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WELCOME, CLASSES OF 2020 & 2021!
Convocation is an opportunity to recognize and celebrate all of your accomplishments. There's nothing quite like walking across that stage in front of your peers and family, and we're so glad our classes of 2020 and 2021 get the chance to participate.
Use the navigation to move through your digital convocation program.
Livestream
If you have guests who are unable to attend the ceremony, we will be streaming it live. It can be viewed at georgebrown.ca/convocation.
Ceremonies can be viewed later on YouTube.
Join the conversation on social media
#GBConvo
We look forward to celebrating your achievements with you! Share your convocation moments using #GBConvo and see your classmates’ posts at:
- Social Media Hub
- Facebook: georgebrowncollege
- Instagram: @gbcollege
- Twitter: @gbcollege
- YouTube: georgebrowncollege
Order of Ceremony
Ceremony 1 - 8:00 am
- Opening Remarks
- Land Acknowledgement
- Canadian Anthem
- Platform Party Introduction
- Graduate Procession
- Keynote Speaker - Chris Campbell (Vice President, Toronto Carpenters’ Union Local 27; Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Representative, Carpenters’ District Council of Ontario (CDCO))
- President's Remarks
Ceremony 2 - 1:00 pm
- Opening Remarks
- Land Acknowledgement
- Canadian Anthem
- Platform Party Introduction
- Graduate Procession
- Keynote Speaker - Chef Masaki Saito (Owner, Sushi Masaki Saito)
- President's Remarks
Ceremony 3 - 6:00 pm
- Opening Remarks
- Land Acknowledgement
- Canadian Anthem
- Platform Party Introduction
- Graduate Procession
- Keynote Speaker - Chef Raquel Fox (Celebrity Chef, TV Personality, Cookbook Author, Entrepreneur, Bahamian Brand Ambassador)
- President's Remarks
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Graduate Names
Visit the link for your centre and year below and you'll find a downloadable pdf that includes all graduates for that centre.
Arts, Design & Information Technology (CADIT)
- School of Computer Technology
- School of Design
- School of Fashion & Jewellery
- School of Media & Performing Arts
Business (CFB)
- School of Accounting & Finance
- School of Human Resources
- School of Management
- School of Marketing
Community Services & Early Childhood (CSEC)
- School of Deaf & Deafblind Studies
- School of Early Childhood
- School of Social & Community Services
Construction & Engineering Technologies (CCET)
- Angelo DelZotto School of Construction Management
- School of Apprenticeship & Skilled Trades
- School of Architectural Studies
- School of Mechanical Engineering Technologies
Health Sciences (HS)
- School of Dental Health
- School of Health & Wellness
- School of Health Services Management
- Sally Horsfall Eaton School of Nursing
Hospitality & Culinary Arts (CHCA)
- Chef School
- School of Hospitality & Tourism Management
Preparatory & Liberal Studies (CPLS)
- School of English as a Second Language (ESL)
- School of Liberal Arts & Sciences
- School of Work & College Preparation
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Message from the President – Dr. Gervan Fearon
Dear Graduate,
Congratulations on your graduation from George Brown College. This is a milestone to remember with pride for years to come. It represents your commitment to excellence which you have demonstrated throughout your educational experience.
As we celebrate your outstanding achievement today, I hope you will take a moment to reflect on the many ways you have grown – both personally and professionally – during your time at George Brown. Through your hard work and resilience, you have laid a strong foundation for success. You have built knowledge and skills that have prepared you and will enable you to contribute positively to your field, your community and society. You should be very proud of yourself, just as we are all very proud of you.
Today, we celebrate all that you have accomplished and the future impact you will make in years ahead. Your graduation from George Brown College is the beginning of a bright future and new possibilities. I wish you all the best on your journey.
Sincerely,
Dr. Gervan Fearon
President
Message from the Chancellor – Noella M. Milne
Dear Graduate,
I am delighted to join your family and friends in celebrating your achievement today.
With your graduation from George Brown College, you join a diverse and vibrant community of alumni whose impact is being felt across the city, the province and well beyond. I know I speak for everyone at George Brown when I say that we look forward to cheering you on as you employ your new skills and blaze your own trail in the years ahead.
As you move forward, I know you will be a proud ambassador for your alma mater, sharing your knowledge and experiences with colleagues and peers, and reaching out to mentor those that come after you. Please don’t forget that there are many ways to remain connected with George Brown as your career advances – whether as an industry partner, an employer or a lifelong learner. Our doors will always stay open to you.
Sincerely,
Noella M. Milne
Chancellor
Message from the Registrar's Office - Janene Christiansen
Within the Office of the Registrar, we support our students from their first day as an applicant to the college through to their last day as a graduate and beyond. Learning is a lifelong journey, and we encourage you to seize opportunities to continue to learn, grow, and innovate.
