ONE STEP AT A TIME

Katy shares her story of learning to cultivate Grit, the raw perseverance required to start over when everything falls apart. She will share the painful lessons she learned about never rushing a delicate process, dealing with fading hope, and finding the strength to keep showing up. Ultimately, her journey is a testament to the power of resilience and a reminder that when life forces you to slow down, getting the little things done one step at a time is what allows you to make the biggest leaps.

BIOGRAPHY

From Taiwan, Katy is an enthusiastic person who loves to have fun and enjoys spending time with her family and friends. In her free time, she likes to go swimming. She does not like skiing and tore her ACL from it; the rest is history. She hopes you feel inspired by her recovery journey. 

YOU CAN RUN 100 MILES. HERE'S WHY.

Seth will be speaking about how every able-bodied human has the capacity to run 100 miles. He will support my claim using physiological concepts and evolutionary biology to outline why our running capacity is much greater than we think.

BIOGRAPHY

Seth is a former division 1 lightweight rower, ultramarathon runner, men’s rowing coach, and Whittall house BFA.  He has competed more than 15 ultras ranging from 50 kilometers to 170 kilometers, including a double-crossing of the Grand Canyon, the Willapa 100-mile endurance run, and a self-supported expedition to the highest point on Vancouver Island.

BLOOD, SWEAT AND TEARS, A PUGILISTIC PERSPECTIVE ON GRIT AND JOY

Through the blood, sweat, and tears of her boxing career, Jeannine discovered that greatness isn’t defined by titles or trophies—but by the joy found in perseverance, discipline, and self-belief. From the struggles of training and setbacks in the ring to the triumphs of championship victories, her journey reveals how embracing the hard moments with gratitude and determination leads not only to success but to true fulfillment. This is a story of perseverance, passion and the unbreakable belief that through hard work and heart, greatness will always prevail.

BIOGRAPHY

Jeannine Garside is a retired Canadian world champion boxer from Duncan, British Columbia. Known for her determination, discipline, and championship mindset, she became a unified featherweight world champion, holding the WBC, WBO, and WIBF titles before retiring from professional boxing. A 2015 inductee into the International Women’s Boxing Hall of Fame, Jeannine now brings her passion for mentorship and athletic excellence to her role at Brentwood College School, where she continues to inspire the next generation through sport and leadership.

GRIT IN THE HOUSE: KEEPING IT REAL IN THE COMMONS 

The pace of politics is relentless, the expectations impossible to meet, and the algorithms reward anything that drums up engagement, no matter how negative. In the House of Commons, grit can easily take on its most abrasive form - a sharp, stubborn irritant - and before long, you can forget who you are and why you came.

In this talk, Member of Parliament Tamara Kronis explores a different kind of grit: one that isn’t about toughness or defiance, but about staying real in a system that constantly pushes you to attack. She argues that true perseverance in public life means holding onto empathy, curiosity, and moral clarity, even when the machinery of politics rewards the opposite.

This is a talk for anyone trying to hold onto their integrity in high-pressure environments - a reminder that the most powerful act of perseverance is not hardening, but staying open.

BIOGRAPHY

Tamara Kronis is the Member of Parliament for Nanaimo–Ladysmith. Before entering public life, she enjoyed a wide-ranging career as a lawyer, goldsmith, and human rights advocate. Her long and winding path has included running a human rights tribunal, being a canoe tripper at a summer camp, clerking for a Chief Justice, making lots of gorgeous jewellery, serving as director of advocacy for a national human rights organization, and working in the office of the prosecutor of a UN War Crimes Tribunal.

Through it all, she’s learned that authenticity, a willingness to try, and empathy often matter more than polish — lessons she now carries into her work in Parliament. Tamara believes Mae West had it right: “You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.”

In the House of Commons, Tamara is known for taking her work seriously without taking herself too seriously. Her career has been defined by perseverance — the kind that resists cynicism, values listening over shouting (except during Question Period), and keeps heart and integrity at the centre of leadership.

