St. Mike’s newest alumni descended on St. Mike’s campus one last time as undergrads to celebrate their academic achievements. St. Mike’s hosted a BBQ for graduands and their families on Thursday, June 13. The BBQ, held in the break between St. Michael’s College’s two convocation ceremonies for the Faculty of Arts and Science, gave the former students a chance to proudly show their loved ones their “home” while they attended the University of Toronto.
When asked why it was important that she celebrate her accomplishment at St. Mike’s, Katrina Schulz said, “I think seeing my friends, seeing my family, getting to my family to meet my friends that I met at university, and just to see the campus again to show them what I love about it.” She earned her Honours Bachelor of Arts.
Heart of the campus, Elmsley Lane, proved to be the perfect venue for the outdoor reception.
“I think it’s one of the smaller colleges, so you really have that opportunity to meet a lot of people, especially in your first year,” said Oscar Haofei Wang, who was awarded his Honours Bachelor of Arts.
In addition to lunch, members of the graduating class picked up their grad gifts and pointed out the familiar faces in the class composite.
“[St. Mike’s] offered me the opportunity to meet so many people. I think through friendship, sportsmanship and spirit, that’s how [it] supported me throughout,” said Iris Tu, who received her Honours Bachelor of Arts.
“When you’re having a hard time with school, your friends are the people who get you through it and, like I said, a lot of our friends are from St. Mike’s, so it’s nice to be here and celebrate all together after we went through everything all together,” said Stephanie Menezes who earned an Honours Bachelor of Arts.
St. Mike’s faculty and staff joined the festivities. After supporting the graduates in their academic journeys, they offered the graduating class their best wishes as they embarked on life after St. Mike’s.
“St. Mike’s gave me my first job. I was the groundskeeper here with [John Scarcelli], and I’ve come to know everybody here by name. This place has a special place in my heart, and like I said, it was pivotal to my growth, and me being me today,” said Gabriel Edward Naidoo, who graduated with an Honours Bachelor of Arts.
“In my first year, having a learning disability was very hard, so I met with a lot of learning advisors at St. Mike’s, and that was so helpful. Growing up, a lot of people told me I probably would never graduate, but I did, and I graduated with high distinction,” said Nicola Schmidt, who earned an Honours Bachelor of Arts.
The occasion called for a cheers!
The beautiful campus provided many locations to capture picture-perfect moments. It truly is an oasis in the city!
The event was the perfect setting for graduates to create some final St. Michael’s memories as their undergraduate careers come to a close and they anticipate what the future will hold.
Congratulations Class of 2024!
We asked members of the Class of 2020 if they had messages for their classmates. Here’s what they said.
“Community” is one of the words that comes up most often when graduating students talk about what made their St. Michael’s experience special. While their university experiences were not always easy, several members of the Class of 2020 found that the St. Michael’s community was there for them when they needed it most.
“I struggled in first year,” Kate Friesen (Honours Bachelor of Science: Immunology major, Physiology and Biology minors) says. “I was going to transfer home—I transferred all my credits.” What ultimately convinced her to stay? Conversations with older students in the Canada Room, who encouraged her that things would get better if she stuck it out. At St. Mike’s, she says, she found “people who are going to push you further.”
Friesen found community at St. Michael’s near the beginning of her student experience, meeting people who would become her best friends in residence and at Orientation. An orientation coordinator her first year who “was just so welcoming” stayed in touch with her and even recently provided her with a reference. Because of the support Friesen received at St. Mike’s, she stuck it out at the University of Toronto—and now is preparing to take on a PhD placement in Oncology at Oxford University. “I feel I’ve grown leaps and bounds from where I was when I came in,” she says, “and I wouldn’t have grown this much if I’d stayed at home.”
