From Adversity to Purpose: Kaleb Dahlgren’s Message That Lit Up SAC

4/14/2026

When hundreds of phone lights rose above the crowd at the end of assembly, the room changed. What had begun as a school gathering became something quieter, deeper, and more memorable: a reminder that every student carries the power to bring light to someone else’s life.

That was the lasting image Dr. Kaleb Dahlgren left with St. Andrew’s College during a powerful address to students centred on this month’s character theme: resilience.

Kaleb, a former elite hockey player, advocate, author, speaker, chiropractor, and survivor of the devastating Humboldt bus crash in Saskatchewan, shared a message that went well beyond abstract perseverance. It was a story of hardship, healing, purpose, and perspective, offered with honesty, humour, and generosity.

From the outset, students were drawn in by his warmth and humility. He spoke candidly about the challenges that shaped him long before the Humboldt Broncos bus tragedy in 2018, including being diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at the age of four, losing important people in his life, moving away from home as a teenager, and learning, over time, what resilience truly requires.

For Kaleb, resilience is not about pretending life is easy. It is about choosing how to respond when life is not.

That message came into sharp focus as he reflected on April 6, 2018, the day of the bus crash. Kaleb was one of 13 survivors. Sixteen people lost their lives. Most of the deceased and injured were players from the Humboldt Broncos junior ice hockey team. In sharing that experience, he did not dwell on tragedy for its own sake. Instead, he spoke about what followed: the long and painful work of recovery, the weight of survivor’s guilt, and the conscious decision to live a life that would honour those who were no longer here to live theirs.

Again and again, he returned to a simple but powerful quote from Charles Swindoll: “Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it.” He spoke about perspective. He spoke about the importance of small daily choices, what he called “micro resilience.” He urged students to focus on the habits and attitudes that require no special talent but shape character all the same: being on time, bringing energy, showing respect, staying coachable, doing the extra work, and choosing gratitude.

He also challenged students to think beyond themselves. One of the most compelling parts of his address came as he reflected on a formative experience from his youth that changed how he understood privilege, struggle, and leadership. It was a moment that taught him an enduring lesson: we rarely know the full story of what someone else is carrying. He asked students to lead with empathy, look after one another, not assume you know another person’s life situation, and never to underestimate the impact of kindness.

That theme carried through the entire talk. Kaleb encouraged students to perform one good deed each day, reminding them that even the smallest gesture can alter the course of someone’s day, and sometimes much more than that. In the middle of the assembly, he asked students and staff to turn to those around them and share one positive thing about that person. The energy in the room shifted immediately.

It was a fitting demonstration of one of his central beliefs: never underestimate the ripple effect.

Kaleb also spoke openly about acceptance and forgiveness, not as easy ideas, but as necessary ones. He described forgiveness as a path to peace, a way of laying down the anger and weight that can quietly shape a life if left unaddressed. It was one of the most mature and powerful elements of his message, and one that resonated strongly with the audience.

Throughout the presentation, Kaleb connected his experiences back to service. Through his program, Dahlgren’s Diabeauties, he has supported young athletes living with Type 1 diabetes, helping them see that their diagnosis does not define or limit them. In speaking about mentorship, community, and advocacy, he offered students a vision of leadership grounded in action.

His message aligned with the values we strive to cultivate at SAC: courage, compassion, self-awareness, responsibility, and character.

Following the presentation, Kaleb joined members of the First Hockey team for lunch, where the conversation continued with thoughtful discussion about hockey, leadership, and the passions that drive students forward on and off the ice. To mark the visit, First Hockey Captain Finn Kearns ’26 presented Kaleb with a Saints jersey, which Kaleb accepted with pride.

By the end, students had not only heard from someone who had endured extraordinary adversity, but someone who had chosen, every day since, to turn pain into purpose and hardship into service.

As students lifted their phone lights at Kaleb’s request, the symbolism was unmistakable. Alone, each light was small; together, they transformed the room. It was a simple but lasting image, and perhaps the most fitting reflection of Kaleb’s message to the Andrean community: resilience is not only about finding your own light. It is about using it to help others find theirs.

As Kaleb reminded students in his closing moments, “There is no difference between me and you, the only difference is what we choose to do with what we’ve been through.”

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