Take pride in all that you have accomplished, as we will take pride and celebrate each of you along the way. I wish you every success as you join fellow graduates who continue to make a positive impact in the world.
Janene Christiansen
Registrar and Associate VP, Strategic Enrolment
Message from Alumni Relations - Dr. Cindy Gouveia
Congratulations on your achievements from George Brown College; we are thrilled to be celebrating with you today! Every day, George Brown alumni like you make incredible and inspiring contributions to companies, communities and individuals throughout the world. You have been, and will continue to be, a vital part of this community. Thank you for contributing and helping to make George Brown the great place that it is.
George Brown Alumni Relations will help you to stay connected, continue to develop personally and professionally, and access benefits and services that are exclusively available to our alumni community.
Visit geogebrown.ca/alumni to learn more about ways to stay connected with George Brown after graduation.
Your George Brown credential is proof of your hard work and achievement. As a George Brown graduate, you are a member of a community that encourages learning. We invite you to continue to see George Brown as your destination for lifelong learning as you enter the next phase of your journey.
On behalf of the more than 260,000 alumni who have gone before you, congratulations on your high achievement in earning your credential.
Dr. Cindy Gouveia
VP, Advancement, George Brown College & President, George Brown College Foundation
Message from the Student Association
The Student Association (SA) wishes our warmest congratulations to all convocating students!
We hope you take the time to truly enjoy this moment, reflect on your journey, and appreciate your many accomplishments.
Through a pandemic, through virtual learning and lockdowns, through uncertainty and unprecedented challenges, the SA has been proud to stand beside you, offering support, advocacy, and fun when you needed it most. We thank you for keeping the student community vibrant with us as we explored the possibilities for connection and community in virtual spaces.
We hope you take fond memories of your time in the George Brown College Student Union with you as you embark on your next adventure.
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About GBC
Founded in 1967, George Brown College has been providing career-focused education to students in Toronto for 55 years. We prepare innovative, adaptable graduates with the skills to thrive in a rapidly changing job market. With three campuses in the downtown core, George Brown blends theory with experiential learning, college-led research and entrepreneurship opportunities.
The college offers 164 full-time programs and 180 continuing education certificates and designations across a wide variety of professions to a student body of more than 27,100 full-time students, including 29 percent international students and receives more than 58,000 continuing education registrations annually. Students can earn certificates, diplomas, graduate certificates, apprenticeships and degrees.
Land Acknowledgement
George Brown College is located on the traditional territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation and other Indigenous peoples who have lived here over time. We are grateful to share this land as treaty people who learn, work and live in the community with each other.
Star Blanket Medallion
In October 2021, George Brown College’s Indigenous Initiatives team unveiled a new medallion, featuring a star blanket design created by artist Joseph Sagaj. In Ojibwe teachings, the star blanket is seven-pointed and carries the seven original clans and the seven grandmother/grandfather teachings. It can represent legends, stories, events, and different perspectives of culture and heritage. A story is told through the star blanket by the reflecting elements of nature and the colours chosen.
The star blanket is symbolic and accompanies its own origin story in many Indigenous communities across Turtle Island. In Anishinaabe culture, the collective understanding is that we are the descendants of the stars and our inherent connection to the stars spans across generations.
Symbolic elements in the medallion include:
- The morning star that is represented in this medallion ties in our Creation to Winona, the first woman, who was lowered from the sky.
- Yellow represents the sun.
- Sky blue represents the wind and water.
- Green represents mother earth.
- Purple represents grandmother spirit.
- Navy blue represents the raven or health.
- Red represents thunder.
Eagle Feather
The Eagle, or Migizi in Anishinaabemowin, is viewed by Anishinaabe people as the messenger between the people and the Creator. As a symbol of honesty and truth, the Eagle shows courage, strength, and vision. It is also the predominant totem of Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation (MCFN), upon whose traditional territory George Brown is located.
The Eagle feather is the most sacred and honoured gift given to an individual and must be obtained from an Elder or Knowledge Keeper. According to the MCFN, “The Eagle is our most sacred of birds because the Eagle carries our prayers to the Creator and is therefore heard. The Eagle is also our relative and is part of our family. As a part of our family, we must care for and respect that it has given up its life so that a person may carry its feathers.”
Eagle feathers hold great significance for some Indigenous peoples and are commonly used in ceremonies. As the late Edward Benton-Benai tells us in The Mishomis Book: The Voice of the Ojibway, “we owe our lives and lives of our children to the Eagle” due to Migizi saving us from destruction by advocating to the Creator that there were still people that remained true to their original instruction.
