18.11.20 - U of T students to celebrate Class of 2020’s resilience during virtual fall convocation
Lauren Shiga is one of U of T's 26 divisional student ambassadors participating in this fall's virtual convocation event (photo by Matthew Volpe)
Article by Geoffrey Vendeville originally posted on U of T News
On a recent morning, University of Toronto architecture student Lauren Shiga stood outside the north facade of the Daniels Building at One Spadina Crescent to record a congratulatory message for the Class of 2020.
She was joined by Robert Wright, the interim dean of the John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Design, and – just beyond the camera’s frame – a pair of beaming parents.
“We all worked really hard to get our degree,” Shiga told U of T News after the shoot wrapped up. “I know it was really challenging sometimes and I know friends who pulled all-nighters trying to finish their projects on time.”
That’s in addition to the challenges that arose in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, including the need to adapt to online classes.
Shiga is one of 26 divisional student ambassadors representing U of T’s faculties and colleges, as well as U of T Mississauga and U of T Scarborough, who will make a cameo in this fall’s virtual convocation, which will be made available for public viewing on Nov. 21 at 12 p.m. EST. There are also three student welcome ambassadors who appear in the video, each representing one of U of T’s three campuses. (See the full list of student ambassadors here.)
For only the second time in the university’s history, U of T graduates – more than 5,200 of them – will receive their degrees in absentia.
Shiga says she plans to watch the virtual convocation with friends, in addition to celebrating in person with her family and others in her social bubble.