Set to graduate from the University of Toronto in one week, the St. Michael’s Class of 2021 is exceptional for many reasons. Many members have spent almost half their time in university taking online classes. Some have joined in those classes from around the world. Still others have come face-to-face with the realities of COVID.
What is certain about this cohort of students is that they are ready to take on the world. Members of the class will be conferred with their degrees in an online ceremony at noon EDT on Wednesday, June 23.
With 817 students receiving degrees, the St. Michael’s class is characteristically large by University of Toronto standards, and students receiving Honours Bachelor of Science degrees make up the largest share. Graduand Ruikai Wu, College Gold Medal winner in Science, says he originally chose St. Michael’s in part because of its emphasis on interdisciplinarity and the humanities.
“I thought that would be a nice exposure as a science student, because I think we should have a balance in what we learn about,” Wu says. He and other award winners will receive their awards from St. Michael’s in a video ceremony at 10:30 a.m. EDT the day of Convocation.
Some graduating students have already received awards from the University of Toronto, such as recipients of the Student Leadership Awards, formerly known as the Cressies. Student Leadership Award recipient and St. Mike’s graduand Adam Da Costa Gomes found deep and rich community at St. Michael’s while studying pharmacology, a field in which he will be pursuing doctoral studies at U of T this fall. “Community life at SMC is unparalleled and really helps mitigate the academic stress that can quickly bubble up,” the SMCInclusive co-founder says in a profile for the Faculty of Arts & Science.
The Class of 2021 will see some firsts for St. Michael’s, including the graduation of the first cohort of the SMC One Gilson Seminar in Faith and Ideas, one of the University of Toronto’s most popular One programs for incoming students. Students in the seminar credit it with helping them find their place at U of T both academically and socially, and they graduate with as strong a sense of connection to one another as they enjoyed in their first year.
Although St. Michael’s graduands will be tuning in to their Convocation remotely, they will also receive special graduation packages that include St. Michael’s keepsakes such as SMC pins and a letter from President David Sylvester. Staff from several departments gathered on campus to prepare the mailing last week, filling dozens of boxes with over 800 mailers. The University of Toronto is also making gown rentals available for students to wear while watching the ceremony at home, and St. Michael’s students can spruce up their Zoom backgrounds with a bit of SMC flair.
As students become graduates, they will find many perks and benefits by joining the Alumni Association. New St. Michael’s grads gain access to an extensive alumni network, the ability to continue using the University of Toronto Library system, a complimentary subscription to St. Michael’s Magazine, and much else.
Interim Principal Mark McGowan has seen the efforts students have put into completing courses and concluding their studies over the past year, and is deeply impressed with St. Michael’s students’ commitment to finishing well.
“Your achievement is made even more profound in that you completed your programs of study amidst one of the gravest health crises to strike the world in a century,” McGowan says. “You persisted valiantly and your patience and extraordinary labours make your achievement today that much more profound. As you move into a new chapter of your lives, please remember those special times at St. Michael’s and come back and visit us in person when public health permits it.”
For now, the best place to find coverage of St. Michael’s Convocation is on social media, but as vaccine rates continue to go up, there is hope for future meetings on campus, where the early summer flowers are now in full bloom.