{"id":110232,"date":"2026-06-10T18:15:45","date_gmt":"2026-06-10T22:15:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/?p=110232"},"modified":"2026-06-12T11:33:30","modified_gmt":"2026-06-12T15:33:30","slug":"gallery-award-winning-profs-invite-grads-to-embrace-the-unknown-and-define-their-own-milestones","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/2026\/06\/gallery-award-winning-profs-invite-grads-to-embrace-the-unknown-and-define-their-own-milestones\/","title":{"rendered":"Gallery: Award-winning profs invite grads to \u2018embrace the unknown\u2019 and define their own milestones"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cI begin by not knowing what it is that I am doing.\u201d<\/p>\n

A perspective gained from years of creating art in the studio, these seemingly simple words are the \u201csecret engine\u201d that drives Associate Professor of Visual Arts Donna Sz\u0151ke.<\/p>\n

The Faculty of Humanities 2026 Excellence in Teaching Award recipient was sure to relay this comforting but motivating message to graduates during her Convocation address on Wednesday, June 10.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t arrive in a class, attempt to conduct research, show up for homework or be present in the art studio to learn what we already know,\u201d Sz\u0151ke said. \u201cAs lifelong students of our fields, we learn to embrace the unknown, as the unknown is where learning, discovery and invention are not only possible but irresistible.\u201d<\/p>\n

She told the Class of 2026 that Convocation marks a significant change in their lives. With this new step into the unknown, she said, \u201cyou are at the brink of next creating the most important and insightful invention, and that, my friends, is the next version of you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sz\u0151ke took her own leap into the unknown as a university student, designing on four films by Canadian filmmaker Guy Maddin. Three of the films were recently recognized and transferred to 4K by the Toronto International Film Festival, Telefilm Canada and Zeitgeist Films.<\/p>\n

As an established visual artist, her practice includes video art, installation, animation, drawing, writing and printmaking exploring themes of human connection and social justice.\u00a0One of her most recent video works, The Invisible Hippo of Grief: An Adoption Story<\/i>, examines the baby adoption mandate era following the Second World War when almost 600,000 infants born to unmarried women in Canada recorded as \u201cillegitimate births\u201d and over 300,000 were surrendered through forced\u00a0adoption.<\/p>\n

Sz\u0151ke’s entire body of video artworks was recently picked up for distribution by Vtape, Canada\u2019s biggest video art distributor. A lifetime accomplishment, the project will make her work accessible in an online archive once complete.<\/p>\n

For Sz\u0151ke, it\u2019s an affirmation that the practice of embracing the unknown can lead to opportunities not yet dreamed of.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>

Associate Professor Karen Louise Smith in the Department of Communication, Popular Culture and Film gave the Convocation address during the morning ceremony on Wednesday, June 10.<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cFacing the unknown is met by our own curiosity, our desire to discover, and these forces meet with an almost a magnetic affinity,\u201d she said. \u201cNot knowing is an opportunity to forge a pathway to where we can discover and recognize our own unique insights, our own unique contributions.\u201d<\/p>\n

Associate Professor of Communication, Popular Culture and Film Karen Louise Smith, who received Brock\u2019s 2025 Chancellor\u2019s Chair for Teaching Excellence<\/a> last fall for her work on ethical educational technology, empowered graduates to mark out their own milestones and celebrate their successes during her Convocation address at Wednesday\u2019s morning ceremony.<\/p>\n

Smith shared insights into the process of building a career based on passions, values and finding a creative spark. She also drew parallels to hiking, a favourite hobby, and reminded the audience that looking out for milestones can help a wanderer find the right path.<\/p>\n

\u201cI hope you can reflect on how you can find your own milestones,\u201d Smith told graduates. \u00a0\u201cThink about the people and the communities that matter to you. You may find milestones reveal themselves through the relationships that are important to you.\u201d<\/p>\n

A full collection of Convocation photos by ceremony will be available on\u00a0Brock University\u2019s official Flickr galleries<\/a>. View recordings and livestreams of each Convocation ceremony at brocku.ca\/livestream<\/a><\/p>\n

For more information and the full schedule of Brock\u2019s Spring Convocation, visit brocku.ca\/convocation<\/a><\/p>\n\n\t