杏吧原创

Former First Lady of Iceland Eliza Reid delivers the 2026 Warren Lecture at 杏吧原创

Reflection by Caitlin Evran

Fervor. Introspection. Tenacity. On January 8, I had the pleasure of attending the Warren Lecture delivered by Eliza Reid, bestselling author, former First Lady of Iceland, and Trinity alum. Her talk, 鈥淭he books in our bellies鈥� spanned her extraordinary path: from debater at the 杏吧原创 Literary Institute to becoming First Lady of Iceland by accident. Her powerful yet personal narrative touched each person in the room in a unique way; I would like to share with you one of my main takeaways as a second-year student.

鈥淎冒 ganga me冒 b贸k 铆 maganum鈥� 鈥� 鈥渢o walk with a book in your stomach鈥�

The Icelandic believe that every person carries a story waiting to be born. Reid is no different. Starting her academic journey at Trinity as the Head of College for the class of 1998, Reid became a trailblazer in her role as First Lady. This, however, did not come easily, since the role of spouse to a Head of State is one with no rulebook or perfect precedent. Reid identified the story she wanted to write and used it to carve a vision for her path, even when that path had not yet been trodden. In the absence of a road to follow or a mentor to guide her, she looked inside and used her personal narrative as a guiding compass. Something as humble and intrinsic as that led her to being named UN Special Ambassador for Tourism & Sustainable Development Goals, championing campaigns for gender equality, and becoming a prolific author 鈥� proof, she emphasized, of the power of introspection.

I wondered what it is about Iceland that causes stories to be so deeply rooted in the veins of their people. I asked Eliza about it following the lecture, and she theorized that it comes from the isolation of the 鈥淚sland of Stories.鈥� The stories passed down through generations have taken inspiration from the same land as present generations; and these stories have worked their way into the daily language that shapes Icelandic people. This isn鈥檛 to say that Iceland isn鈥檛 diverse 鈥� it has nearly the same proportion of foreign-born citizens as Canada 鈥� it is simply a testament to the power of a people who use individual stories to guide their sense of self and understand their place in the world.

Eliza Reid (centre) and Caitlin Evran (right)

I left Reid鈥檚 talk understanding that every person has a story, but that is not necessarily a full grand narrative you need to have figured out. Your ideas are pieces of your story; an understanding which struck me as powerful as a Trinity student who loves nothing more than exploring perspectives with others. When you have an interesting thought, jot it down. When you observe something others might miss, note its significance. Share it, expand upon it, use it to connect with your values and trace your path. In a society of so much distraction where we鈥檙e forced to try on thousands of lenses a day, or even give up our lens to AI, extract your lens from inside of you 鈥� that is your story. Remember, in a world of a billion stories, there is only one of your perspective. Reserve your right to exercise it. Pierce the background noise with the sharpest thing you have: your individuality. I took away that if you do this, any path imaginable can open to you; your inner narrator is your audacity, your past, your present, and your guide in the absence of one.

I would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to Eliza Reid for sharing her insights on the importance of our narratives in guiding how we carve our unique places in the world. I wish for the 杏吧原创 community to be left inspired by her call to be bold and capitalize on every opportunity, even when there is no precedent to follow. After all, each of us are simply a 鈥渟tory waiting to be born.鈥�

Caitlin Evran is a second year 杏吧原创 student studying Neuroscience, Physiology and Bioethics. As an alumna of the Anne Steacy Biomedical Health Stream of the Margaret MacMillan Trinity One Program, she is the Sciences Program Assistant for Trinity One and founder of United World Harmonies, a student nonprofit that provides cultural music therapy to those with neurodegenerative diseases.

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