On April 27, some of York University's soon-to-be alumni, comprised of the brightest and most engaged students, gathered at the Rosehill Venue and Lounge in Toronto for the annual GRADitude celebration.
Over 200 people, including existing alumni, donors and sponsors, filled the intimate venue to celebrate the achievements and dedication of the soon to be graduates. With remarks from Guy Larocque, Executive Director, Office of Alumni Engagement; Brendan Schulz, Executive Director, Student Success and Randy Williamson, York University Alumni Board Chair, the graduating students were welcomed to York’s growing alumni family – a family with more than 300,000 people. They were encouraged to make invaluable connections throughout the evening, to learn more about the benefits of being part of a strong alumni community, and about Alumni Privileges – a service offered to alumni which offers exclusive discounts on a wide array of services and events.
The unofficial start of the party began with a three song set by York University’s own contemporary a cappella ensemble Wibi. Following this, guests mingled, feasted on a selection of delicious food, and made use of the onsite photo booth to capture memories from the evening.
“The energy in the room was great,” said one attendee. “Now I can’t wait to join the York Alumni family.”
In addition to the big GRADitude 2017 celebration, soon-to-be grads were also invited to an exclusive GRADitude Club Lunch ‘N’ Learn earlier that week with guest speaker, and York alumnus, Tim Cork (BA ’81). Tim, a celebrated author, master motivator and world-class speaker, spoke about and shared tips on how to take the work out of networking – an especially timely subject for soon to be graduating students.
The first of its kind, the GRADitude Club will be expanded to offer more activities.