April 7 marked the final day of undergraduate classes for the 2014/2015 academic year and for some, this day also signified their final day of classes as a Trent University student. The Last Lecture, held in Gzowski College, was an opportunity for graduating students to come together and reflect on their experiences both inside and outside of the classroom. While in a sense the closing of a chapter, the Last Lecture symbolized the beginning of a new one, full of opportunity made possible by the experiences gained at Trent University.
“This evening is about celebrating the accomplishments of the graduating class. We get to reflect in one last lecture on what these years mean to us, and together we get to look forward, fearlessly imagining the great things we can accomplish,” stated Carmen Meyette, the graduating student speaker and English-History joint major. “Together we will move forward from our undergraduate degrees here to adventure where we may not pass each other on the bridge anymore but we will remain connected in some way. Alumni of this university will share in part, in each of our stories.”
The strength of the Trent community was a sentiment echoed by all of the speakers throughout the evening, explained Jim Maxwell-Campagna, a fourth year concurrent education student heading to Queen’s University next year. For Mr. Maxwell-Campagna, the lecture offered a sense of closure and meaning to his time at Trent that was more intimate than convocation. As a member of Otonabee College cabinet, a residence don, co-chair of ISW and a college office employee, Mr. Maxwell-Campagna says is forever grateful for the leadership opportunities he was part of during his time at Trent.
Alumni speaker, Robert Gauvreau of the class of 2001, shared this gratitude for the leadership opportunities presented to him while at Trent University. He believes that they shaped him to the person he is today, always challenging the way he thinks. Mr. Gauvreau currently practices public accounting at his own firm in Peterborough where he employs ten Trent graduates.
In a fitting end to the Last Lecture, Dr. Michael Eamon, the faculty speaker, stressed to the students that, “this should not be your last lecture,” as he passed around a copy of Dr. Seuss’s, Oh, The Places You’ll Go! “None of you are going to sit still and be complacent. You have just started on a journey and it doesn’t end here.”
“Everyone who attended left with a smile and few great Trent memories to add to their story,” said Ashley Wall, one of the organizers of the Last Lecture and Otonabee College head. Ms. Wall is sure that this will not be the last lecture the graduating students attend and hopefully the first of many, Last Lectures to be held at Trent University.
Posted on Thursday, April 9, 2015.