“Work so hard that your dreams have no choice but to come true.”
It’s not often that a drag queen delivers a convocation address to a class of graduating college students, but Niagara College’s fall class of 2020 heard these words of wisdom from Canada’s Next Drag Superstar on October 30 – a speech from an extraordinary alumnus during an exceptional year as part of an unconventional virtual ceremony.
Guest speaker Mark Suknanan – along with his drag alter ego Priyanka -addressed more than 1,000 new NC graduates and was honoured with the College’s Distinguished Alumni Award just eight years after crossing the stage at his own NC convocation. Soon after graduating from NC’s Broadcasting – Radio, Television and Film program (2012), he worked his way up to becoming the face of several popular children’s programs at YTV. More recently, he/she achieved success as Priyanka, who won the crown on Canada’s Drag Race (2020). It was a journey filled with obstacles and naysayers.
“They look at me and they’re like, ‘oh, we don’t want to hire this dark-skinned person,’ or “oh, he seems a little bit gay; we don’t want to hire him.’ There are so many reasons why people are going to tell us ‘no’ … based on things that they see at face value, not seeing, hearing or understanding the people we are inside, which is a huge problem,” he said.
Heeding advice from his mother, Suknanan refused to take no for an answer or let people treat him differently. He advised the graduates to do the same, encouraging them to be themselves and to go after their dreams as he did.
“We should stick up for what we want to do and do it, as long as we’re doing our jobs correctly and with our hearts in it, because you shouldn’t have to choose between anything,” he said. “I am living proof that no matter what the hurdle is, that we can jump as high as we can to get over the hurdle.
“I know you’re scared. I know you’re worried, you have no clue what your future looks like – but that’s the exciting part.”
College president Sean Kennedy presided over the virtual ceremonies broadcast live from the Welland Campus – along with Fiona Allan, vice president, Academic – and shared advice with the new graduates embarking on the next chapter of their lives during challenging times.
“If there is one thing we’ve all learned this year, it’s the importance of being nimble, flexible and resilient,” said Kennedy. “Know that you will encounter many challenges over the course of your life … it will be up to you to adapt and succeed in the face of adversity,” said Kennedy. “Stay positive, seek help and support, and remember to keep a sense of humour.”
Graduates also heard from the College’s president emeritus Dan Patterson – who ended his tenure as NC’s longest-serving president after 25 years in February – along with video well wishes from College faculty, staff, alumni and more.
The live, virtual ceremonies featured treasured elements of the College’s traditional in-person convocation events – including the reading of each graduate’s name – while leveraging the use of technology and the College’s expertise in broadcasting to connect graduates remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic. Graduates shared the experience with their classmates through Zoom viewing parties and made virtual appearances onscreen during the broadcast. The interactive events also featured live reactions, photos, and messages shared through social media with the hashtag #NCGrad2020.
For a team of the College’s Broadcasting students, virtual convocation served as an applied learning experience. Broadcasting students – alongside staff and faculty – took on various roles behind the scenes, from directing, editing and audio mixing, to camera and teleprompter operators, floor managers and more.
Two ceremonies were held as part of the College’s Fall Convocation. The morning ceremony celebrated the schools of Allied Health, Community Services, Justice and Fitness, and Nursing and Personal Support Worker; while the afternoon ceremony celebrated the schools of Academic, Liberal and Access Studies; Business and Management; Hospitality, Tourism and Sport; Environment and Horticulture; Media; and Trades. The morning ceremony alone drew more than 2,450 views from 36 countries.
NC’s fall ceremonies followed the resounding success of its Virtual Spring Convocation in June, which celebrated 5,000 graduates through 10 ceremonies and drew tens of thousands of viewers from across Niagara, Canada and around the world.
For details, visit the College’s Virtual Convocation site at niagaracollege.ca/virtualconvocation/.
