Convocation 2024

CONGRATULATIONS, CLASS OF 2024!

Congratulations on becoming a George Brown College graduate! We are so proud of all you've achieved.

Convocation is an opportunity to recognize and celebrate all the hard work that went into reaching this incredible milestone. There’s nothing quite like walking across the stage in front of your peers and family, and we’re so looking to celebrating with you this June!

In-Person Convocation Ceremonies will take place from June 10-14, 2024.

 

Everything you need to know for the big day:

Location

We are excited to welcome you for your ceremony at Meridian Hall, 1 Front St. E., Toronto. 

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Graduate walking across the Convocation stage

Can't Make It In Person?

All of your friends and family can watch online as you cross the convocation stage. All 2024 convocation ceremonies will be broadcast live on YouTube.

If you weren’t able to attend Convocation 2023 last year, or you just want to relive your special moment, you’re in luck! A recording of each ceremony can be found on our YouTube channel

Elements of the convocation ceremony

Ceremonial mace
Ceremonial Mace

George Brown College introduced the tradition of a ceremonial mace to Convocation in 2014. Designed and produced by George Brown students, faculty and alumni, this ornate staff is a symbol of authority, and reflects, through its design, the values of the college. While an initial mock-up of the mace was created using one of the college’s 3D printers, its production involved traditional casting, metalwork, woodwork and gemology.

A closer look reveals:

• Twenty-four rings on a walnut staff representing each school at the college.

• Rings of six woods from Ontario that signify our commitment to sustainability.

• Rings of seven metals from Ontario that represent a “sense of industry” and the applied nature of many of the programs offered at the college.

• A turtle at the base of the staff symbolizes our connection to Mother Earth and perseverance, intrinsic in the beliefs of many Indigenous nations.

• Four cameos beneath the mace’s chalice carved in the likeness of former Chancellor Sally Horsfall Eaton, former President Anne Sado, George Brown and Bill Davis, the founder of the modern college system.

• A crystal globe surrounded by carved wooden ladders inscribed with words that reflect the values of the college, including creativity, passion, charity, integrity and leadership.

• Two hand-carved trillium flowers on the top representing the province of Ontario.

 

George Brown College Coat of Arms
Coat of Arms

Introduced in Spring of 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 the original inhabitants of this land used as a means of communication and recording knowledge. Trillium flowers and maple leaves represent 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 represent 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.

 

Eagle Feather
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.

 

Star Blanket medallion
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.