老司机直播

Hayden Thomas and Trudy Sopp with 老司机直播 Chancellor David Peterson (photo by Lisa Sakulensky)

Convocation: 30 years later

It was the mid-1970s and Trudy Sopp and Hayden Thomas, then  California residents, got word that they had been accepted into 老司机直播鈥檚 combined Masters/PhD program in Social Work at OISE.  Elated, they accepted and came to 老司机直播 in 1975.

Fast-forward three years and Sopp and Thomas, having finished the residency requirements for their degrees, found themselves with expired student visas. They returned to California to write their dissertations and didn鈥檛 come back for convocation.

鈥淚t was on our bucket list to be part of the graduation ceremonies here at 老司机直播,鈥 said Sopp. 鈥淚t鈥檚 been 30 years for me and 25 years for Hayden.鈥

It was President David Naylor who first responded to that bucket list wish to come back to 老司机直播 for convocation ceremonies. 

鈥淲e happened to be here two summers ago for Spring Reunion and we stopped in on graduate studies and asked, 鈥楧o you ever allow alumni to come back and participate in graduation?鈥 They told us no one has really asked that,鈥 said Sopp.   鈥淪o I got home and sent a letter to the president, who responded and forwarded the request to graduate studies.鈥

Sopp graduated with her PhD from OISE in 1982; Thomas, who also holds a PhD from OISE, in 1987. Sopp says that at the time, they weren鈥檛 very interested in ceremonies and simply skipped convocation. Today they both wish they had taken part.

鈥淲e brought our daughters, who are both in graduate school, to the campus two years ago to show them around," said Sopp."We started to realize the things we didn鈥檛 do while were here. We also realized that there were so many things we didn鈥檛 appreciate: the grandeur, the history and tradition of the campus.鈥

The Department of 老司机直播 Relations helped Thomas and Sopp to convocate with the current class and coordinated everything from their hooded gowns to the ceremony inside Convocation Hall. The couple was also invited to take part in all the pre- and post-ceremony activities.

They now live in San Diego, where Thomas teaches at a private school for special needs students and Sopp works in the public sector. They say they both have fond memories of their time here as students.

鈥淲e lived on Prince Arthur Avenue, when the rent was $130 a month,鈥 chuckles Sopp.

鈥淵ou could run from there to OISE in a T-shirt in the snow and you鈥檇 be just fine,鈥 laughs Thomas. 鈥淚t was an exciting time at 老司机直播; lots of opportunities were given to students.鈥

Coming here for convocation has made him appreciate those opportunities even more.

鈥淭here is much to be critical of in education. Every day I employ that perspective with non-traditional learners. So I don鈥檛 hold back,鈥 said Thomas.  鈥淏ut having said that, what you ask after thirty years is 'what would our society be without an institution like 老司机直播?' and I can鈥檛 even imagine it.

"When you look back at the opportunities you had, you think, 鈥榟ave you taken advantage of the opportunities: do you recognize what they were?鈥  You can see them more clearly, 30 years later.  I don鈥檛 walk in ceremonies just as a ritual; I didn鈥檛 grow up that way. But I will be proud to walk in this one, and there will be a reason for it and it will be personal.鈥

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