UPEI Convocation 2026 honours determination and accomplishment
The University of Prince Edward Island was filled with excitement and celebration this past week as more than 1,300 members of the Class of 2026 crossed the stage to receive their undergraduate and graduate degrees.
The Convocation ceremonies took place in the UPEI Chi-Wan Young Sports Centre on May 12 for graduates of the faculties of Nursing and Veterinary Medicine (Atlantic Veterinary College); May 13 for the McDougall Faculty of Business and Faculty of Sustainable Design Engineering; May 14 for the faculties of Arts and Education; and May 15 for the Faculty of Science.
In her remarks to the graduates, Hon. Diane Griffin, UPEI Chancellor, who presided over the ceremonies, acknowledged that the graduates embarked on their education journey during some of the most turbulent years in recent history.
“With geo-political upheaval around the globe, climate change impacting so many facets of society, the advent and growth of new technology like AI…here you are, after weathering so much uncertainty, and you are graduating from UPEI. You have persevered through the disruption, and you made it,” said Griffin. “You have all had people who helped you achieve your goal of being at this Convocation today, whether they be parents, professors or other mentors, but it is your own effort that got you across the finish line. This enables you to join our UPEI alumni who now exceed over 30,000 graduates of this University.”
Receiving honorary degrees during Convocation Week were Mark Arendz, one of Canada’s most accomplished Paralympic athletes, community leader, and youth sports advocate; Ron Keefe, lawyer, entrepreneur, mentor, and philanthropist; Hazel Robinson, teacher, community leader, volunteer, philanthropist, and proud UPEI alumna; and the Hon. Lawrence MacAulay, one of Canada’s longest serving federal politicians and passionate driver of economic and community development on PEI.
Conferred with the title of Professor Emeritus on May 12 were Dr. Michael Cockram and Dr. Gregory Keefe, retired Faculty of Veterinary Medicine professors; and on May 14, Dr. Richard Lemm and Dr. Henry Srebrnik, retired Faculty of Arts professors. On May 15, Faculty of Science professor Dr. H. Carolyn Peach Brown, who will retire later this year, was granted the designation of Professor Emerita.
The valedictorians were Andrew Clow, Faculty of Nursing (May 12); Luciana Quiroa Parades, McDougall Faculty of Business (May 13); Grace McQuaid, Faculty of Arts (May 14); and Songobele Mulenga, Faculty of Science (May 15).
Each of the four valedictorians spoke about the challenges, growth and resilience that shaped the graduates’ journeys at UPEI. They expressed deep gratitude for professors, friends, and family support systems, and celebrated perseverance, discipline, and the quiet determination that carried students through the difficult moments that eventually led them to success.
During the May 13 ceremony, valedictorian Luciana Quiroa Parades, McDougall Faculty of Business, reminded fellow graduates that determination and commitment brought them to graduation.
“What carried us through was not luck. It was discipline. It was choosing, on the hard days, to keep going. To continue, when giving up would have been so much easier. That kind of quiet, steady perseverance—the kind that nobody sees but you—is not a small thing. It is everything,” she said. “My fellow graduates, what a privilege it has been to walk this road beside you. We came as strangers from different corners of the world—from small towns and big cities, from islands and mountains. We arrived speaking different languages, carrying different traditions, holding different dreams. And we leave as something far more meaningful than strangers. We leave as proof that it is possible. Congratulations, Class of 2026!”
Among numerous highlights during Convocation 2026, 20 students across various faculties and programs graduated with a minor in Indigenous Studies—the largest number to do so since the minor was first offered in 2022.
During the Convocation ceremony on May 13, Dr. Hassan Afzaal, Faculty of Sustainable Design Engineering, was awarded the Governor General Medal (Graduate) and the Faculty of Graduate Studies Award of Distinction as well as his doctoral degree. Bachelor of Science with Honours graduate Alexander Trainor was awarded the Governor General’s Medal (Undergraduate) on May 15. Click here to see the complete list of prizes awarded during Convocation Week.
