{"id":71470,"date":"2020-11-23T10:47:02","date_gmt":"2020-11-23T15:47:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsroom.carleton.ca\/?post_type=cu_story&#038;p=71470"},"modified":"2025-10-17T17:09:21","modified_gmt":"2025-10-17T21:09:21","slug":"fall-grad-2020-online-events-tributes","status":"publish","type":"cu_story","link":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/story\/fall-grad-2020-online-events-tributes\/","title":{"rendered":"Special Guests and Dancing GIFs: Fall 2020 Grads Feted in Online Events and Tributes"},"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\/grad-2020-story-bannr-1200w-1.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                        Special Guests and Dancing GIFs: Fall 2020 Grads Feted in Online Events and Tributes\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>There have been champagne bottles filled with gummy bears, gowned graduates flanked by family members and chat windows filled with expressions of pride and support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-full wp-image-61949\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"200\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/newsroom.carleton.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/KimHellemans.png\" alt=\"Prof. Kim Hellemans\" class=\"wp-image-61949\" srcset=\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/162\/KimHellemans.png 200w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/162\/KimHellemans-150x150.png 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Prof. Kim Hellemans<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Carleton\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/convocation\/grads-2020\/virtual-celebrations\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">graduation celebrations<\/a> looked a lot different in fall 2020, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, but those who took part found the happiness of the graduates transcended the barriers of technology and isolation.<\/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 felt it was important to celebrate our students individually,\u201d says Kim Hellemans, chair of the <a href=\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/neuroscience\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Department of Neuroscience<\/a>, which hosted a virtual ceremony on Nov. 14, 2020 after the university-wide ceremony video was posted online.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Faculty members read out the names of all students and their thesis titles. Grad supervisors were also invited to say a few words.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIn the future, we are actually considering doing this in addition to the in-person ceremony. It lent an extra personal touch that we did not anticipate,\u201d says Hellemans.<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignfull wp-image-71477 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\/neuroscience-zoom-celebration-1200w-1.jpg\" alt=\"Screenshot of the Neuroscience graduation celebration on Zoom\" class=\"wp-image-71477\" srcset=\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/162\/neuroscience-zoom-celebration-1200w-1.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/162\/neuroscience-zoom-celebration-1200w-1-400x227.jpg 400w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/162\/neuroscience-zoom-celebration-1200w-1-300x170.jpg 300w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/162\/neuroscience-zoom-celebration-1200w-1-768x435.jpg 768w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/162\/neuroscience-zoom-celebration-1200w-1-700x397.jpg 700w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/162\/neuroscience-zoom-celebration-1200w-1-200x113.jpg 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n<h2 id=\"an-extra-personal-touch\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">An Extra Personal Touch<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A number of departments hosted live virtual events and others shared congratulatory videos and messages on their websites. In the <a href=\"https:\/\/sprott.carleton.ca\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Sprott School of Business<\/a>, Kaeleigh Hanlon helped plan their celebration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"MAcc Graduation 2020\" src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/video\/479355884?dnt=1&amp;app_id=122963\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"autoplay; fullscreen; picture-in-picture; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\"><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cDespite being virtual, it felt very intimate,\u201d says Hanlon, program administrator in the Master of Accounting program.<\/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 looked through the Zoom call and every student had a smile on their face, especially when the dean read off each student\u2019s name in attendance. It was a great way to give everyone the quintessential graduation moment.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Sprott\u2019s Event Coordinator Allison Shields helped produced videos of faculty and staff offering congratulatory messages for the <a href=\"https:\/\/vimeo.com\/479355884\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Master of Accounting<\/a> students, as well as all <a href=\"https:\/\/vimeo.com\/432206024\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Sprott graduates<\/a>. These gave students a chance to see familiar faces and reflect back on their time in the program.<\/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>\u201cFrom my experience, I would say that when you break away from trying to mirror the [in-person] graduation celebration, there is a lot that is possible,\u201d says Shields.