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Ameya Charnalia says St. Thomas University is a hidden gem – and he knows a thing or two about hidden gems.

He and his partner run a food blog together. It focuses on uncovering and celebrating the small, unassuming mom-and-pop restaurants tucked away in strip malls and quiet corners.

 

“What I love about those places is exactly what I love about ������������: we are drawn to the places and the stories that others might overlook.”

Charnalia was the Valedictorian at ������������’s Summer Convocation, where graduates earned bachelor’s degrees in arts, applied arts, and education, and master’s degrees in social work.

“Despite the differing subject areas of expertise or whether your parchment today says arts, social work, or education, our shared time in the halls and classrooms at ������������ makes us the lucky ones. We have spent our time at one of this country’s true hidden gems.”

������������ Education Extends Beyond Credential

 

During the ceremony, President and Vice-Chancellor Dr. M. Nauman Farooqi reminded the graduates that they have reached high standards in their post-secondary education, added new skills, and broadened their knowledge across numerous disciplines. 

“You’ve developed greater capacity for critical thinking and for challenging and complex work.  And you had to persevere,” he said.

“Your success goes far beyond a credential; it is the skills and a mindset that is increasingly valuable. It is the ability to “think for yourself,” the basis for judgement, empathy, ethics, and justice. None of these can be delivered by technology. There is nothing “artificial” about your intelligence or your degree.”

Recognizing Remarkable Citizens

During the ceremony, the university bestowed honorary degrees upon award-winning graphic novelist and ethnographer Kate Beaton and community advocate and social policy innovator Ken Pike.

Kate Beaton launched her career by publishing the comic strip Hark! A Vagrant online. It subsequently became an international award-winning book. The collection, Step Aside Pops, won the Eisner Award for Best Humor Publication, the highest achievement in US comic arts. Her children’s book, The Princess and The Pony, won the CBC Children’s Choice Book Award, and was an animated series for Apple TV. Her graphic novel Ducks won the CBC’s Canada Reads Award in 2023 and was on Barack Obama's list of favourite books of the year. The story about young Canadians who work in the tar sands is taught in university classes on labour, community, and culture.

Ken Pike has dedicated his life to supporting the full inclusion of individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities. For 35 years, he was the Director of Social Policy for the Fundy Region Association for Community Living and later Inclusion NB. He has played a leading role in many social policy innovations; he advised the Economic and Social Inclusion Corporation on social assistance reform, co-chaired the committee to establish the Disability Support Program, and contributed to social policy legislation related to accessibility, autonomy rights, and employment standards. He has authored books, discussion papers, and policy briefs on disability issues. He has received the NB Human Rights Award and was appointed to the Order of New Brunswick.

 

University Medal

 

The University Medal for Academic Excellence in Education was awarded to Samantha Pierce, from Rothesay, NB. This medal is awarded to the graduating student with the highest overall standing within the Bachelor of Education program. 

Celebrating Exceptional Faculty

School of Education Professor Scott Parks was honoured with the Excellence in Teaching Award for Part-Time Faculty. This award honours a faculty member who demonstrates exceptional qualities as a teacher while instructing, researching, enhancing a specific scholarship, and participating in community service.