It was a happy and often emotional scene at the Toronto Congress Centre as thrilled graduates and their proud families, supporters and loved ones gathered to celebrate success at the Spring 2025 Convocation ceremonies.

The Humber community came together to mark the accomplishments of the 12,000 new graduates with more than 7,000 crossing the stage in person to receive their degree, diploma or certificate and become one of Humber’s more than 325,000 alumni. It was the largest number of graduates at a Humber Convocation and the largest attendance in Humber's history.

The graduation ceremonies, held June 17 to June 20, were also livestreamed for those unable to attend.

"Each of you, in your own way, has built something extraordinary here," Humber President and CEO Ann Marie Vaughan told the graduates. "You’ve built your skill, your confidence, your path forward. And in doing that, you’ve strengthened the very foundation of Humber’s brand — an institution that doesn’t just educate but elevates."

"At Humber, we’ve always been more than a place of learning. We are a launchpad for brilliance," she continued. "And over the past year, we’ve begun saying that more clearly through our platform: Building Brilliance – inspired by the spark of potential, the ripple of impact, the drop that starts the wave. That wave of leadership, innovation, and progress – is you."

Saad Gondal graduated from the General Arts and Science – University Transfer program and is looking at university-level biology programs to apply to for the fall. Graduating from the program was one step in his educational journey and he said it was a great feeling to cross the stage.  

Gondal missed his high school graduation due to COVID-19 so attending Convocation was important for him. He called it a memorable experience and was glad he attended.

Pierrette Itetere is now a graduate of the Social Service Worker program who admitted to a few nerves before crossing the stage. However, the international student from Rwanda was pleased she graduated and was looking forward to celebrating with the friends and family who helped her on her road to graduation.  

“It feels really good to be here today and I’m so proud of myself for what I’ve accomplished,” said Itetere.

Creative Writing graduate Sheri Smith came to Humber looking for mentorship as she worked on her book-length project as part of the program and thoroughly enjoyed working with mentor Sarah Sheard. Smith has written more than 85,000 words of her novel and found Sheard’s guidance invaluable.  

She was joined by her husband and sons at Convocation.

“They’ve been so supportive of me – they’re my cheerleaders,” said Smith.  

Graduating from the Recreation and Leisure Services program capped off what was an extremely successful year for Isaiah Brady-Clarke. The student-athlete won a national championship with the Humber Hawks men’s basketball team and was the recipient of the 2025 OCAA Sixth Man of the Year award.  

He was also presented with a Valedictorian Award at Convocation. The awards recognize graduating students who have had a significant impact on the broader Humber community through their engagement and leadership while balancing their academic workload.

“It was a really nice recognition and it shows me that I can do anything that I put my mind to. It’s a huge honour for me,” said Brady-Clarke.  

Winning the national championship was a tremendous achievement and his most memorable moment at Humber so far. Brady-Clarke said he and his teammates will remain friends for life. He will return to Humber in the fall for the Sport Management program and will once again play for the Hawks.

Humber conferred honorary degrees to two deserving recipients – Ted Nolan and the Honourable Kirsty Duncan – as part of Convocation.

Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Technician graduate Christian Gibski was excited to be finishing up his time at Humber but was somewhat sad it had come to an end. Gibski won a gold medal at the Skills Ontario competition in the Heating Systems Technician category and said that taking part in Skills played an important role in his education journey and helped prepare him for his future career by providing him with extra experience and training.

Steffano Cipollone, who graduated from the same program as Gibski, had a wonderful experience at Humber.

“I met some great people in the program and had a lot of very knowledgeable instructors,” he said. “Humber helped me become who I am today.”

Mherryl Bautista is a two-time Humber graduate who first took Pre-Health Sciences Pathway to Advanced Diplomas and Degrees before completing the Practical Nursing program. Convocation remained just as special the second time around.

“I have goosebumps,” she said. “It’s very rewarding – it wasn’t easy but I made it. Now, let’s celebrate.”

More information can be found by visiting the Spring 2025 Convocation website.