"Curiosity, compassion and courage": Graduating Indigenous studies

On June 4th, the traditional graduation ceremony took place in Árdna. Hakkyung held the speech on behalf of the students. She kindly agreed to publish the speech here.

Hello dear classmates, lecturers, professors, and all our family and friends in the master’s program in Indigenous studies,

My name is Hakkyung Son, although most of you probably know me simply as Hakky. I am deeply honored to be standing here today, giving this graduation speech, a proud tradition of our ceremony. Thank you to all my fellow students who trusted me with this moment.

For many of us, beginning this program was more than just starting a new chapter. It was like opening a book in an entirely different language, in a place we didn’t know, surrounded by people we had yet to meet. Especially for international students, this experience meant arriving in a completely new environment: unfamiliar culture, unfamiliar weather – let’s be honest, a lot of snow – and even unfamiliar food.

But let’s not forget – this transition wasn’t only a challenge for international students. Our local classmates also had to adjust to new perspectives, new academic languages, and the strange phenomenon of group discussions that never end on time. Therefore, it was a shared challenge, and somehow, we all made it through.

Do you remember how it all started? You got the admission letter. You packed your young life into one or two suitcases and said goodbye to your family and friends. You flew, drove, maybe even took a bus through the brightness of midnight sun. And then – you arrived. This winter wonderland became our classroom and, for a while, our home.

We began with self-introductions – awkward but sincere – trying to remember names from all over the world. And then… bam! Reading lists, critical essays, paper deadlines, group work, more readings, and that one class where some of us pretended, we had read the entire article.

And now, look at us. Standing here. Together. Graduates.

What’s your highlight from this journey? Maybe it can be something small, such as a kind word during a tough day, a shared lunch, a quiet walk in the snow.

And yet, right now, you might also be thinking: What comes next? What do we do after the celebration, after the cap toss?

Well – we are now young social scientists. So, I feel it’s my duty to ask the most terrifying, universal, post-graduation question:

“What is your plan after this?”

(Yes, I heard the collective panic in the room.)

And I want to turn that question back to our professors and lecturers: What was your plan when you finished your master’s degree? Did you know exactly what to do? Or did you just take one brave step at a time?

Are we truly “Masters” of this field now?
Maybe not in the traditional sense. But we’ve gained something even more valuable – the ability to keep asking questions, to truly listen, and to continue growing.

I hope all of us – myself included – become the kind of people who reply to that nervous little master’s student reaching out for help. Remember how it felt when no one answered? Let’s be the ones who say: “Yes, I’d love to help.”
Because once, that was us.

Of course, some of us might drift away from this field in the years ahead. And that’s okay. In ten, maybe twenty years, when we’re spread across the globe – doing research, creating art, working in activism, raising families, shaping policy – I hope we still carry this with us:

Every single sentence we contributed to this field matters. And it will be remembered.

So, wherever life takes us next – let’s go with curiosity, with compassion, and with courage.

Congratulations to us all. We did it!

Academic coordinator, professor Else Grete Broderstad

Kortnytt fra Senter for samiske studier

Olsen, Torjer Andreas torjer.olsen@uit.no Professor i urfolksstudier