{"id":67162,"date":"2020-06-19T16:05:37","date_gmt":"2020-06-19T20:05:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsroom.carleton.ca\/?post_type=cu_story&#038;p=67162"},"modified":"2025-10-17T17:10:17","modified_gmt":"2025-10-17T21:10:17","slug":"2020-graduates-virtual-celebrations","status":"publish","type":"cu_story","link":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/story\/2020-graduates-virtual-celebrations\/","title":{"rendered":"Grad Stories 2020: Carleton Applauds Graduates in Virtual Celebrations and City Billboards"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<section class=\"w-screen px-6 cu-section cu-section--white ml-offset-center md:px-8 lg:px-14\">\n    <div class=\"space-y-6 cu-max-w-child-max  md:space-y-10 cu-prose-first-last\">\n\n        \n                    \n                    \n            \n    <div class=\"cu-wideimage relative flex items-center justify-center mx-auto px-8 overflow-hidden md:px-16 rounded-xl not-prose  my-6 md:my-12 first:mt-0 bg-opacity-50 bg-cover bg-cu-black-50 pt-24 pb-32 md:pt-28 md:pb-44 lg:pt-36 lg:pb-60 xl:pt-48 xl:pb-72\" style=\"background-image: url(https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/162\/sip-2020-approved-1200w-1d.jpg); background-position: 50% 50%;\">\n\n                    <div class=\"absolute top-0 w-full h-screen\" style=\"background-color:rgba(0,0,0,0.600);\"><\/div>\n        \n        <div class=\"relative z-[2] max-w-4xl w-full flex flex-col items-center gap-2 cu-wideimage-image cu-zero-first-last\">\n            <header class=\"mx-auto mb-6 text-center text-white cu-pageheader cu-component-updated cu-pageheader--center md:mb-12\">\n\n                                    <h1 class=\"cu-prose-first-last font-semibold mb-2 text-3xl md:text-4xl lg:text-5xl lg:leading-[3.5rem] cu-pageheader--center text-center mx-auto after:left-px\">\n                        Grad Stories 2020: Carleton Applauds Graduates in Virtual Celebrations and City Billboards\n                    <\/h1>\n                \n                            <\/header>\n        <\/div>\n\n                    <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"absolute bottom-0 w-full z-[1]\" fill=\"none\" viewbox=\"0 0 1280 312\">\n                <path fill=\"#fff\" d=\"M26.412 315.608c-.602-.268-6.655-2.412-13.524-4.769a1943.84 1943.84 0 0 1-14.682-5.144l-2.276-.858v-5.358c0-4.876.086-5.358.773-5.09 1.674.643 21.38 5.84 34.646 9.109 14.682 3.59 28.935 6.858 45.936 10.449l9.874 2.089H57.322c-16.4 0-30.31-.16-30.91-.428ZM460.019 315.233c42.974-10.074 75.602-19.88 132.443-39.867 76.16-26.791 152.063-57.709 222.385-90.663 16.7-7.823 21.336-10.074 44.262-21.273 85.004-41.688 134.719-64.193 195.291-88.413 66.55-26.577 145.2-53.584 194.27-66.765C1258.5 5.626 1281.34 0 1282.24 0c.17 0 .34 27.596.34 61.3v61.299l-2.23.375c-84.7 13.718-165.93 35.955-310.736 84.931-46.494 15.753-65.427 22.076-96.166 32.15-9.102 3-24.814 8.198-34.989 11.574-107.543 35.954-153.008 50.422-196.626 62.639l-6.74 1.876-89.126-.054c-78.135-.054-88.782-.161-85.948-.857ZM729.628 312.875c33.229-10.985 69.248-23.523 127.506-44.207 118.705-42.223 164.596-57.709 217.446-73.302 2.62-.75 8.29-2.465 12.67-3.751 56.19-16.772 126.94-33.597 184.17-43.671 5.07-.91 9.66-1.768 10.22-1.875l.94-.161v170.236l-281.28-.054H719.968l9.66-3.215ZM246.864 313.411c-65.041-2.251-143.047-12.11-208.432-26.256-18.375-3.965-41.73-9.538-42.202-10.074-.171-.214-.257-21.38-.214-47.046l.129-46.618 6.654 3.697c57.313 32.043 118.491 56.531 197.699 79.143 40.313 11.521 83.459 18.058 138.669 21.059 15.584.857 65.685.857 81.14 0 33.744-1.876 61.306-4.93 88.396-9.806 6.396-1.126 11.634-1.983 11.722-1.929.255.375-20.48 7.769-30.999 11.038-28.592 8.948-59.288 15.646-91.873 20.147-26.36 3.59-50.015 5.627-78.35 6.698-15.584.59-55.209.59-72.339-.053Z\"><\/path>\n                <path fill=\"#fff\" d=\"M-3.066 295.067 32.06 304.1v9.033H-3.066v-18.066Z\"><\/path>\n            <\/svg>\n            <\/div>\n\n    \n\n    <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n<p>Thousands more Carleton University students have now officially earned their degrees through their dedication and perseverance to achieve &#8211; an academic milestone that is all the more sweet given the need in March for a quick pivot to online classes as a result of the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With Convocation ceremonies on hold\u2014for now\u2014this year\u2019s graduates are engaging with online events, congratulatory videos, slide shows and uplifting social media posts as billboards around the city mark their achievements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Through the week of June 22 to 26, Carleton faculties and departments will cheer their graduates in various ways and details can be found on <a href=\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/convocation\/grads-2020\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Carleton\u2019s Graduation Celebration 2020 site<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A <a href=\"https:\/\/carletongrads2020.everwall.com\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">social media wall<\/a> has been created to make it easier for graduates to post and share stories using the hashtags of #CarletonGrads2020 and #CUProud.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"President Benoit-Antoine Bacon congratulates Carleton University graduates\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/XksjbdSQNZI?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Carleton\u2019s Clerk of Senate and Marshal of Convocation, Betina Appel Kuzmarov, says she is hoping that graduates will get a sense that the university is honouring their achievements through these virtual celebrations.