough to listen.

Courageous enough to challenge.

Compassionate enough to include.

Humble enough to learn.

And wise enough to know that you will never lead alone.

So, to our student leaders: hold onto your voice. Use it with courage. And, just as importantly, use it to help others find theirs.

Congratulations to all of you.

We are proud of you.

And now, it is your turn.