May 19, 2023
Congratulations, Class of 2023!
This is your one-stop shop for stories, videos and highlights from Spring 2023 convocation ceremonies.
Check back on this page as we add more grad stories, including valedictorian and award winner profiles, throughout convocation season.
Details of all convocation ceremonies can be found on the Office of the Registrar’s website.
Share your special moments with us by tagging us on Instagram (@McMasterU) and use the hashtag #MacGrad2023.
Moments that Mattered: Student stories and reflections
Arriving at McMaster as a 16-year-old international student taught Toluwalase Dayo-Olaide some important life lessons the biology student says he will take with him long after he crosses the stage at convocation. Read here
Anu Popoola has worked hard to give back to the community that welcomed her here at McMaster. As the Bachelor of Health Sciences student gets set to graduate, she shares why she’s so excited for future students. Read here
New Health Sciences graduates Maneetpal Badesha (seen here), Chantelle Boyles, Gabrielle Herman and Michael Kalu share their future plans, favourite McMaster memories and words of wisdom for other students. Learn more
I am because we are.
#BlackGrad embodied that spirit of ubuntu in a joyful celebration of our students and their accomplishments. Link in bio for more from last week’s celebration.
#macgrad2023
📸 Georgia Kirkos and Christian Braun
I am because we are.
#BlackGrad embodied that spirit of ubuntu in a joyful celebration of our students and their accomplishments. Link in bio for more from last week’s celebration.
#macgrad2023
📸 Georgia Kirkos and Christian Braun
🎓 “My biggest challenge in first year was making friends as a commuter. … I thought that I was missing out on valuable time spent with friends and other first years.
I learned that I had to make the most of the time I spent on campus. I always tried to keep myself busy — getting food with my friends, exercising at the pulse, playing intramural sports, or joining clubs that interested me.”
🎓 Taaha Hassan has come a long way from his commuter days as a first year. On the cusp of going to med school, the @machealthsci valedictorian looks back on what he’d love to tell his younger self. Link in bio for more from Taaha, who crosses the stage at this afternoon’s Health Sciences convocation.
🎓 Congratulations to @teehee_taaha and all our new Health Sciences grads!
#MacGrad2023
🎓 “My biggest challenge in first year was making friends as a commuter. … I thought that I was missing out on valuable time spent with friends and other first years.
I learned that I had to make the most of the time I spent on campus. I always tried to keep myself busy — getting food with my friends, exercising at the pulse, playing intramural sports, or joining clubs that interested me.”
🎓 Taaha Hassan has come a long way from his commuter days as a first year. On the cusp of going to med school, the @machealthsci valedictorian looks back on what he’d love to tell his younger self. Link in bio for more from Taaha, who crosses the stage at this afternoon’s Health Sciences convocation.
🎓 Congratulations to @teehee_taaha and all our new Health Sciences grads!
#MacGrad2023
“If I could offer one piece of advice, is to always live in the present. The years you spend studying and training will fly by faster than you can imagine. There will be times that you may feel uncomfortable or don’t know what you are doing, but that is okay! Take the time to appreciate the present, and remember why you chose this profession to help you at the times you feel defeated. Before you know it, you will be graduating.”
🎓 School of Nursing Valedictorian Salwa Siddiqui has a message for graduating students! Link in bio for more from Salwa, as she talks about her memories at Mac (shout-out to Welcome Week!), the moments that mattered and her advice to first years (Making a list helps!).
🎓 Next up for Salwa is the NCLEX test and, she hopes, work in an ER. Congratulations to Salwa and all our new School of Nursing grads!
#MacGrad2023 🎓
“If I could offer one piece of advice, is to always live in the present. The years you spend studying and training will fly by faster than you can imagine. There will be times that you may feel uncomfortable or don’t know what you are doing, but that is okay! Take the time to appreciate the present, and remember why you chose this profession to help you at the times you feel defeated. Before you know it, you will be graduating.”
🎓 School of Nursing Valedictorian Salwa Siddiqui has a message for graduating students! Link in bio for more from Salwa, as she talks about her memories at Mac (shout-out to Welcome Week!), the moments that mattered and her advice to first years (Making a list helps!).
🎓 Next up for Salwa is the NCLEX test and, she hopes, work in an ER. Congratulations to Salwa and all our new School of Nursing grads!
#MacGrad2023 🎓
“Black Grad to me means recognition.”
The Black Excellence Graduation celebration began with traditional djembe drumming and wrapped up with a tremendous sense of achievement and community. Congratulations, students! We’re proud to be part of your journey. Link in bio for more from the celebration
#BlackGrad #MacGrad2023
“Black Grad to me means recognition.”
The Black Excellence Graduation celebration began with traditional djembe drumming and wrapped up with a tremendous sense of achievement and community. Congratulations, students! We’re proud to be part of your journey. Link in bio for more from the celebration
#BlackGrad #MacGrad2023
Anu Popoola has worked hard to give back to the community that welcomed her here at McMaster.
As she gets set to graduate from the Faculty of Health Sciences — and to speak at the Black Excellence Graduation celebration on May 18, Popoola reflects on her involvement in student groups and her work in reducing barriers for incoming Black students.
"I just know that the Black students coming in, they`re going to have so much support and it just it makes me really happy to see that.”
“I`m glad that I could have that I contributed to that change.”
Full story at the link in bio.
Anu Popoola has worked hard to give back to the community that welcomed her here at McMaster.
As she gets set to graduate from the Faculty of Health Sciences — and to speak at the Black Excellence Graduation celebration on May 18, Popoola reflects on her involvement in student groups and her work in reducing barriers for incoming Black students.
"I just know that the Black students coming in, they`re going to have so much support and it just it makes me really happy to see that.”
“I`m glad that I could have that I contributed to that change.”
Full story at the link in bio.
Toluwalase Dayo-Olaide was only sixteen when he came to study at McMaster from Nigeria.
What followed was a tough, and at times lonely, transition.
But things turned around for the biology student when he found connection and community, largely through McMaster’s Black Student Success Centre.
That tough transition taught him a lesson that he says he will take with him after he graduates from the Faculty of Science — to be yourself. Because only when you are truly yourself can you connect with the people you are meant to be connected to.
Dayo-Olaide will cross a different stage this week as he speaks at the Black Excellence Graduation celebration on Thursday, May 18.
Full story at the link in bio. #MacGrad2023
Toluwalase Dayo-Olaide was only sixteen when he came to study at McMaster from Nigeria.
What followed was a tough, and at times lonely, transition.
But things turned around for the biology student when he found connection and community, largely through McMaster’s Black Student Success Centre.
That tough transition taught him a lesson that he says he will take with him after he graduates from the Faculty of Science — to be yourself. Because only when you are truly yourself can you connect with the people you are meant to be connected to.
Dayo-Olaide will cross a different stage this week as he speaks at the Black Excellence Graduation celebration on Thursday, May 18.
Full story at the link in bio. #MacGrad2023
‘Black Grad to me means recognition’
With traditional drumming, Kente stoles and an unshakeable sense of community, the Black Excellence Graduation celebration honours Black students’ accomplishments and marks a milestone. Read here.
Valedictorians share words of wisdom
Favourite elective? Best memory at Mac? We asked School of Nursing valedictorian Salwa Siddiqui and Faculty of Health Sciences valedictorian Taaha Hassan to share some of their insights. Learn more
Meet McMaster’s Spring 2023 honorary degree recipients
From serving as Africa’s first elected female head of state, to making discoveries that transform our understanding of evolution, this year’s McMaster University honorary degree recipients include some of the best and brightest in their respective fields. Read here.
