#TrentGrad2020: Trent University to Mark Major Milestone for Graduates with Virtual Celebration

Trent grads took part in virtual ‘stage walk’ at “Grad From Your Pad” June 13 and will return for in-person Graduation in 2021

Graduation at Trent University went virtual this year, offering a celebratory twist as graduates and their families from around the world joined together online to watch grads “stage walk” and listen to speeches from Trent leaders in full regalia.

While students graduating in 2020 are invited to return next year to take part in the more traditional Convocation, they were treated to a special Grad From Your Pad virtual celebration this past weekend.

Grad From Your Pad featured messages of congratulations from Trent dignitaries including Dr. Leo Groarke, president and vice chancellor at Trent University; Chancellor Stephen Stohn; and Dr. Scott Henderson, dean and head of Trent University Durham GTA. There were also congratulatory messages from Trent community members as well as a compilation of “stage walk” videos submitted by students to mirror the traditional walk across the stage to receive degrees.

“The completion of a university degree is a monumental accomplishment and the pinnacle achievement in the life of a student and we wanted to mark this major milestone with a unique and dynamic event in these uncertain times,” said President Groarke. “During Grad From Your Pad, I had the honour of addressing all of our 2020 graduates together with a single message, one of many unique moments of (virtual) togetherness we could not have anticipated just a few short months ago.”

Video submissions from students were incorporated into the virtual celebration, as graduates journey forward, receive their degrees, and move to the next chapter of their academic and professional careers.

More than 2,000 graduates from both Trent’s campuses in Peterborough and Durham GTA were celebrated as part of this first-ever online event, including 218 students who are completing Master’s and Ph.D.s – the largest number in Trent University’s history – with 194 Masters graduates, 14 Ph.D.s and 10 students receiving graduate diplomas this year. The 2020 graduating class also features the inaugural graduates from the seven new Master’s and graduate diploma programs ranging from the Sciences to Nursing to Management.

Missed Grad From Your Pad, or want to watch it again? The entire ceremony can be streamed at trentgrad2020.ca