“My hope and prayer for this graduating class is that we don’t use this incredible privilege of being university graduates to pursue our own self-interest and security, but that we would seek to serve others.”
Jordan Koslowsky, BA International Studies, 2020
“I think the global pandemic, if anything, just illuminated the true nature of our world,” said Jordan Koslowsky, valedictorian for the TWU undergraduate class of 2020.
Koslowsky, along with his friends, family and fellow classmates are marking the milestone of graduation through a virtual ceremony on November 7 that celebrates graduates from both spring and fall semesters: 1,110 individuals who achieved undergraduate and graduate degrees. The commencement speaker is Nadia Stewart, TWU alumna, journalist and executive director of the Canadian Association of Black Journalists.
Koslowsky, who is from Abbotsford, B.C., is aware of the unique moment that he and his classmates are entering. “2020 showed that security, in a worldly sense, is a myth and that there is so much more to pursue in life than just security,” he said.
“My hope and prayer for this graduating class is that we don’t use this incredible privilege of being university graduates to pursue our own self-interest and security, but that we would seek to serve others.”
“And that if we have that mindset,” he continued, “then we’ll see that in a time of incredible suffering, like the world is experiencing right now, that this is the best time to be a university graduate.”
Koslowsky empathized with the losses experienced in 2020 for new grads like himself. “For me personally, and for so many of my friends and everyone who is part of this graduating class, this definitely wasn’t what we expected,” he admitted. “It was really disappointing for me, to miss the last six plus weeks of my final semester.”
He echoed the feelings of many graduates when he said, “I was really looking forward to sharing that time with my friends and being able to have some closure on this incredible season of my life.”
Yet he remained hopeful. “But at the same time, I have full confidence that this is providing us with unique opportunities that we might not have had otherwise.”
Koslowsky affirmed the potential of his generation, despite the challenges of this year. “I believe that for most of my classmates at TWU who witnessed [2020], we aren’t interested in what’s comfortable. We’re interested in what’s meaningful.”
While Koslowsky, who achieved a bachelor of arts in international studies, is representing his class of 761 undergraduate students—Gwendolyn Williams, a master of science in nursing graduate and recipient of the 2019 Joan Lesmond Internationally Educated Nurse of the Year Award, is valedictorian for her class of 349 graduate students.
Williams is a nurse from Kingston, Jamaica who now works in Ontario. She encouraged her fellow graduates, “Don’t just survive, thrive! Go forth and chart your destiny—because you are not going alone.”
The TWU virtual commencement will be held on the afternoon of November 7, beginning with a pre-show followed by the official ceremony. Each school and faculty will also host their own virtual receptions to congratulate the grads from their respective departments.
Prior to the event, graduating students were sent a special Celebration Package in the mail that included a mortarboard and tassel, diploma cover, graduation banner, congratulatory message from the TWU president, and a special gift from the TWU alumni network.
Read this story in the Langley Advance Times.
About Trinity Western University
Founded in 1962, Trinity Western University is Canada’s premier Christian liberal arts university dedicated to equipping students to establish meaningful connections between career, life, and the needs of the world. It is a fully accredited research institution offering liberal arts and sciences, as well as professional schools in business, nursing, education, human kinetics, graduate studies, and arts, media, and culture. It has five campuses and locations: Langley, Richmond-Lansdowne, Richmond-Minoru, Ottawa, and Bellingham, WA. TWU emphasizes academic excellence, research, and student engagement in a vital faith community committed to forming leaders to have a transformational impact on culture. Learn more at www.twu.ca or follow us on Twitter @TrinityWestern, on Facebook and LinkedIn.
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