Last week, the University of Guelph’s Ontario Agricultural College (OAC) celebrated its summer convocation, marking the culmination of years of academic effort for the next generation of agri-food, environmental, and community leaders.
Over the course of the 2024–25 academic year, OAC conferred degrees and diplomas to more than 1,000 students, including:
- 225 associate diplomas
- 467 undergraduate degrees
- 323 graduate degrees
In addition to celebrating academic achievement, the ceremony recognized outstanding students with convocation awards. At the Guelph campus, 47 students received 39 donor-funded prizes, including the prestigious Ken Janovicek Memorial Crop Research Prize [1], a $3,000 award honouring a student committed to research in cropping systems and agronomy. At the Ridgetown Campus, 20 students received 19 officially recognized donor-funded awards.
OAC also had three students nominated for university-wide honours, including the Winegard and Forster medals. Among them was Caroline Szukalo Benitez, a Horticulture diploma graduate who earned the Governor General’s Bronze Medal, awarded to the top-performing diploma student across OAC.
These new graduates now join a growing network of OAC alumni shaping Canada’s agri-food sector, protecting the environment, and strengthening communities.