Spring convocation a rite of passage
More than 14,000 university and college students in the region will graduate — and celebrate
WATERLOO REGION — Thousands of post-secondary students in the region will dress in ceremonial gowns and mark years of study and hard work at convocation ceremonies this week.
More than 14,000 students are expected to graduate from Wilfrid Laurier University, the University of Waterloo and Conestoga College.
UW will pack the Physical Activities Complex with graduates from six faculties at its 116th convocation.
“This convocation we’ll celebrate the 200,000th graduate at the University of Waterloo,” said Matthew Grant, director of media relations. UW’s first ceremony was held in 1960.
“It’s quite a milestone considering everything our graduates have been able to achieve — everything from starting billiondollar companies to being a CEO of one of the nation’s largest banks,” he said.
“We’ve had Olympians, we’ve had Rhode Scholars, we’ve had Governor General Literary Award recipients, we’ve had graduates who have topped the New York Times bestsellers list, we’ve had CFL running backs, we’ve had someone who’s helped run the CFL. We’ve had a number of people come here who have gone on to do some amazing things.”
The excitement on campus this week is visible.
“We’ve got gowns, we’ve got caps, we’ve got people moving around campus. We see almost as many parents come in today as we do during the first week of school,” Grant said.
Honorary degree recipients, including Setsuko Thurlow, a survivor of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima in 1945 and advocate for the banning of nuclear weapons, will deliver a keynote speech on Wednesday to the faculty of arts graduating class.
At Laurier, CBC journalist Nora Young received an honorary degree on Monday, while Mary Deacon, chair of the Bell Let’s Talk mental-health campaign, will be recognized on Wednesday.
Laurier will graduate nearly 2,200 students this week in Lazaridis Hall. The largest graduating departments include the faculty of arts and the Lazaridis School of Business and Economics.
More than 5,000 students at Conestoga College will graduate at the school’s 50th spring convocation, being held at Marshall Hall in the Bingemans Conference Centre this week. The school’s largest graduating program is the two-year diploma in practical nursing, which has 175 graduates.
The college has seen 130,000 graduates pass through its hallways over the years.