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"not-prose cu-quote cu-component-spacing\">\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u201cGiven the fact that June Convocation has been postponed, we wanted to find a way to ensure that all our graduates could celebrate their amazing achievement,\u201d says Kuzmarov.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe hope to celebrate with them when it is safe and appropriate to do so.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In a <a href=\"https:\/\/newsroom.carleton.ca\/story\/justin-trudeau-graduation-speech\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_self\">live address<\/a> at Carleton\u2019s campus on June 10, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau reached out to post-secondary graduates across Canada to praise the class of 2020 and convey his confidence that Canadian graduates will be the 21st century\u2019s Greatest Generation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cYou know what is wrong with the world and how to fix it,\u201d said Trudeau. \u201cI know you got this, and so do you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Chancellor Yaprak Baltac\u0131o\u011flu congratulates Carleton University graduates\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/uJNePdJd_nM?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Carleton President Benoit-Antoine Bacon says the university still plans to provide a future Convocation ceremony at the first opportunity.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"not-prose cu-quote cu-component-spacing\">\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u201cI would like to reiterate that this is a postponement and not a cancellation, and we remain committed to providing our students with the well-deserved opportunity to walk across the stage in a future Convocation ceremony,\u201d says Bacon.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>\u201cI want to offer my most sincere congratulations to our graduating students. Though Convocation is postponed, know that we are proud of you and your achievements.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignfull wp-image-67167 size-full w-screen ml-offset-center cu-max-w-child-max px-4 md:px-6 lg:px-12\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"580\" src=\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/162\/carleton-university-congratulates-grads-2020-1200w-1b.jpg\" alt=\"Carleton Applauds Graduates in Virtual Celebrations and City Billboards\" class=\"wp-image-67167\" srcset=\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/162\/carleton-university-congratulates-grads-2020-1200w-1b.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/162\/carleton-university-congratulates-grads-2020-1200w-1b-400x193.jpg 400w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/162\/carleton-university-congratulates-grads-2020-1200w-1b-300x145.jpg 300w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/162\/carleton-university-congratulates-grads-2020-1200w-1b-768x371.jpg 768w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/162\/carleton-university-congratulates-grads-2020-1200w-1b-700x338.jpg 700w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/162\/carleton-university-congratulates-grads-2020-1200w-1b-200x97.jpg 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n<h2 id=\"going-online-to-finish-final-semester\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Going Online to Finish Final Semester<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With only a few weeks left into their last semester, Carleton\u2019s spring graduates had to abandon classrooms and labs, yet still learn the content required to complete their degree requirements and conquer final exams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Faculty and staff switched <a href=\"https:\/\/newsroom.carleton.ca\/story\/learning-transitions-flexibility-compassion\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">almost overnight into remote mode<\/a> and Carleton\u2019s Educational Development Centre created a joint exam team to provide faculty with options.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The team created a guide for faculty and provided options, including an offer to build online exams for them or allowing tech-savvy professors to assemble their own exams and get help uploading the material, re-engineering the traditional exams workflow in a matter of days.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"not-prose cu-quote cu-component-spacing\">\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u201cWe are fortunate that we are able to maintain our academic mission and core operations remotely, which would have been unthinkable only a decade ago,\u201d says Bacon.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>\u201cI hope this gives pause to anyone who thinks of universities as traditional, behind the times and unable to change. Universities haven\u2019t flourished over centuries by standing still, but by always adapting to emerging challenges and constantly evolving.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI have been absolutely amazed by the creativity and flexibility of our teaching staff as we transitioned to online and other methods of distance learning.