“True success is about creating impact, inspiring those around you, and leaving things better than you found them.”
It was with those words from Yorkville University’s 2025 Distinguished Speaker Dr. Oluchi Oti that this year’s slate of Ontario graduates were propelled across the stage at Meridian Hall late last month to collect their degrees and diplomas.
In total, more than 200 of this year’s 250+ Bachelor of Business Administration, Bachelor of Creative Arts, Bachelor of Interior Design, and Interior Decorating Associate Diploma grads were on hand at the downtown Toronto venue on March 25 for the celebrations, which were presided over by Yorkville University President and Vice Chancellor Dr. Julia Christensen Hughes and Ontario Campus Principal and Vice President Academic Dr. Angela Antohi-Kominek.
Opening Comments
In her opening message to graduates, Christensen Hughes remarked on how tirelessly every graduate in attendance – both in person and online – had worked to reach this moment, and how their dedication and perseverance had paid off on this, their graduation day.
“Today is a testament to the transformative power of a Yorkville education. You have embarked on a journey of growth and learning, and have emerged as graduates, equipped with the knowledge, skills and experiences that will propel you forward in both your careers and personal lives,” she said.
“I am so very proud of the practical education that Yorkville University provides, with the opportunity to implement that learning all along the way throughout the program, and, of course, especially now as you have graduated.”
Antohi-Kominek, meanwhile, encouraged all those grads in attendance to reflect on the importance of the day as both a “beginning and an ending.”
“Each of you is at the beginning of a new part of your journey as you mark this extraordinary achievement and begin, or deepen, your professional lives, enhanced by the learning and experiences of your Yorkville education,” she said.
“As a graduate of Yorkville, you now join an alumni community of thousands – myself included, as a 2014 (Masters of Education) graduate – each of whom now plays a critical role in their community and profession… We invite you to think of these alumni as your professional network.”
Distinguished Convocation Speaker Dr. Oluchi Oti
Joining Christensen Hughes and Antohi-Kominek in their congratulations of Yorkville’s graduates was Dr. Oluchi Oti, who attended the ceremony as this year’s Distinguished Convocation Speaker.
During her address, Oti – who currently serves as the inaugural Program Chair of Project Management at Yorkville University – shared the story of why, for her, the opportunity to stand on the stage at this year’s convocation carried such a deep significance.
Back in 2013, Oti explained, she migrated to Canada in a wheelchair, fresh off an accident that changed her life and made her fearful of what future awaited her in her new home.
“The uncertainty was overwhelming, but I reflected on my track record and decided to apply what skills I had to my life challenges, and I made a plan,” she recalled. “Step by step, both figuratively and literally, I moved forward. Today, 12 years later, I am proud and privileged to have walked across this stage, as will all of you.”
The skill set Oti utilized to get her there, she explained, involved more than just charts and timelines, but the “art and science of turning vision into reality” – something she encouraged the graduates in attendance to seize upon in their own present and future pursuits.
“Like me, each of you has embarked on your own unique journey to reach this point…You have all faced deadlines, tackled projects, wrestled with creative precision, learned how to turn abstract ideas into reality. You have faced challenges, endured setbacks, and made sacrifices,” she said.
“But today, you stand here not just as graduates, but as individuals who have proven that resilience and determination can overcome any obstacle. You have shown that success is not merely about talent or intelligence, but about the courage to push through adversity, adapt to change, and remain steadfast in pursuit of your goals.”
Student Graduation Speaker Ava Joharian
Bachelor of Business Administration in Project Management graduate Ava Joharian knows all too well the necessity of bravery Oti speaks of when it comes to overcoming adversity in pursuit of your dreams.
Afterall, Yorkville’s 2025 Ontario Student Graduation Speaker was still just a high schooler when she left everything behind in Iran – including her entire family – to pursue a better education and future for herself her in Canada.
“For as long as I can remember, I had one goal in mind, and that was to study medicine…and when I came to Canada at 16 by myself, that was the one dream that got me through all the hardship,” she told her fellow graduates during her inspiring address. “I had a desire to change the world; to leave an impact and help others – and studying was my survival tool.”
After graduating from high school as the recipient of her high school’s Governor General’s Academic Medal (awarded to the graduate with the highest CGPA), Joharian pivoted when the COVID-19 pandemic made her rethink her career path.
That’s when she found Yorkville University.
“Yorkville ended up being more than just a degree; more than a pivot in this destiny I had planned for myself,” she said. “Every day, I was surrounded by people who were leaving an impact and helping others. But instead of wearing white lab coats, they were explaining AP citations for the 273rd time or they were looking over someone’s resume, or they were organizing campus events so we could have a better life on campus.”
Yorkville, Joharian added, changed the way she saw the world, as well as the way she viewed ambition and success. During her time in the BBA program, she came to realize that the ability to have an impact on the world isn’t tied to a single career path, but rather on one’s willingness “to show up, to help, and to lead in ways big and small.”
And that was the message Joharian left her fellow graduates with as they move on to pursue the next chapters of their lives: to be bold, to be ambitious and to write their own stories.
“No matter how many plot twists come your way, I know one thing is for certain – your story will continue on, one chapter at a time, and it will be extraordinary and full of achievements, just as this one was.”
Closing Remarks & Cap Toss
In her closing remarks, Christensen Hughes took the opportunity to thank both Oti and Joharian for their incredible remarks, reflecting on how powerful both women’s words were to both the graduates themselves, and everyone else in attendance at the ceremony.
“I think we might all recognize that the world feels heavy these days, and the future truly does rest in our graduates moving on with their lives inspired to have positive social impact,” she said, before inviting graduates to toss their caps in celebration.
“The call is for all of us to stand up every day to demonstrate courage and conviction, and to recognize that life is full of hurdles and challenges…the call was for all of us to do better, to be inspired, to have a positive impact.”
Program Awards
Bachelor of Creative Arts – Creative Leadership Award (Sponsored by BYOTA TV)
Gospell Marianayagam
Bachelor of Interior Design – Award of Excellence (Sponsored by Teknion)
Stephanie Smith
Bachelor of Business Administration in Project Management – Award of Excellence (Sponsored by Karma Coaching Insights)
Shomari Lamar Mani Fagan
Hartley Nichol Award (Sponsored by Yorkville University)
Prabhnoor Singh
President’s Awards
Bachelor of Creative Arts
Naomi Christine Peltz
Bachelor of Interior Design
Julie Queen
Interior Decorating Associate Diploma
Carly Souque
Bachelor of Business Administration in Project Management
Kristen Karmazinuk
