‘Perseverance’ through pandemic celebrated at BU grad

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This article was published 26/05/2022 (1378 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Some familiar sights and sounds finally returned to Brandon University’s Healthy Living Centre Thursday, as the school welcomed back graduates to the facility to celebrate its 2022 spring convocation.

The in-person event had been completely absent from the university’s campus for two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, during which the school adopted an online format that forced students to watch from home and receive their diplomas in the mail.

However, the loosening of public health restrictions across Manitoba earlier this year has allowed in-person convocation ceremonies to return in earnest and give students the opportunity to retrieve their certificates in the presence of friends and family.

Thursday morning’s portion of the two-day celebration featured students from BU’s faculty of science and School of Music, who appeared more than happy to take part in the standard convocation rituals that past graduates might have taken for granted.

Graduates, in blue and gold gowns, were greeted with messages from BU officials like president David Docherty, who talked about all the adversity the class of 2022 had to endure to get to this point.

While these sentiments have been trotted out at many past graduations, the president’s words carried a little more emotional weight this time around, since the pandemic forced most — if not all — of these students to pivot to online learning to finish their program.

“I dare say, perseverance is part of what we’re celebrating here today,” Docherty told the students during his opening remarks.

The theme of “perseverance” carried over to the valedictory addresses provided by Benjamin Lamont and Alyssa Alambra, who represented their peers in science and music, respectively.

The students were uniquely impacted by the shift to online learning, since in-person labs and recitals were a key part of their programs.

“Online classes meant staring at our screens all day, getting to know your peers and faculty members as names on faceless screens, and trying to submit those final papers and presentations alone in our rooms,” Lamont said Thursday.

“These last few years were not what we expected, but I’m proud to say that we pushed through it, we fought through it, we developed new learning strategies, battled social isolation, adapted to altered course work and persevered through each new wave of COVID and its associated restrictions.”

Alambra adopted a similarly optimistic tone during her time on the mic, extolling BU staff for helping students gradually transition back to in-person instruction this academic year.

“Although the COVID-19 pandemic took a huge toll on us, the return to in-person learning reminded me of the blessings I’m surrounded by each and every day,” she said.

“On behalf of the graduating class, I would like to thank the administration, office members, faculty, professors and teachers for working tirelessly, especially through the pandemic, to make sure that us students were receiving the highest quality of education possible.”

A grand total of 641 students are graduating from the school this year, the largest class since 2010, according to a news release.

However, the class of 2022 is also being bolstered by an additional 100 or so graduates who completed their programs throughout 2020 and 2021, but never had the opportunity to celebrate their academic achievements in person.

This group includes people like Julia Stoneman Sinclair, who finally finished her thesis and master’s degree in rural development in 2020 after surviving a cancer diagnosis.

While Sinclair, who hails from Misipawistik Cree Nation, was “devastated” that her 2020 convocation never came to pass, she was happy the university invited her back to take part in their 2022 in-person ceremony because it will give her family the opportunity to properly celebrate as a group.

“This is for all the people who helped me get here,” Sinclair told the Sun on Wednesday. “My kids being able to see me at graduation and being able to have a big supper after, it’s important to take that time to do that.”

Outside of celebrating with friends and family, Thursday’s ceremony also provided BU graduates with the chance to put their future careers into sharper focus.

Now that he has obtained his bachelor of science degree, with a major in mathematics and double minor in religious studies, Joshua Donald Claude Beaudin is looking forward to teaching overseas.

“I’m going to the southern region of South Korea this summer to figure out what the specifics will all look like,” Beaudin wrote in an email on Wednesday. “Whatever I do, though, I know I want to share my interests and love for life through teaching and building deep relationships with people wherever I go.”

Graduate Nicole Russel is planning to take a year off before putting her major in chemistry and minor in biology to good use in the health-care field.

“I hope to obtain a medical degree and practise as a physician while also doing research,” Russel said on Wednesday. “It’s kind of been a childhood dream of mine, and I try to continue pursuing it.”

While Docherty closed his remarks Thursday morning by admitting the current state of the world can look very bleak, his outlook on life remains largely hopeful based on the calibre of this year’s graduates.

“You are the most motivated, most compassionate and emotionally open generation yet. You are aware and passionate about causes that my generation shamefully dismissed. You are serious about tackling questions of gender and racial equality in ways that we failed to do,” the BU president said.

“You have the power to make your voices heard, and I feel optimistic knowing that the graduates of 2020, 2021 and 2022 are going to take the world by storm.”

The Thursday portion of BU’s 2022 spring convocation also featured graduates from the faculty of education in the afternoon.

This year’s graduation ceremony will wrap-up today with a showcase of students from the faculty of health studies at 10 a.m. and the faculty of arts at 2 p.m.

» kdarbyson@brandonsun.com

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