Congratulations to Ryerson’s new fall graduates

Convocation has come and gone this fall, and it’s always heartwarming to see happy faces cross the stage to accept their degree and greet their proud families after the ceremony.

Particularly exciting is when old and new generations of Ramily members can share in the Ryerson joy, like Lizz Coatsworth who graduated from the School of Performance on October 16 – 30 years after her mother.

This year, we had 747 undergraduates, 572 graduates and 98 continuing education students accept their degrees and certificates. In addition, we had some extra special moments on stage. Deborah Smith, who is Cree Métis from Alberta, graduated with a master of arts in media production. Smith was blanketed during her ceremony as a way for her extended family and friends to acknowledge her. Her presentation included the citation:

“There are many ways Indigenous people respect each other. The ancestors have been and will continue to walk with her on this next part of her journey. Today, Deborah will be blanketed to honour her work and remind her that she isn’t, and hasn’t been, on this journey alone. We admire her dedication into advancing her educational knowledge to enrich all those that she will cross paths with. This blanket is a physical representation of the ancestors who will continue to wrap her in their warmth, protection and guidance as she continues on the next phase of her journey.”

We even had a special guest graduate as well. Arts and contemporary studies graduate Michelle Woolfrey accepted her degree with her guide dog, Aliscio, who was wearing a custom-made gown for the occasion.

And let’s not forget about the valuable volunteers – all 110 of them – who help during convocation.

We gathered a few more tender snapshots of convocation in the below gallery.