As Diana Radenko closes the chapter of her undergraduate studies to graduate as part of the Class of 2025, she’s excited to see how far her St. Michael’s experience will take her. She’ll cherish the memories created through her Book & Media Studies courses and documented in her leadership roles for various St. Mike’s publications.
“At St. Mike’s, I could choose what I wanted to do and what I wanted to put my energy towards. I found whatever I did, whether it was student initiatives, coursework, or going to college events, I came away with a sense of joy,” she says.
In her first year she was impressed by the expansive course offerings of the Book & Media Studies program because they offered her the flexibility to pursue her interests. In her senior years she enjoyed the higher-level seminar classes with their smaller class sizes where she connected with fellow students and professors over the course material.
“What I liked about Book & Media Studies was that there were only a handful of foundational courses. After I was done with those, I could pick and choose what I wanted to focus on. I wouldn’t have had the same freedom in another program.”
Her courses took her many places, including Massey College, the Kelly Library’s Special Collections, and to Ireland with Professors Mark McGowan and Alison Moore as part of the Boyle Seminar in Scripts and Stories where they toured museums and libraries.
“Something that stood out to me on that trip was seeing how connected we are to institutions abroad. When we went to the famine museum in Ireland, Professor McGowan stopped us in one of the rooms and explained that all the research on display had been done by U of T students. Seeing how far other students have gone really inspired me,” she says.
The trip and her studies were supported by various St. Michael’s scholarships including the Boyle Entrance Scholarship and the John and Angela Maraz Memorial Scholarship.
“The support I’ve received from St. Mike’s honestly has changed my life because I felt free to pursue the things I wanted. Knowing that there was some sort of financial backing from the college helped me perform in my studies,” she says. She was a Dean’s List Scholar in 2023, 2024, and 2025.
Diana’s impact on St. Michael’s goes beyond the classroom. She has served as a Copy Editor and Design Manager at The Mike, the student newspaper, and the past two years she was the Senior Editor of Windrose, the SMC yearbook.
“It was meaningful to be able to make something that I know other students are going to take home with them and cherish. As the Senior Editor, I felt responsible for shaping the story of the whole academic year. That responsibility connected me with St. Mike’s community,” she says.
Among her many St. Michael’s memories was celebrating the launch of the yearbook in the Dodig Family COOP. “Seeing everyone engaged with the memories that they had made over the course of the year was really heartwarming,” she says.
When she crosses the dais on October 27th, she leaves knowing she’s leaving her mark on the college that gave her so much.