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignfull wp-image-9097 size-full w-screen ml-offset-center cu-max-w-child-max px-4 md:px-6 lg:px-12\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"680\" src=\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/162\/shopify-year-two-group2-1200w.jpg\" alt=\"Carleton Applauds Graduates in Virtual Celebrations and City Billboards\" class=\"wp-image-9097\" srcset=\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/162\/shopify-year-two-group2-1200w.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/162\/shopify-year-two-group2-1200w-300x170.jpg 300w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/162\/shopify-year-two-group2-1200w-400x227.jpg 400w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/162\/shopify-year-two-group2-1200w-768x435.jpg 768w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/162\/shopify-year-two-group2-1200w-700x397.jpg 700w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/162\/shopify-year-two-group2-1200w-200x113.jpg 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n<h2 id=\"new-degree-conferred\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">New Degree Conferred<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This spring marks the <a href=\"https:\/\/newsroom.carleton.ca\/story\/first-shopify-dev-degree-completed\/\">first graduates of Carleton\u2019s new Dev Degree program<\/a> &#8212; a collaboration between Carleton and Shopify. Dev Degree is a first-in-Canada four-year, work-integrated learning program that combines hands-on developer experience at Shopify with an accredited computer science degree.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Britta Evans-Fenton was motivated to enter the program because it allowed young programmers to receive some of their training at Shopify. Once she was approved, she found herself working alongside experienced developers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And she was earning while she learned, with Shopify covering her tuition and paying a salary.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"not-prose cu-quote cu-component-spacing\">\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u201cI became immersed in computer programming and was able to pay for my living expenses,\u201d Evans-Fenton recalled.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>After four years of hard work in association with multiple teams at Shopify, she\u2019s now one of the company\u2019s newest hires, working on their mobile team. And she has used her knowledge to mentor incoming Carleton students along the way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For more stories about great Carleton grads, please go to: <a href=\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/convocation\/grads-2020\/grad-stories\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">https:\/\/carleton.ca\/convocation\/grads-2020\/grad-stories\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/convocation\/grads-2020\/grad-stories\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"398\" src=\"https:\/\/newsroom.carleton.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/carleton-university-congratulates-grads-2020-800w-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-67182\" srcset=\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/162\/carleton-university-congratulates-grads-2020-800w-1.jpg 800w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/162\/carleton-university-congratulates-grads-2020-800w-1-400x199.jpg 400w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/162\/carleton-university-congratulates-grads-2020-800w-1-300x149.jpg 300w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/162\/carleton-university-congratulates-grads-2020-800w-1-768x382.jpg 768w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/162\/carleton-university-congratulates-grads-2020-800w-1-700x348.jpg 700w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/162\/carleton-university-congratulates-grads-2020-800w-1-200x100.jpg 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8212;<br>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/newsroom.carleton.ca\/our-stories\/\">More Stories<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Thousands more Carleton University students have now officially earned their degrees through their dedication and perseverance to achieve &#8211; an academic milestone that is all the more sweet given the need in March for a quick pivot to online classes as a result of the pandemic. With Convocation ceremonies on hold\u2014for now\u2014this year\u2019s graduates are [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":410,"featured_media":67185,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"cu_story_type":[25],"cu_story_tag":[],"class_list":["post-67162","cu_story","type-cu_story","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","cu_story_type-student-experience"],"acf":{"cu_post_thumbnail":"blueprint"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_story\/67162","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_story"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/cu_story"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/410"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_story\/67162\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":97760,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_story\/67162\/revisions\/97760"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/67185"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=67162"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"cu_story_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_story_type?post=67162"},{"taxonomy":"cu_story_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_story_tag?post=67162"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}