Convocation Program
The Class of 2025
Indigenous graduates will receive a unique stole with symbolic meaning. One side of the stole depicts the Dish with One Spoon Treaty Wampum Belt between the Haudenosaunee and Anishnaabe. This land is part of the Dish with One Spoon Treaty between the Haudenosaunee and Anishnaabe peoples and symbolizes the agreement to share, protect our resources and not to engage in conflict.
On the other side of the stole is the Office of Indigenous Initiatives logo. Based on the Haudenosaunee creation story, our logo reminds us of how the first seeds of life on Earth were planted on the back of a turtle. The inner segments of the dome represent the Anishnaabe (Ojibway) Seven Grandfather Teachings: love, respect, wisdom, bravery, truth, honesty and humility. The golden rays of the sun symbolize enlightenment, learning and new beginnings. The Métis beaded purple flower represents the gifts of plant life from the Skyworld, which encourage and sustain life. The entire design rests on the waters of life.
The mace of Wilfrid Laurier University was officially presented by the Euler family at the 1963 fall convocation in memory of The Honourable W.D. Euler, former senator of Canada and the first chancellor of the university. It weighs 16 pounds and was manufactured by the firm of Henry Birks Limited, Montreal.
The ferrule near the base of the shaft contains ivory from a walrus tusk obtained from Coral Harbour, Northwest Territories. The ten-sided shaft, representing the ten provinces, merges into the head of the mace which bears the ten provincial crests. The wood used at the point where the shaft meets the head of the mace is elm taken from the bannister post of Conrad Hall, the original seminary building. Above this are four crests relating to the history of the institution: a crest of Waterloo County, the Luther Coat of Arms, the crest of the Waterloo Lutheran Seminary and the coat of arms of the University of Western Ontario.
The head of the mace is made of maple and bears the Federal Coat of Arms, above which is the monogram of Queen Elizabeth II, during whose reign the university's charter was granted. On the reverse side is the crest of Wilfrid Laurier University and the monogram of King George V, during whose reign the original charter was granted. The top of the mace is a crown, mounted with jewels, symbolizing the authority of the State.
Dr. Fred Binding, a faculty member in the Department of Psychology for 32 years retired in July 2003. He had served as the university marshal for ten years. Sadly, Dr. Binding died in August 2003. In memory of his contribution to convocation ceremonies, artist Rex Lingwood was commissioned to create a marshal's baton.
In the baton, the artist incorporates a range of visual references that relate to the graduation ceremony, both directly and symbolically. In keeping with the nature of the ceremony, some of the forms are traditionally associated with ceremonial staffs, and the baton's design echoes the elaborate theatricality of the event and the flair brought to the occasion by Dr. Fred Binding. The ends may be read as abstracted figure forms wrapped in the academic gown and hood, with details symbolizing the life stage of the graduates. The Greek alphabet is inset into the internal side surface in the shaft of the baton. This is a reference to the interests of Dr. Fred Binding. It also acknowledges that language is at the core of university education and that the Greek language has particular importance in western culture.
The commission of the baton was made possible with the generous support of the Department of Psychology and Wilfrid Laurier's University Retirees' Association.
The academic degree is a title conferred on an individual by a university as recognition of the completion of a course of study or for a certain attainment. In Canada, the three stages in higher education are represented by the degrees of bachelor, master, and doctor. Wilfrid Laurier University is given the authority to grant degrees by the Wilfrid Laurier University Act.
The bachelor’s degree is awarded at the honours, without honours or general specified, or the general level. An honours degree program emphasizes the acquisition of a broad and deep knowledge of the student’s chosen honours subject. The four-year bachelor's without honours or general is awarded to students who have met all honours course requirements and includes their specialization. A general degree program emphasizes a balance between an in-depth understanding of the student’s major subject and a knowledge and appreciation of other fields.
The master’s degree is the second degree in higher education. Students complete concentrated and specialized work at a more advanced level in an academic discipline or professional area. Most course work is within the field of specialization and a research project or thesis is normally required. Some master’s degrees provide professional qualifications.
The doctoral degree is the highest academic degree granted by a university. Candidates for the degree spend several years in the advanced study of a specialized field of knowledge. The capstone of the degree is the doctoral dissertation, an extended work based upon independent research. The dissertation demonstrates the candidate’s command of both the subject matter and the exacting methods of scholarship, and makes an original contribution to knowledge.
