{"id":20264,"date":"2014-06-19T08:49:23","date_gmt":"2014-06-19T12:49:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/?p=20264"},"modified":"2014-09-09T09:27:48","modified_gmt":"2014-09-09T13:27:48","slug":"convocation-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/2014\/06\/19\/convocation-time\/","title":{"rendered":"Convocation time!"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Convocation<\/a>
Convocation Hall, from my sister's point-of-view.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n\r\nI am now officially a U of T graduate. This Tuesday, I crossed the stage of Convocation Hall, shook the president\u2019s hand and held my hard-earned degree in my hands for the first time.\r\n\r\n\"10472200_10204341938695577_796153389_n\"<\/a>It has felt like I\u2019ve been done for a while\u00a0now - it\u2019s been almost three months since my last class and two since my final exam, and future-planning for grad school and hunting for a new apartment are already underway. Yet having Convocation as a final celebration with my family and friends drove the reality home even further: I don\u2019t go to U of T any more. I did it!\r\n\r\nThe ceremony and tradition of convocation is pretty fun - how often do you get to hear a room packed with 1,600 people cheer for your four years of hard work? But more than the speeches, traditions or Latin addresses, I remember the moments I shared with the people that are important to me. First seeing my family as I processed into the hall, waving and taking pictures of the moment. Watching the friends I made over countless late nights in residence walk up onto the stage. Hugging my family after finally finding them in the crowd streaming out of Con Hall.\r\n\r\nWithout the support of all of the people I shared the ceremony with, I wouldn\u2019t be where I am today. For my whole life, my mom has inspired me to push myself when it comes to school, and her support (both emotional and financial) means the world to me. My sister is my best friend and kept me going with late-night chats on visits home and over Facebook. My grandma, who I was fortunate enough to get an extra ticket for, has always been encouraging and helped me out along the way. My friends helped me find a much-needed sense of community in this big city. My boyfriend, present at dinner later in the day, has inspired and supported me in countless ways since we met in my third year. Thank you all, so, so much!\r\n\r\n
\"With<\/a>
With my sister and mom, squinting in the sun.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n\r\nThank yous aside, here are some new small things that I learned over the course of the morning ceremony:\r\n