Antonia Mantonakis has built her career on creating and observing human connections.<\/p>\n
The Professor of Marketing and Consumer Psychology\u2019s innovative approaches to connecting students to class material, her early adoption of experiential learning and her commitment to sustained mentorship have earned her the 2026 Goodman School of Business Excellence in Teaching Award.<\/p>\n
Addressing Goodman\u2019s newest graduates\u00a0 during Brock University\u2019s 119th Convocation on Friday, June 12, Mantonakis encouraged the Class of 2026 to remember that the ability to feel things deeply is their superpower and is something that artificial intelligence (AI) will never have.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn an era of AI and algorithms we all need to be more human. We need to connect to ourselves, to our emotions, to these moments, to music and our autobiographical memories,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
As they embark on their next steps, Mantonakis invited graduates to remember the importance of connecting with others and their potential as community builders, mentors and leaders.<\/p>\n
\u201cYears from now, you won\u2019t be able to generate every slide deck or textbook like AI can. But you will remember the people who changed you. Your mentors, your supporters and your friends.\u201d<\/p>\n
For Mantonakis, those words are more than advice, they are also a reflection of her own story.<\/p>\n
In one of the first classes during her undergraduate degree at the University of Toronto, Professor Steve Joordens modelled how active learning could spark curiosity and deepen understanding.<\/p>\n
\u201cBeing in his class was the first time I considered that being a professor might be a career option for me,\u201d she said. \u201cHe was young, went against traditional professor stereotypes and was passionate about what he was doing.\u201d<\/p>\n
The methods that once inspired her have since become trademarks in her own teachings. \u00a0She uses similar approaches to him by starting each lecture with in-class demonstrations of the topic of the day.<\/p>\n
She\u2019s also been an early adopter of experiential learning, creating opportunities for her students to apply their knowledge through hands-on projects with community partners.<\/p>\n
Mantonakis says her career is the proof that a great mentor\u2019s influence can have a sustained impact on students\u2019 trajectories, and her experience inspired her to create sustained mentorship relationships with students who have cross her path.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think everyone needs that role model for what they do and what brings them passion,\u201d she said. \u201cIf you don\u2019t have someone to look to, then it\u2019s hard to develop that passion within yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n
From Tuesday, June 9 to Friday, June 12, about 3,000 graduands from seven Faculties received their degrees as part of Brock\u2019s 119th Convocation. All ceremony recordings are available at brocku.ca\/livestream<\/a><\/p>\n For more information, visit brocku.ca\/convocation<\/a><\/p>\n A full collection of Convocation photos by ceremony will be available on\u00a0Brock University\u2019s official Flickr galleries<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\t