Honorary Doctor of Laws | Presented on June 3, 10 a.m.
Tom Jenkins is chair of the board of OpenText, a role he has served in since 1998 following terms as president, chief executive officer and chief strategy officer. Jenkins is also chair of the World Wide Web Foundation, an international non-profit organization that advocates for a free and open internet, and commissioner of the Tri-Lateral Commission, a non-governmental organization that works to foster closer cooperation between Japan, Western Europe and North America. His numerous awards include the Ontario Entrepreneur of the Year award, the Canadian Forces Decoration and the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal. He is a fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering and an Officer of the Order of Canada.
Honorary Doctor of Laws | Presented on June 11 at 9:30 a.m.
A strategic business consultant and foreign service leader, John Tennant has impacted not only the development of Waterloo Region, but also Canada’s relationships around the world. Prior to serving as a strategic economic development consultant for the past 15 years, Tennant was CEO of Canada’s Technology Triangle Inc., where he established collaborative economic development and investment attraction initiatives and developed close links between research, talent and institutions of higher learning. Tennant has been a member of the Dean’s Advisory Council at Wilfrid Laurier University’s Lazaridis School of Business and Economics for 15 years and chair since 2017.
Honorary Doctor of Laws | Presented on June 12, 1 p.m.
Kim Phuc Phan Thi is known around the world as “The Girl in the Picture.” In 1972, she was immortalized in a Pulitzer Prize-winning photograph titled The Terror of War that depicted her as a nine-year-old running naked in agony following a napalm strike in Trang Bang, Vietnam during the Vietnam War. Once a living symbol of the atrocities of war, for nearly 30 years Phuc has been a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for the Culture of Peace and is the founder and president of The KIM Foundation International, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping child victims of war, violence and poverty. Her personal memoir Fire Road has been translated into 10 languages.
Honorary Doctor of Letters | Presented on June 13, 1 p.m.
Mary Hynes spent 20 years as the host of Tapestry, CBC Radio’s much-loved program about spirituality and what it means to be human. Hynes has also covered an eclectic range of stories in news and sports for newspapers, television, wire services and radio. Hynes has reported from 23 countries and covered three Olympic Games. She is the former host of CBC Radio’s The Inside Track and TVO’s Imprint, as well as a former co-host of Studio 2 on TVO. Hynes also spent several years as a sports reporter at the Globe and Mail.
Order of Wilfrid Laurier University | Presented on June 9 at 9:30 a.m.
Joe Dragon, a Smith’s Landing First Nation member, has a profound connection and commitment to the Canadian North. Dragon’s distinguished 30-year public service career includes senior leadership roles within both the territorial and federal governments. His federal experience spanned departments including Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Human Resources and Skills Development Canada, Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada, the Treasury Board Secretariat, and National Defence. Dragon has been instrumental in supporting Laurier’s partnership and research collaboration with the Government of the Northwest Territories and building relationships with the territory’s Indigenous governments and communities.
Order of Wilfrid Laurier University | Presented on June 9 at 9:30 a.m.
Margaret Walton-Roberts is a human geographer trained in the UK and Canada who focuses on international migration. She is currently a professor at Laurier and the Balsillie School of International Affairs. Her research interests are in gender and migration, transnational networks, and immigrant settlement. Current research continues with an international research team funded through a SSHRC insight grant to examine global nurse migration pathways between India-Canada, Philippines-Singapore, and Vietnam-Germany. She has been awarded several external grants for her research, and has published more than 34 book chapters and more than 46 journal articles.
Order of Wilfrid Laurier University | Presented on June 12, 4 p.m.
Professor Emeritus Michel Desjardins was an impactful mentor, instructor and academic leader at Laurier during his 24-year career at the university. A leading scholar of religion and culture, his expertise on the interrelationship between religion and food is globally recognized. During his time at Laurier, Desjardins led the departments of Religion and Culture and Global Studies for three years and served as associate and acting dean for the Faculty of Arts. He has been recognized with awards including a Laurier teaching award and a 3M National Teaching Fellowship, the nation’s highest teaching honour at the postsecondary level. Desjardins is remembered at Laurier for his mentorship and his impact on students and colleagues alike.
