UTM’s Graduation Awards Reception
Top students were celebrated at a recognition event last month, capping off their undergraduate studies on a high note.
There was definitely jubilation in the air at this year’s reception for the students who completed their undergraduate degrees in 2023, and the ceremony to commemorate was a lively event with many award-winning students, staff, faculty, and members of
U of T Mississauga’s senior leadership team in attendance.
“When I was asked to present my congratulations, I thought immediately of the word’s history and meaning – I’m an English professor, after all,” said Alexandra Gillespie, U of T vice-president and UTM principal, in her opening remarks.
“The word ‘congratulations’ comes from a Latin verb that means ‘to wish and share joy together,’ and it captures how I feel as we come together tonight. As the Dean and I congratulate you on your much-deserved awards, we do it with the most wholehearted joy.”
And there was much to celebrate with 26 awards presented in total: Outstanding Program Performance recognitions were handed out from each academic department, as well as a Founders Gold Medal, E.A. Robinson Medals, the Dean’s Excellence Awards, and the Patricia and Peter Shannon Wilson Undergraduate Research Prizes.
Each recipient received a certificate at the reception held in their honour.
Along with the Outstanding Program Performance awards, it was anounced that Biology student Phuoc Thinh Nguyen additionally received the Governor General’s Silver Medal, which is given to undergraduates who achieve the highest academic standing from a bachelor degree program. (Read more about Nguyen in a “Scholarly Silver Finish.”)
Co-presenting and presiding over the ceremony with Professor Gillespie was UTM’s newly appointed Vice-Principal, Academic and Dean, Professor Nicholas Rule, who also expressed his appreciation and kudos to the students.
“I’d like to extend my sincere congratulations to all award recipients, as well as to all the students who have earned a University of Toronto degree,” said Rule in his concluding remarks.
“These are outstanding accomplishments. We’re incredibly proud of you – you’ve put in the work, learned and discovered new ideas, and made a difference for this community. And we’re excited to see the great work you’ll do next.”
The full list of awards and recipients are as follows:
Founders Gold Medal
Zi Wei Low
E.A. Robinson Medals
Humanities – Elisa Schembre
Sciences – Paul Boxuan Zhang
Social Sciences – Diljot Badesha
Part-time Studies – Jennifer Da Silva
Outstanding Program Performance
Anthropology – Leann Li Yan Ling
Biology – Phuoc Thinh Nguyen
Chemical & Physical Sciences – Ethan Dean Mooney
Economics – Samvid Sharma
English & Drama – Kaitlyn Harris
Forensic Science – Kaylee Lustig
Geography, Geomatics and Environment – Iman Lalani
Historical Studies – Harleen Kundan
Institute of Communication, Culture, Information & Technology – Alina Rizwan
Language Studies – Elisa Schembre
Management – Akram Ramadan
Mathematical & Computational Sciences – Paul Boxuan Zhang
Philosophy – Breanna Ashkar
Political Science – Justin Ochavo Butial
Psychology – Snimar Kaur
Sociology – Maya Victoria Hribar
Visual Studies – Elizabeth Provost
Dean’s Excellence Awards for Undergraduate Students
Award for Excellence in Creative Activity – Kevin Iyamabo
Award for Research Excellence – Peter Haoxuan Ge
The Patricia and Peter Shannon Wilson Undergraduate Research Prize
Biology – Andrew Huynh
Historical Studies – Adrian Jaime