Media Advisory: UM Fall Convocation 2025

UM will celebrate 1,395 grads at the 58th Fall Convocation in upcoming ceremonies. That brings the number of graduates for the Class of 2025 to 5,586 students.
We’ve highlighted two students you may want to interview:

Rachel Donnelly (she/her), University Gold Medal Bachelor of Respiratory Therapy
Rachel Donnelly will graduate with a University Gold Medal, Bachelor of Respiratory Therapy from the College of Rehabilitation Sciences (CoRS). A previous UM grad with an honours degree in biological sciences, Donnelly was working in Alzheimer’s research and at a group home during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic while trying to determine her next move.

“I had always wanted to pursue a career in health care but was unsure of where I would fit in the medical community,” she says. “I stumbled onto the CoRS webpage and started reading about the Respiratory Therapy (RT) program. I wasn’t 100 per cent sure what the career would look like, but I took a chance and applied the same day. It was one of the best decisions I have ever made.”

Donnelly also went to Rwanda with a small group of Respiratory Therapy students to shadow health professionals in hospitals and learn more about the barriers to health care experienced by people in marginalized communities.

Kay Maskiw-Connelly (They/She), Master of Business Administration
Kay Maskiw-Connelly balanced being a full-time student and single parent and will be graduating with a Master of Business Administration from the Asper School of Business, their third degree after receiving a Bachelor of Arts (2012) and Master of Arts (2016). Maskiw-Connelly is a former Fellow in Equity, Anti-Oppression and Social Justice through the Office of Equity Transformation.

Maskiw-Connelly helped coordinate the 2SLGBTQIA+ cohort and was part of the art collection committee of the Diversifying the UM Art Collection program, where 15 artworks by 11 artists were procured during the summer of 2025.

“The committee feels like it was an honor to get to choose these artworks collaboratively…that they were part of such a big project where the administration is investing this money and saying ‘we trust you enough to decide for us to represent your own community.’ That’s really empowering,” said Maskiw-Connelly, at the time.

She wants to inspire other single parents and any students struggling to get their education. “I hope they know they are both worthy and capable of chasing their dreams, and creating the kind of future their family deserves.”

Convocation Schedule

Convocation ceremony – Fort Garry campus
Oct. 21, 2025 -Oct. 23, 2025

Convocation ceremony – Bannatyne campus
Nov. 6, 2025

‌UM Bisons are at the centre of it all, making a difference here in Manitoba and around the world. Many of these new alumni will stay in Manitoba, contributing high-demand skills to the labour market and injecting nearly $300 million into the province’s economy each year. ‌

For more information or to book interviews, contact: UM Media Relations
mediarelations@umanitoba.ca
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UM Media Relations