Louise Dawe, June 10, 4 p.m., Waterloo
Azim Essaji, June 11, 4 p.m., Waterloo
Paul Elliott, June 11, 1 p.m., Waterloo
Patricia Polischuk, June 12, 9:30 a.m., Waterloo
Graduates listed in this program have been certified as completing all degree requirements as of May 27, 2025.
Julia Ariel Koifman
Faculty of Science
Tiffany Wei-Hsin Luke
Faculty of Science
Jean Paul Lefebvre
Faculty of Science
Fizza Abbas
Lyle S. Hallman Faculty of Social Work
Parminder Kaur Bharta
Lyle S. Hallman Faculty of Social Work
Elise Brown-Dussault
Faculty of Science
Virginia Edith Capmourteres
Faculty of Education
Antonio Chan
Lazaridis School of Business and Economics
Bin Chen
Lazaridis School of Business and Economics
Bethany Constance Correia
Faculty of Education
Emma Catherine Foran
Lyle S. Hallman Faculty of Social Work
Rebecca Maria French
Lyle S. Hallman Faculty of Social Work
Alexander Everett Furlotte
Lazaridis School of Business and Economics
Andrew William Allan Geekie-Sousa
Faculty of Education
Majid Ghasemi
Faculty of Science
Jennifer Catharina Gysbers
Faculty of Science
Jennifer Lyn Johnson
Lyle S. Hallman Faculty of Social Work
Sai Shreesh Josyula
Faculty of Science
Gabriel William Karolidis
Lazaridis School of Business and Economics
Sidney MacDonald
Lyle S. Hallman Faculty of Social Work
Tyler Andrew Malloch
Faculty of Science
Sulaiman Muhammad
Faculty of Science
Melissa Emily Perez
Lazaridis School of Business and Economics
Sherilyn Van De Wynckel
Faculty of Education
Annie Ormonde
Faculty of Human and Social Sciences
Brook Elizabeth Anne Snider
Faculty of Human and Social Sciences
Lance Paris Abbott
Faculty of Arts
Tamar Maya Barth
Faculty of Science
Michael John Duong Blair
Lazaridis School of Business and Economics
Jaron Nikolas Bowman
Faculty of Arts
Shaylon Godse
Lazaridis School of Business and Economics
Cassidy Jane Hirtle
Lazaridis School of Business and Economics
Julia Ariel Koifman
Faculty of Science
Tiffany Wei-Hsin Luke
Faculty of Science
Dylan Warren Malamed
Faculty of Science
Karin Samir Saad Mansour
Faculty of Science
Merna Mina
Faculty of Science
Zoish Mujib
Faculty of Arts
Charles Jonathon Reist
Lazaridis School of Business and Economics
Derica Seide Scott
Faculty of Music
Benjamin Harry Shaolian
Faculty of Science
Veronica Specyal
Faculty of Arts
Mahelan Thambirajah
Lazaridis School of Business and Economics
Valeria Volkova
Faculty of Science
Bella Yanovsky
Faculty of Science
Kristen Mark Westwood
Faculty of Education
Huaye Zeng
Lazaridis School of Business and Economics
Gabriel Byrne
Lyle S. Hallman Faculty of Social Work
Kennedy Patricia Couture
Faculty of Human and Social Sciences
Aliyah Farida Ishmail
Faculty of Liberal Arts
Caitlin Marie Reintjes
Faculty of Education
Georgia Rachael Thomas
Faculty of Arts
Mekdelawit-Mariam Wondwossen Hailu
Faculty of Science
Congratulations on your graduation – you made it! Today, we welcome you to the Wilfrid Laurier University Alumni Association (WLUAA).
You are now a member of a community of more than 120,000 proud graduates of Wilfrid Laurier University and its predecessors.
WLUAA represents all Laurier alumni, including you. We support Laurier with revenue from alumni services, such as group home, auto and life insurance, and an alumni affinity credit card.
WLUAA revenues help to fund alumni programs and events, university initiatives, student groups, and student scholarships.
The association’s mission is to engage and represent a community that supports and enriches our alumni, students, and the university. We share a vision for an inspiring community of engaged alumni.
You are alumni for life — your relationship with Laurier doesn’t end today. Stay connected as a proud grad and learn more at LaurierAlumni.ca.