Coat of Arms
Introduced in Spring 2019, the George Brown College coat of arms showcases our core values and celebrates our treasured links to the past. It was designed by Bruce Patterson, Deputy Chief Herald of Canada, with input from stakeholders from across the college.
Design elements include:
- A red-tailed hawk holding birchbark, which original inhabitants of this land used as a means of communication and recording knowledge.
- Trillium flowers and maple leaves representing Ontario and Canada, respectively.
- A grid pattern that alludes to downtown city streets and the intersection of multiple learning disciplines, rendered in the college’s colours of blue and white.
- Multiple coloured squares representing the diversity of the student body, the city of Toronto, and the different academic centres.
- Two huskies, the mascot of our sports teams.
- A stone wall alluding to Casa Loma, the Toronto landmark that inspired the name of one campus.
- A wavy bar representing water, which reflects our proximity to Lake Ontario.
- The phrase “Inspire new confidence,” is a quote from the college’s namesake, the Toronto publisher, politician, and Father of Confederation George Brown.
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Speakers
Chris Campbell
Vice President, Toronto Carpenters’ Union Local 27; Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Representative, Carpenters’ District Council of Ontario (CDCO)
Chris is a proud graduate of George Brown College’s School of Apprenticeship & Skilled Trades. He has been a member of the Carpenters Union for 32 years and a full-time staff representative for 19 years. His work is now focused on addressing issues of racism, fighting discriminatory hiring practices and promoting trade to women and people in the BIPOC community. He also proactively fosters and engages in effective relationships with local community partners around the province. Chris also plays a major role in recruiting youth from his community to pursue careers in the construction trade.
Chris is on several boards and committees in the construction industry and in the local community, including the Carpenters’ Union Benefits and Pension Plan Board of Trustees, the Carpenters' Union Local 27 Executive Board, Board Chair of the Toronto Community Benefits Network, Executive Board Member of the Coalition of Black Trade Unionist, Toronto Crime Stoppers Board Member, The Toronto Police Black Community Consultative Committee, and the Carpenters’ Union Equity Diversity and Inclusion Committee.
Chef Masaki Saito
Owner, Sushi Masaki Saito
Chef Masaki Saito joined the Canadian culinary scene as a two-time two-star Michelin chef, having earned this prestigious recognition in New York in 2017 and 2018. In 2022, Chef Saito again earned two Michelin stars, this time in Toronto - being the only chef in the city to receive two stars in Michelin's 1st Toronto Guide and the only person in the world to hold two stars in both Toronto and New York.
Chef Saito's passion for fish developed early with an educational background in marine biology, but he always knew he would one day become a sushi chef. Perfecting unique Edomae-style sushi rarely experienced outside Japan, Chef Saito is proud to maintain the culinary traditions and memories he grew up with in his native Hokkaido.
Knowing how to carefully select and prepare the fish, the rice, the vinegar and the wasabi, and their proportionality in each dish, Chef Saito celebrates the complexity in its simplicity, the simplicity in its complexity - and the perfect balance appealing to all the senses in order to achieve optimal quality.
Chef Raquel Fox
Celebrity Chef, TV Personality, Cookbook Author, Entrepreneur, Bahamian Brand Ambassador
Chef Raquel Fox grew up in The Bahamas, where she learned to love the nuances of traditional island cooking from her grandmother. Always a seeker of knowledge, she attended international schools where she catalogued authentic family recipes from a melting pot of friends from all over the globe. Her passion for food and travel soon led to the establishment of Raquel and her husband Ruben’s restaurant, The Wine Lounge, which USA Today voted as one of the 10 Best Bahamian Lounges. Raquel had a wider vision. After moving to Canada, she studied at The Chef School at George Brown College in Toronto, where she explored all aspects of cooking, food culture and international cuisine. She designed and now teaches the Caribbean
Course and is a member of the International Cuisine Program Advisory Committee (PAC) at George Brown College.
Learn more about Raquel
She is often invited to events as a motivational speaker. Raquel is the award-winning author of Dining
in Paradise, which was also nominated in 2019 for The Taste Canada Awards and celebrated that year at Canada’s Table (Fort York). Raquel has recently received the Top 25 Canadian Immigrant Awards, a program that has been the leader in sharing and celebrating inspiring stories of immigrants. She proudly represents her Bahamian roots. Raquel is a regular contributor and guest expert on TV shows across Canada, including (but not limited to) Cityline, Breakfast Television and Global News. Raquel is a spokesperson for Foodland Ontario. She reaches millions of viewers each month with her charismatic style across this medium.
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Land acknowledgement
George Brown College is located on the traditional territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation and other Indigenous peoples who have lived here over time. We are grateful to share this land as treaty people who learn, work and live in the community with each other.