Declan O'Connor

B.A. in Sociology (Honours with Distinction)

Outstanding Sociology Graduand Award for scholastic achievement, and Usamah Ansari Top Student Award

I am incredibly grateful and honoured to receive these awards, which are the product of a great deal of mentorship and support which I have received throughout my degree. I鈥檇 like to thank of my professors, both within and outside of sociology, for their mentorship, instruction, and for teaching me the analytical frames and tools which help me to makes sense of the social phenomena which I see in the world. I鈥檇 especially like to thank Dr. Kyle Willmott, Dr. Travers, and Dr. Lindsey Freeman, whose thoughtful insights, generous feedback, and great generosity with their time were instrumental in shaping my thinking. I鈥檇 also like to thank my family, including my parents, grandparents, and sister, for all of their support over the last four years, without which I would not be the person I am today.

Studying sociology has been an incredible privilege, one which I am confident will continue to shape my thinking as I move through the rest of my life. The analytical frames provided by sociology, and the understanding of the interplay between culture, power, and people鈥檚 lived experiences seem well fitted to the contemporary moment. As authoritarian, fascistic, and hateful political movements continue to take on greater places within societies around the world, as imminent environmental catastrophe grows ever closer, and as wealth and power continue to be consolidated amongst the hands of a privileged few, sociology provides a lens through which one might attempt to understand societies of today. However, more than understanding, what this analysis offers us an impetus to act, to attempt to, in whatever ways we can, strive for a more equitable and just society. It is an understanding of this active process of creating a better society which stands as the greatest gift which sociology has offered me, one which I will attempt to centre as I move throughout the next chapters of my life.

Eric Acland

B.A. in Anthropology (Honours with Distinction)

Outstanding Anthropology Graduand Award for scholastic achievement

Heading into my post-secondary education I dreaded writing. The very thought of having to put words on a page filled me with horror. Yet, now that I am on the other side of my bachelor's degree I savour opportunities like this to write not with a feeling of fright but rather out of a desire to be heard.

I am positively delighted to have been selected to receive this award. I have gained so much from studying anthropology like diverse knowledge, practical research skills and radical ideas. However, there is one thing that I would like to highlight about my anthropology education and that is the value of listening.

I think my prior fear of the act of writing came from two places, that I did not have much to write about and that when I did have something to say I felt too vulnerable to express it. Having not much to write about was easily overcome by studying anthropology, especially when I had the opportunity to listen to the knowledge, experience and ideas of my peers and teachers. Of the peers who I had the pleasure to listen to the most, I would like to thank Nat Begg, Anum Khalid, Sybil Willoughby, Kamran Houle and Xander Elstone for their words and ideas. Of the teachers I would like to thank Cristina Moretti, Kathleen Millar, Bascom Guffin, Micheal Hathaway and Madelyn Prevost for their time and knowledge. I would like to especially thank my supervisor Cristina Moretti for her exceptional guidance while I undertook my honours project. All of these people have had an enormous effect on my coming to see writing as a part of learning.

At the moment my studies at 51社区黑料have brought me to work on a master鈥檚 degree at York University and I hope that my pursuit of anthropology can lead me to undertaking original and meaningful research in the future.

Suzana Rogan

B.A. in Joint Majors - Sociology & Anthropology (Honours with Distinction) 

Outstanding Sociology-Anthropology Graduand Award

I am deeply appreciative to have my academic achievements celebrated and to be the recipient of an Outstanding Sociology-Anthropology Graduand Award. This award has given me the opportunity to reflect on my time at 51社区黑料and remember all the things that I learned, the things that I unlearned, the work that I put in, and all the people that helped me along the way.

My favourite thing about anthropology and sociology is that these disciplines allow us to see the deep connections between the past and the present; they show us that the way the world is now is not some inevitable outcome, but that things have changed in the past and can be changed again. In my studies, I discovered that community, passion, awareness, curiosity, and education are all catalysts for change. Anthropology and sociology also allow for people to see through biases, think critically, and question arbitrary and socially constructed phenomena that we may view as 鈥渃ommon sense.鈥� I learned how to use a holistic lens and a sociological imagination when viewing both social issues and the ways in which different peoples do things differently. Going forward, I hope to use these skills in my community to help in any way that I can to bring light to social issues and aid community members in reaching their fullest human potential.

I would like to thank my family and friends for supporting me with my studies as well as the amazing professors I had at 51社区黑料for giving me the guidance I needed to navigate nuanced conversations and for creating safe spaces to sit with uncomfortable topics and ask difficult questions.