Faculty, friends and family will look on this morning as commerce, MBA and
PhD students graduate from the DeGroote School of Business. More than
670 students will take part in today's convocation. They'll be joined
by Suzanne Labarge, a distinguished graduate of McMaster University,
who will receive an honorary degree at the 9:30 a.m. ceremony.

Labarge earned her bachelor of arts in economics from McMaster in 1967
and her masters in business administration from the Harvard Business
School in 1971. She is now retired after a successful career in which
she held senior executive positions at the federal government and the
Royal Bank of Canada (RBC).

“I'm truly honoured,” says Labarge. “I think this award is about
recognition, and I am flattered that I am seen as someone who has
added value to both the professional world and the University.”

Labarge serves on McMaster's Board of Governors and her philanthropic
support established the Raymond and Margaret Labarge Chair in Research
and Knowledge Application for Optimal Aging, which was named in
tribute to her parents.

In her address to the graduating class, Labarge will provide advice on
next steps when choosing future careers.

“By interacting with others in the workplace, you will realize that to
be successful, you need to be happy in what you are doing,” says
Labarge, “Choose a career that you love, and do it with integrity and
ethics. Never lose track of who you are.”

These words clearly resonate with Leanne Mark, a graduating student
with a passion for learning and volunteerism.

In her first year, Mark wrote for the Apprentice Press for MARS
Apprentice and became an associate of the DeGroote Marketing
Association (DMA). She has also been the Public Relations Executive of
the 30th World Congress, and an intern with Fujifilm.

“The internship was an invaluable opportunity that DeGroote offered,”
says Mark. “I realized that a strong educational foundation paired
with experiential learning is what makes a simple degree a true
DeGroote educational experience.”

In her fourth year of study, Mark accepted the coveted position of DMA
president.

Mark created new initiatives such as the DMA Interns program, which
allowed two first-year DeGroote students to be mentored by the DMA
executive. She and her team worked to create the Socialites, a charity
event planning committee that raised over $2,000 for the 'It Gets
Better' project, as well as Sweater Wonderland, which raised over $600
for the Ronald McDonald House.

But the grad's most successful undertaking was the MARS Mix
Conference.

The one day marketing conference compliments classroom learning by
presenting real world insights from experts.

“After attending student-focused conferences at other business
schools, I knew that DeGroote needed something of its own. I wanted to
improve the understanding of marketing at an industry level by
inviting top quality speakers to create a new educational culture here
at DeGroote,” says Mark.

Mark looks forward to taking some time to travel this summer while
searching for a job in advertising and marketing with a Toronto firm.
“My education and experience from the DeGroote School of Business has
prepared me for any challenge. And, I can tell you, I am up for
anything.”