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>\u201cHearing the students cheer for their classmates was a big win in my eyes. The personal messages from professors and staff meant a lot to them, as well. It was the right move in bookending a really big chapter in their lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"a-keynote-for-chemists\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">A Keynote for Chemists<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/chemistry\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Department of Chemistry<\/a> took advantage of the tailor-made format to feature its own keynote speaker\u2014Ottawa native <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=vDUzLQ03wp0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jason Tetro<\/a>, a.k.a. \u201cThe Germ Guy\u201d and host of the Super Awesome Science Show podcast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cCarleton has had a special place in my heart because it is where I performed my first scientific experiments,\u201d said Tetro, who came to campus as a high school student. In terms of advice, he told the graduates to \u201calways look for the mechanisms\u201d and \u201ckeep an open mind, because you never know where life is going to take you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Department of Chemistry Virtual Graduation Celebration Fall 2020\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/_pnelpMZ4oo?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>Chemistry\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/_pnelpMZ4oo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Zoom graduation ceremony<\/a> featured cheers from faculty members in academic regalia and mortar boards, as well as remarks from undergraduate Benjamin Warnes, who offered a little dance as he sat at his kitchen table. (Watch him at 18:39 in the <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/_pnelpMZ4oo?t=1119\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">video<\/a>.)<\/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 really want to say thank you to all of the professors and all the staff who made this experience great,\u201d said Warnes, who earned his Bachelor of Science in Chemistry and won the University Medal in Science.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>\u201cI\u2019d like to thank the graduates as well. I had a lot of you guys as TAs and you were great mentors to me and to everybody.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignfull wp-image-71500 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\/graduation-celebrations-1200w-4.jpg\" alt=\"Special Guests and Dancing GIFs: Fall 2020 Grads Feted in Online Events and Tributes\" class=\"wp-image-71500\" srcset=\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/162\/graduation-celebrations-1200w-4.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/162\/graduation-celebrations-1200w-4-400x227.jpg 400w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/162\/graduation-celebrations-1200w-4-300x170.jpg 300w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/162\/graduation-celebrations-1200w-4-768x435.jpg 768w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/162\/graduation-celebrations-1200w-4-700x397.jpg 700w, https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/162\/graduation-celebrations-1200w-4-200x113.jpg 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n<h2 id=\"supporting-our-online-community\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Supporting our Online Community<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The virtual graduation celebrations reflected individual departments\u2019 efforts to maintain and strengthen a sense of community during this difficult time. The Department of Chemistry\u2019s undergraduate programs administrator, Caitlyn McKenzie, says that was a great motivator.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe wanted to acknowledge this moment and celebrate our students\u2019 tenacity and strength. This pandemic hasn\u2019t been easy for anyone. Even though we&#8217;ve been separated, we needed to show that we as a community are closer than ever!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>See all of Carleton\u2019s Fall 2020 virtual celebrations on the <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/convocation\/grads-2020\/virtual-celebrations\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em>Grads 2020 website.<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Carleton Fall Graduation Celebration 2020\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ZNKE-24z74s?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>&#8212;<br>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/newsroom.carleton.ca\/\">More Stories<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>There have been champagne bottles filled with gummy bears, gowned graduates flanked by family members and chat windows filled with expressions of pride and support. Carleton\u2019s graduation celebrations looked a lot different in fall 2020, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, but those who took part found the happiness of the graduates transcended the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":410,"featured_media":71112,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"cu_story_type":[25],"cu_story_tag":[1923],"class_list":["post-71470","cu_story","type-cu_story","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","cu_story_type-student-experience","cu_story_tag-graduate-studies"],"acf":{"cu_post_thumbnail":"blueprint"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_story\/71470","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":4,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_story\/71470\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":97752,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_story\/71470\/revisions\/97752"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/71112"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=71470"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"cu_story_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_story_type?post=71470"},{"taxonomy":"cu_story_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_story_tag?post=71470"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}