“St. Mike’s is such a wonderful community, it’s so diverse, it’s so warm and welcoming,” Friesen’s classmate Anna Zappone (Honours Bachelor of Arts: Environmental Geography major, Forest Conservation and English minors) says. She finds the college’s sense of community unique at the University of Toronto. “Everybody is always together, always doing things, always so eager to give back to our little community.” Involved in Orientation, student government, and even Collegium during her four years at St. Mike’s, she spent much of her student career giving back to the community in just this way, and was recognized for her contributions this year with a University of Toronto Student Leadership Award.
Joseph Rossi (Honours Bachelor of Arts: International Relations major, History and Political Science minors) didn’t realize how much the diversity of the St. Mike’s student body would shape his experience—but that diversity would become one of the things he valued the most about his time in the school’s community. “Learning about different religions, cultures – it shapes your own perspective,” he says. “When you listen to someone and have a conversation, you grow as a person, and as an intellectual.”
“The older colleges are so rich in tradition, and I think there’s something to be said about that – it gives a community and a heritage aspect to it,” he continues. Michael Coleman (Honours Bachelor of Science: Physiology and Biochemistry double-major) agrees: “St. Mike’s is probably the most proud college to display its history,” from historical photos on display dating back to its founding to the many fireplaces that can be found all over campus. “Pretty much everywhere you go, St. Mike’s is just brimming with history,” he says.
As a student in residence all four years, including two as a residence don, Coleman took a special pleasure in introducing parents of students to this history while helping their children move into their rooms during Move-In Day. Welcoming students to campus is, in part, helping them come to see this history as belonging to them, as well.
“I associate St. Mike’s primarily with community engagement,” says Paul Nunez (Bachelor of Arts: English major, Classical Civilization and Anthropology minors), founder of the SMC Wellness Club and a fellow winner of a University of Toronto Student Leadership Award. Nunez’s experiences of community at St. Mike’s are primarily set in the Coop, a hub for both students in residence and commuter students alike. For him, the most memorable parts of life at St. Mike’s “are the nights in Brennan Hall when I would stay till closing at 11 p.m. studying,” he says. One or two other students would almost always be doing the same, creating a special late-night camaraderie.
Ultimately, what Nunez and other students came to feel about St. Michael’s during their time as students is summarized well by their classmate Michelle De Pol (Honours Bachelor of Science: Neuroscience specialist, Physiology minor): “Coming onto St. Mike’s campus, I always felt like I was coming home.” Coordinator for SMC Mentorship and also a U of T Student Leadership Award winner, De Pol continues: “I find that that kind of student community is unique at U of T, and it was definitely a cornerstone to my success throughout university.”
The following remarks were included in a program delivered to members of the graduating class as part of their virtual Convocation.
On behalf of Principal Boyagoda, and all of our colleagues at the University of St. Michael’s College, I offer congratulations on completing your undergraduate studies at the University of Toronto.
The historically rich university ceremony of convocation is meant to provide the opportunity to celebrate your academic accomplishments and to acknowledge publicly those who have supported you. Well done, and congratulations also to your family, friends and the professors and many others who have helped you complete this important chapter in your educational and personal journey.
This year, however, you and your classmates, in fact all of us, have been also called to reflect upon the extraordinary events we find ourselves facing, individually and as a society. The circumstances surrounding your convocation are like no other. We recognize that it has been a challenging way to end this year. It is not only the shift to remote learning, and the distancing from good friends at this time of celebration: for many, the events of the last few months have added real economic and personal strain to the usual challenges one would expect to face as program completion deadlines approached. So, please know that we acknowledge that in addition to the academic focus and discipline you have demonstrated in this last semester of your studies that you have been asked to find within yourselves the patience, flexibility and strength to face these new challenges.
Thank you for the grace and resilience you have demonstrated in this challenging time. You, and the class of 2020, will be remembered in a unique way in the long and rich history of St. Michael’s.
Congratulations again. Be well, and God bless you and yours.
David Sylvester, PhD
President and Vice-Chancellor
The University of St. Michael’s College