Growing up, I always knew I’d be the first in my family to go to university. My mom had gone to college, but my dad barely finished high school before immigrating to Canada. His parents hadn’t even made it that far—growing up as impoverished Hispanics in South Texas, they had to put work before school.
The moment I visited Western, I knew it was the place where I would not only attend university but also graduate. That journey wasn’t easy. Online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic and the stress of figuring out university life without a family roadmap made for some difficult moments. But I found support in my professors, peers and—most of all—the friends I made at Western.
When I finally walked across the stage at Alumni Hall last June, it was one of the most powerful moments of my life. I remember telling myself not to trip on my gown and hearing my dad shout with pride from the crowd. It was the best payoff I could have imagined. Now, as I begin law school, I look back at my time at Western as one of the most defining chapters of my life. And convocation was the perfect final page.
Caden Reyes
BA’24
When I crossed the stage to receive my PhD in astronomy, I didn’t just want to celebrate my academic journey—I wanted to wear it. It took six months to plan my space-themed outfit, a tribute to my research on young, massive stars and my lifelong love of the night sky.
For my traditional Indian dress, I asked Rekha Dwivedi, an artist and my mother’s art teacher in India, to paint the ‘Pillars of Creation’—the star-forming region captured by the Hubble Space Telescope—onto a long scarf (dupatta). My shoes had a nebula print, my nails sparkled like the night sky, and since I couldn’t find the perfect brooch, I designed a shooting star one and my mother had it crafted by a jeweller in India.
My PhD supervisors were speechless when they saw the space-themed scarf draped around my shoulders. Emira, one of the caretakers in the Physics and Astronomy building, gave me the biggest smile and told me how beautiful my outfit was. Peers kept stopping me with excited ‘OMGs’ and ‘Is that a spacey scarf?!’ But the best moment? A friend suggested I wear the scarf outside my regalia as I crossed the stage so the cosmos painted on my back would be visible to everyone. It was a stellar way to honour the years I had spent studying the stars.
Parshati Patel
MSc’12, PhD’16
Courtesy of Parshati Patel
Do you have a “Western Moment” about residence move-in or your first day of classes? Send it to us at magazine@uwo.ca by August 1, we’ll be in touch if it’s being considered for publication in the next issue.
