Our department had the opportunity to hold a reception on June 13 for faculty, students, and their guests to congratulate this year's graduates and acknowledge the excellent work all parties have done for linguistics. All of their hard work and talent has finally culminated, and our graduates go forth into the world with well-deserved degrees, medals, and awards.

The graduate students who convocated this spring are Danica Reid, receiving her MA, and Dr. Kyeong-min Kim, receiving his PhD. Dr. Kyeong-min Kim has also received the Dean of Graduate Studies' Convocation Medal for outstanding academic achievement. When asked about this, he said, "I had no idea I was going to get it, so I was very surprised!" We can only assume that he was so diligently working on his studies and his growing family that he couldn't even stop to notice he was doing such an excellent job!

Our department chairs share some wise words for the graduates:

Dr. Nancy Hedberg, Department Chair

"On behalf of all the faculty and staff in the Linguistics department, let me extend our congratulations to you on completing your program at SFU. Graduation is one of those big steps across a major threshold that brings major change to one’s life, so we wish you all the best in your new endeavors, wherever they may take you. We hope you will stay in touch with the department as a SFU alum; we are interested in where your education as a linguist will take you."

Dr. Chung-hye Han, Graduate Studies Chair

"Congratulations on finishing your PhD and M.A. in Linguistics. We enjoyed having you here with us for a few years. Wherever you are heading now, whether it be for another degree or a job in the academic or non-academic world, I am confident that you will be well prepared. However, we will miss you. Please stay in touch with us and come back to visit us."

Dr. John Alderete, Undergraduate Studies Chair

"Congratulations on your success in Linguistics! As convocation winds down, perhaps you can think a bit about the new things you’ve learned to do, the things that you’ve accomplished, and the people who took the journey with you. They will stay with you as you take the next steps in your lives."

Congratulations to everyone who has finished this year! We wish you success and hope to hear from you throughout your endeavours!