Like many other graduating students this year, I was disappointed to be unable to attend convocation and formally celebrate the completion of grad school alongside my friends, family, and colleagues. Fortunately, the faculty and administrative team at Dal’s School of Information Management arranged a good ol’ virtual Nova Scotia kitchen party for us to get together one last time and mark the closure of a seminal chapter of our lives. Attendance was open to students as well as family and friends, and in total about 70 people tuned in. Both my parents and my partner were able to celebrate alongside me and my friends, which I hadn’t expected to experience this year!
Convocation awards were presented to a number of students throughout the party. I was surprised and honoured to receive the Atlantic Provinces Library Association (APLA) Outstanding Student award! Cate Carlyle, the NS chapter vice president, and Dr. Louise Spiteri of SIM co-presented it, and Dr. Spiteri’s introductory remarks were incredibly kind. I had at least one course of hers for three of my four semesters and learned so much from her, so hearing her positive feedback was especially impactful to me.
I was also nominated for membership in Beta Phi Mu, an honour society for library and information sciences, alongside several good friends and colleagues: Robyn Nicholson, Dr. Nicole Slipp, Ridley Thomas, and Nathan Hynes.
Overall – this was an emotionally satisfying end to a challenging academic year amidst a tumultuous world environment. I’ve said this many times to my friends within the program, but this truly was a special group of people, and I know these friendships and connections will last well into the future. Some folks have returned to their hometowns while others are staying here in Halifax. I love knowing that there’s probably a couch I can crash on in Ontario, Saskatchewan, Alberta, or Massachusetts (among others!). I’m so proud to call this group of folks my friends, my colleagues, and now Masters of Information / Masters of Library and Information Studies! Cheers to the future – may we exercise our professional duties with care, consideration, and humour, and may we have some fun along the way!
Katherine Luber 
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