Yu Sun’s convocation on June 20th will turn the New College student into an alumnus of the University of Toronto, class of 2024.  Every ceremony in Convocation Hall is different for every student. For Yu, it is a victory over all the times he almost gave up on university.

“The first year of university is always a big adjustment. There were problems with making friendships and with relationships, and I was surrounded by people who were thriving and getting good marks while I was getting very, very poor marks and my mental health was affected,” Yu remembered. “And I felt I couldn’t tell my parents. I preferred to tell them only positive things, but I questioned whether being at UofT was really the path for me.”

There were soon to be even fewer positive things for the struggling student to talk about. COVID meant that Yu had to leave Toronto and study remotely. Then, during lock down, an immediate family member died. Grief and PTSD accompanied him back to campus when in-person classes resumed.

And then, finally, something positive happened. [Read more…]