On Wednesday, June 5, Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs hosted a dinner reception for spring 2024 doctoral graduates, their guests, and supervisors.
Held at Federation Hall, the event celebrated the successes of the graduating doctoral students, who have achieved doctoral degrees through their hard work and perseverance. These doctoral graduates have made a tremendous contribution to the University of Waterloo through research, teaching, and commitment to their graduate community.
The celebration included a cocktail hour, buffet dinner, speeches, and a slideshow of photos submitted by the doctoral graduates and their supervisors. A highlight of the evening was a photo booth where guests could take graduate-themed photos with fun props and a printed photo takeaway for each participant.
Throughout the night, attendees heard from:
- Jeff Casello, Associate Vice-President, Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs
- Emma Juracic, winner of the Governor General’s Gold Medal and PhD graduate from Kinesiology and Health Sciences
- Alexander Walker, winner of the Governor General’s Gold Medal and PhD graduate from Psychology
Juracic had warm words for her fellow doctoral graduates, discussing the importance of resilience and perseverance throughout their doctoral studies, stating “it’s this grit, this resilience, that’s going to propel us to success no matter where our professional careers take us and perhaps is what we should be most proud of.”
Walker discussed the importance of community, and that while a PhD may oftentimes feel like an individual journey, it is the support and community that the University of Waterloo provided that made the experience meaningful. “My graduate studies did far more than teach me the skills to satisfy my intellectual curiosities; it allowed me to be a part of a community of brilliant scientists.”
The first PhD celebration took place in June 2020 in a virtual environment, providing PhD graduates a celebration during a time when the University did not hold a convocation ceremony due to the ongoing pandemic. Since then, the PhD celebration has become a tradition for each convocation to celebrate the achievements of the doctoral graduates.
“The University has long acknowledged the exceptional accomplishments of our PhD graduates. We are so thrilled to complement our convocation events with this unique, and richly deserved celebration for our PhD graduates, and those who supported them through their journey.”
