Legacy Convocation fails to clear the bar for many who graduated during the pandemic.

 

An event meant to honour students who graduated during the pandemic, the Legacy Convocation did not meet the expectations of many graduates.

George Brown College (GBC) held the event Oct. 29 for students who missed out on an in-person ceremony during the pandemic. It was held at The Carlu with ceremonies happening through the day.

Students entered the large and decorated venue to don their graduation gowns before walking on stage and taking a picture with the GBC president.

While glorious and a dream come true for many who graduated during a global pandemic, students expressed certain disappointments with the event.

This was caused by a few factors including missed invitations, disorganization, and a limitation in number of guests allowed, among other things.

Tamira Nelson, a graduate at the ceremony said, “They could have done a better job organizing it because I felt like I had to chase down the information. I had sent an email when the registration site went down and never heard anything for almost four weeks.”

Nelson said that she did not hear back until three days before the event.

“After waiting two years to graduate, only one guest was allowed, both of my parents couldn’t even make it,” she added.

Abdul Aziz Adamou voiced his displeasure with not even receiving something onstage to make things more official.

“I would have liked to get even just a fake diploma, something that acknowledged our honours.” The students walked the stage empty-handed and only bumped elbows with the president before leaving the stage.

Another concern expressed by multiple graduates was that some of their friends did not receive an invitation to attend.

Vaamdev Seenarain was a graduate walking the stage who shared that a few of his close friends never got an email from the college.

“When we were telling them ‘oh we are going to graduation’ they mentioned to us that they haven’t received an email or anything like that. I think some of them even tried to send an email, but they didn’t get any response.”

Angie Nijmeh, SA director of education and equity, was one of the board members present at the convocation. She shared concerns about the convocation and how the organisers could have done better.

“It was really meaningful to see students celebrating what’s a really big moment for them and I was really pleased with the venue. It could have obviously gone better. I would have hoped to see more organization. I know that it was three different ceremonies and students from across programs, but it would have been nice to see, for example, at least maybe trying to group them by program,” she said.

Nijmeh said the students shared with her that the SA could have given them more than just a hat in the goodie bags.

“It’s a big event and I think it needed the gift that we gave needed to be more significant.”

GBC president Dr. Gervan Fearon spoke on the concerns students shared regarding not receiving invites. He stated that the college made a good attempt to reach out to all alumni.

“What I would say is that we really made a strong attempt to reach out to all the alumni to be able to invite them to this event. At times the individuals may move and as a result then even when we do our best attempt to contact them there’s a possibility that some of the alumni weren’t reached.”

He added that the organising team made adjustments, such as allowing those who couldn’t make it in the morning session to be a part of the afternoon session and incorporate them in with flexibility.

The day, however, was filled with more than just unmet expectations.

There were also many positive responses and a wave of excitement going around the room. Graduates were happy to be receive an in-person graduation ceremony where they got to wear a gown and celebrate.

Ajith Francis, a 2021 graduate of the Project Management program said that he was disappointed when it was just a virtual ceremony but was now happy that he gets to walk the stage.

The Student Association (SA) was part of the organising committee and was present at the event with goodie bags and a photo booth.

Jessica Pasion, internal coordinator of the SA, emphasised on the importance of the event to the SA.

“Understanding that there was that need for having an in-person convocation, the GBC foundation reached out to us to say if we were interested in being a part of the committee. So, we wanted to make sure that there was a person from the SA board, as well as staff because there can be different perspectives and inputs. Whether it’s support, setup, monetary, or being present, we are letting students know during their time of them being remote we were there. And so, it was important for us to be here and be present to be like, here’s a small token of our appreciation.”

Alumni engagements also offers campus service opportunities or mentoring programmes for graduates to come back to the college and engage with new students.

The convocation, despite its shortcomings, gave many graduates a chance to physically celebrate their achievements at GBC.

As graduates start their journey as GBC alumni, the advancement and alumni engagement department (https://www.georgebrown.ca/alumni/connect-with-alumni-relations) may be a useful resource to stay connected and make the most of their connection with the college.