Wednesday, June 3, 2020

At home, online and with humour, U of T’s Class of 2020 celebrate a virtual convocation

With social media, Zoom calls and signs planted on front lawns and draped from apartment balconies, there was no shortage of well-wishing for the University of Toronto’s class of 2020 – the first in the university’s 193 years to celebrate convocation remotely.

Some crafty graduates set the stage for their at-home convocation with cardboard props and makeshift gowns. Others left a running commentary of congratulatory messages on a chat window that accompanied the virtual event.

Haim Abraham and his partner Eden Sarid, both receiving their [SDJ doctoral degrees] from the Faculty of Law, dressed up for the occasion, substituting blue and teal bath robes for graduation gowns and wearing aluminum foil mortarboards – with a USB stick dangling from a cord and a charging cable acting as the tassels. They posed in front of a garden shed, decorated with a sign saying “Convocovid Hall,” and a cardboard CN Tower.

The day carried extra significance for the couple: Abraham received his U of T acceptance the same day he and Sarid were married. “Today, it’s like things are coming full circle,” he said.

Read more about U of T's virtual convocation at U of T News