One thousand five hundred and four graduates. Two honorary doctorates. Two valedictorians. Three Governor General’s Academic Medals. Three President’s Awards. One Maps Gold Medal. One Ontario Professional Engineers Foundation for Education Gold Medal. More “congratulations” than we can count.
On Tuesday, June 17, the First Ontario Concert Hall was filled with proud parents, siblings, friends and more as our Class of 2025 crossed the stage to officially graduate from McMaster University.
As a gift, each graduate was greeted with a gold fireball pin from the Engineering Alumni team: a token to keep the fireball family and feeling close to them well beyond their time at McMaster.
Quotes of convocation
“I hope you have gained more than just technical expertise. At McMaster Engineering, we take immense pride in the experiential learning that has shaped your education. Beyond equations and algorithms, you have honed skills that will define your success: collaboration, adaptability and the ability to approach challenges with creativity and resilience.”
“I think in the last decade we are seeing some pretty transformative resurgence of what it means to have a university degree, whether undergraduate or graduate. It’s a privileged opportunity to be able to give back to society.
And if we don’t do it, then who? If we, the graduates from one of Canada’s greatest universities, are not empowered to be the creators, the innovators, the generators of economic value for our society, then who?
Your communities, your province, your country are counting on your newfound knowledge, your creativity, your vision, your entrepreneurship to create innovations that will change generations and create jobs and reignite confidence in the economy.”
Paul Santerre ‘90, ‘25, Honorary Doctorate
“Throughout my talk today, I’ve used two words, luck and fate. And so what are these words? What is luck anyways? I believe that luck occurs when preparation meets fate. I’ve seen this because fate is the part of the equation we can’t control. We can’t count on fate to hand us great things, and we can’t let faith defeat us when things don’t go our way.
But we are all in control of how prepared we can be. So rather than talking about having gotten lucky or unlucky, it’s more empowering to think about and talk about whether we were prepared or unprepared for whatever fate is coming to us.”
Aly Orady ‘98, ‘25, Honorary Doctorate
“Let’s set our sights on impossible targets and in pursuit we will find out the full extent of our capabilities. This is our century, so let’s put ourselves up there. Let’s make a commitment to success. And the rest is math.”
Annika Culhane, Valedictorian and Governor General’s Academic Medal recipient
“Continue to engage with your communities. Support your peers — and let them support you. Explore your passions. Fight for your values. Be curious. Bet on yourself. Take risks. Fail. Achieve nonetheless. But above all, remember: you are who you are because you worked for it.”
Explore our grads to watch: a list of 15 graduates whose achievements highlight the resilience and dedication that define McMaster Engineering, including our award winners:
