Over 1,000 OCAD University graduands from the Class of 2024-25 will cross the stage at Roy Thomson Hall on June 13 during Convocation.
This is one of the largest graduating classes in recent OCAD U history, with a total of 1,049 graduands from the fall, winter and spring terms.
Convocation commemorates graduands’ transformative journeys in art, design and innovation. They are poised to join OCAD U alums who are innovating across every sector, addressing contemporary issues in artificial intelligence, housing, food security and urban planning. Ultimately, the Class of 2024-25 will join their colleagues in contributing over $520 million annually to Ontario’s economy.
Two ceremonies will take place, beginning with morning ceremony at 10:30 a.m. for the Faculty of Design, followed by the afternoon ceremony at 3:30 p.m. for the Faculty of Art, Faculty of Arts and Science and School of Graduate Studies. Family, friends and loved ones who can’t attend the celebrations in person can livestream the ceremonies on the OCAD U website.
The festivities will begin with a welcome from Elder Elizabeth (Liz) Osawamick, who will present gifts to Indigenous students as they cross the stage later in the ceremony.
Indigenous students will receive a stole made by Tammy Beauvais, a Mohawk fashion designer from Kahnawake Mohawk Territory in Quebec. The black stoles are embroidered with OCAD U and Indigenous Student Centre logos.
Following Elder Osawamick's welcome, Eagleheart Singers will perform an honour song in recognition of the graduating class.
Celebrating medal recipients
Convocation is an opportunity to recognize this year’s OCAD University Medal recipients. Among the 16 medal recipients selected from OCAD U’s undergraduate programs are:
- Esteban Poblano-Zenil, an industrial designer whose work considers how we can provide migrants with safe, accessible resources to filter water during their journeys through remote and neglected areas.
- Justine Magbitang, a multidisciplinary artist exploring game and motion design. She has created Surround Screen, a virtual installation within a game engine that reflects her struggles with distraction and time while navigating online school during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Cait Toenjes, an emerging curator and cancer survivor whose artistic practice reflects on the complex and often contradictory relationship between illness and creativity. Her current series explores themes of duration, interruption and using art as a therapeutic process to navigate treatment, recovery and survivorship.
- Shamika Pierre, an artist who sees her work as a form of storytelling. Pierre’s The American Dream series unveils the unsettling experiences of Black diaspora in North America. By exposing the illusion of the dream, her work reveals the eerie realities that exist in contrast to its promises.
- Cherie Leung, a multimedia storyteller who works in textiles, crafting materials and found objects. Leung is a second-generation Chinese Canadian and mother of three whose work reflects her parenting, values and the things that have shaped her while navigating life between Eastern and Western thinking. In September, she will begin a Master of Art in Textiles at the Royal College of Art in the United Kingdom.
Honorary doctorate recipients
At Convocation, OCAD U will recognize four accomplished individuals for their exceptional contributions to the arts and cultural sectors. This year’s honorary doctorate recipients will include award-winning creatives, arts advocates and business leaders. The recipients will be announced on June 4.
Sharing memories
OCAD U encourages graduands and their loved ones to share photos, videos and shout-outs on social media with the tag @ocaduniversity.
Congratulations to the Class of 2024-25 and this year’s honorary doctorate recipients!