THINK POSSIBILITY

In her talk, Afghan Olympian Friba Rezayee reflects on how she used grit to defy the ban on women's judo, making history in the 2004 Athens Games. This participation was a "sport revolution" that challenged gender stereotypes and paved the way for hundreds of Afghan women to play sports. 

BIOGRAPHY

Friba Rezayee is Afghanistan’s first female Olympic athlete. She represented Afghanistan at the2004 Athens Olympic Games in the  sport of Judo. She has inspired hundreds of women and girls to join sports. It was a sports revolution, and a women's rights movement in Afghanistan. Friba was recently invited to sign the Olympians’ wall at the Olympic House in Switzerland.

She is now the founder and the Executive Director of Women Leaders of Tomorrow in Canada. A nonprofit dedicated to Afghan women’s education, leadership and empowerment. WLOT has been leveraging millions of dollars in scholarships, and raising hundreds of thousands of dollars to support Afghan women and girls’ education in Canada.

She has been working and inspiring highly reputable and well established educational institutions in Canada, such as UBC, Laurier University, Laurentian University, Brentwood College School, and many more.

She is the founder of a number of programs: Girls of Afghanistan Lead (GOAL) (a sports program to produce the next generation of professional athletes, coaches, and instructors). Afghanistan Learns Online. An online teaching and learning platform for girls to have access to an education after the Taliban returned and banned education for women and girls. 

She a recipient of the King Charles III’s Coronation Award. She has received the International Women’s Forum British Columbia fellowship program, and received Executive Leadership training at Harvard Business School.

STRENGTH 101 - AN ARTIST'S LESSON IN STRENGTH

What if your deepest anxieties and darkest emotions hold the key to your greatest strength? Artist and speaker Kathleen Brophy shares the compelling story of how her passion for drawing became a powerful tool for self-discovery and mental healing. By delving into dark and vulnerable self-expression, she realized that the ability to honestly admit and depict turmoil is a profound form of grit. The talk uses powerful examples of this art—most notably an impactful piece featuring a snake-human hybrid—to illustrate how creating something scary and vulnerable can make you stronger and more resilient. The core message is clear: strength is found in your willingness to be tender and real.

BIOGRAPHY

Kathleen, a graduating Grade 12 student, has spent four years at Brentwood, balancing academic focus with a deep commitment to the arts. Art has been a lifelong passion and a crucial mechanism for mental wellness and navigating personal struggles. Her diverse background includes six family moves across the US and Canada—a result of her father's military service—following her birth in Lancaster, California. Initially, existing anxiety was amplified by the transition to Brentwood. However, her artistic practice, which emphasizes vulnerability through the self (body, face, and emotions), has driven significant emotional growth this year. This belief that genuine art requires putting one's heart on her sleeve guides her work. She plans to continue her healing practice of fine art and creative writing well into her future.

STRESS-FUEL

What if we approached stress like elite athletes do—turning it into fuel instead of letting it break us down? By training the brain, flipping the script, and igniting resilience, they build unstoppable grit. And the truth is—we can too.

BIOGRAPHY

Alix Dunham is the founder of Grit Workshops, created in 2015 to make mindfulness and neuroscience accessible for youth and adults. With over 25 years of teaching experience, certification in meditation, and lived experience with mental illness, she brings a unique blend of expertise, curiosity, and compassion to her work. Since 2022, Grit has partnered with more than 30 schools across Greater Vancouver, reaching thousands of students through engaging, science-based mindfulness programs.

WHEN GRIT ISN'T GREAT

Grit is generally thought of as a positive trait, but when can it be a negative? Darcy will share how his perception of grit shaped his recovery from a serious workplace accident. 

BIOGRAPHY

Darcy Kulai works in recreation and is currently coaching basketball at Brentwood College School. He is also working with WorkSafe BC to help raise awareness of the relatively high rate of injury for young workers in British Columbia. He lives in Cobble Hill with his son, Lucas.