June 21 marked a Convocation like no other with graduates of five Queen’s Law programs from 2020, 2021, and 2022 crossing the stage at the Leon’s Centre in downtown Kingston.
“I am so happy to have this chance to share with you, and your family and friends, your achievements at Queen’s,” Dean Mark Walters, Law’89, said to graduates of the JD, LLM, PhD in Law, and undergraduate Certificate in Law programs and to the first-ever graduates of the Graduate Diploma in Immigration and Citizenship Law.
After quoting from a poem by F.R. Scott, a legendary Canadian constitutional law professor, Walters said, “I feel confident today in saying that you will all rise, in your own unique and distinctive ways, to play a greater part.”
Awards were given to 2020 and 2021 JD graduates:
• Medals to graduates with the highest cumulative averages: Alysha Flipse, Rachel Oster, and Colette Koopman, all Law’20; and Michelle de Haas, Samantha Bondoux, and Aisha Raeburn-Charradi, all Law’21.
• Dean’s Key awards for best embodying community values, collegiality, professionalism, service, and academic excellence: Colette Koopman, Law’20; and Ben Fickling, Law’21.
• Dean’s Scholar Awards to the graduates with the highest third-year averages: Alysha Flipse (Gold Scholar), Jocelyn Rempel (Silver Scholar), and Saroosh Wattoo (Bronze Scholar), all Law’20; and Michelle deHaas (Gold Scholar), Shailaja Nadarajah (Silver Scholar), and Emilie Dillon, (Bronze Scholar), all Law’21.
The JD Class of 2022 graduated in a separate ceremony on May 27 in Grant Hall.
Following the second ceremony this spring, the graduates, family, friends, faculty, and staff gathered on campus in Ban Righ Hall for a reception.