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June 2026 graduand speakers

The June 2026 graduand speakers are selected by the faculties and the Registrar based on student achievement and extracurricular involvement.

Ceremony A

Eli Hacker, BEnv (Hons.), Resource and Environmental Management
Faculty of Environment 

Eli Hacker graduates with a Bachelor of Environment (Honours) in Resource and Environmental Management, a minor in Indigenous Studies and certificates in Sustainable Development and Indigenous Studies Research. During his time at SFU, he served as the inaugural president of the Resource and Environmental Management Student Association, volunteered as a research assistant in the Fire and Ecosystems Research Lab, completed an honours thesis exploring sustainable forestry and Indigenous co-management and got engaged. Eli was awarded the Undergraduate Scholars Entrance Scholarship with Distinction, a FENV Changemaker award and a FASS Dean’s Undergraduate Fellowship. He looks forward to beginning his career building resilience in communities and ecosystems through employment as a policy analyst in the marine sector.                  

Ceremony B

Amanda Cronkite, BBA (Hons.), Finance and Human Resources Management
Beedie School of Business

Amanda Cronkite graduates with a Bachelor of Business Administration (Honours) concentrating in Finance and Human Resources Management. Amanda demonstrated impact within the SFU community through her roles as an equity analyst with the Beedie Endowment Asset Management Fund, a teaching assistant, a coordinator of alumni mentorship events and an SFU-governance committee representative. As a JDC West case competitor, she contributed to a podium award in finance and to the program’s recognition as Academic School of the Year. Amanda’s academic excellence, service and dedication to social responsibility have been recognized through the Gordon M. Shrum Major Entrance Scholarship, the Barrie and Diana Carol Martin Memorial Scholarship in Business Administration and placement on the President’s Honour Roll. Amanda aspires to create lasting positive impact within businesses and communities throughout her career.

Ceremony C

Chloe Goodison, BSc (Hons.), Public Health and Data
Faculty of Health Sciences

Chloe Goodison graduates with a Bachelor of Science (Honours) with a concentration in Public Health and Data. Alongside multiple SFU honours including the Major Entrance Scholarship, she is a recipient of the B.C. Medal of Good Citizenship, was named to BCBusiness 30 Under 30 and received the Mazda Canada Rising Legends Award in recognition of her leadership and impact in preventative health, addictions and mental health. At SFU, she served as a peer mentor and president of The FentaNIL Project while completing an honours thesis that examined B.C.’s overdose crisis through youth-to-youth health promotion. Chloe founded NaloxHome Society, with which she won the SFU Student-Community Engagement Competition and has since received provincial funding. She plans to continue as NaloxHome’s executive director while pursuing a career in family medicine.

Ceremony D

Yasmin Dibai, MASc, Sustainable Energy Engineering
Faculty of Applied Sciences

Yasmin Dibai graduates with a Master of Applied Science in Sustainable Energy Engineering. During her time at SFU, she conducted research with the Power and Energy Systems Research Group, developing an optimization model for battery energy storage system scheduling in distribution networks. Committed to supporting future innovators in engineering and community leadership, Yasmin also founded a tech entrepreneurship program for high school students that encourages youth to pursue STEM careers. The program has awarded over $5,000 in scholarships to high-achieving students. Yasmin now works as an electrical engineer at PBX Engineering, contributing to projects across the buildings and industrial sectors.

Ceremony E

Olohirhere Naomi Agbebaku, BA, Communication
Faculty of Communication, Art and Technology

Olohirhere Naomi Agbebaku graduates with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication and a minor in Business. During her time at SFU, she was named to the Dean’s Honour Roll and volunteered as a peer educator at Fraser International College. She was actively involved in student leadership through the SFU Students of Caribbean and African Ancestry as treasurer and executive at large, and played a key role on the team that spearheaded the Black Community Kitchen initiative, fostering connection and support within the campus community. Outside of academics, Naomi is passionate about working within Black community spaces and advocating for more inclusive and supportive environments. She plans to pursue a career in marketing and communications, focusing on research and data-driven insights to inform decision-making.

Ceremony F

Alexander Hodaly, BA, Political Science
Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences

Alexander Hodaly graduates with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. During his time at SFU, he served as president of the Political Science Student Union and was instrumental in reviving both Gadfly, SFU’s undergraduate journal of political science, and the SFU Amnesty International chapter. He is a recipient of the Gunraj Gill Memorial Award in Political Science and a graduate of SFU’s NATO Field School and Simulation Program. His academic work focuses on international relations of the Middle East and Palestinian statehood. Professionally, Alexander served as a negotiations analyst at Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada and is currently a researcher at the Iran War Observatory. He looks forward to starting his master's degree in Politics and International Studies at the University of Cambridge this September.

Ceremony G

Tanjila Afrin Sejuty, MA, International Studies
Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences

Tanjila Afrin Sejuty graduates with a Master of Arts in International Studies, which includes a thesis on the endurance and work of social reproduction in Rohingya women’s lifeworlds in Malaysia. Her research has been presented in various courses, conferences and workshops and attracted multiple fellowships and awards from SFU and beyond, including the prestigious Aziz and Parin Dossa Community Outreach Award. During her time at SFU, she worked as a teaching and research assistant and completed a co-op term at Indigenous Services Canada. Motivated by her deep engagement with research and passion for anthropology, she plans to pursue a PhD in the future to continue addressing the systemic and social barriers faced by Rohingya refugees transnationally.

Ceremony H

Mishael Abu-Samhan, BA (Hons.), Philosophy and Political Science
Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences

Mishael Abu-Samhan graduates with a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Philosophy and Political Science. During his time at SFU, he completed the NATO Field School and Simulation Program and served the student body as a peer educator, student Senator and mentor, as well as president and co-president of the Philosophy and Political Science Student Unions, respectively. He also played a key role in restarting SFU’s Amnesty International chapter after a period of inactivity. In recognition of his academic achievements and community service, he has been named to the President’s Honour Roll seven times, awarded a FASS Dean’s Undergraduate Fellowship and won the 2024 Laurine Harrison Undergraduate Service Award, among other recognitions. He will attend law school at the University of Toronto this fall.

Ceremony I

Keira Thomas, BGS, Education and French
Faculty of Education

Keira Thomas graduates with a Bachelor of General Studies in Education and French. During her time at SFU, she served as a research assistant on the Exploration of Independent Journalism’s Epistemologies Project in the Faculty of Communication, where she contributed to research on independent journalism in Canada. She also supported first-year Education students through SFU’s peer mentorship program and participated in tutoring, mentorship and classroom volunteering with children and youth. These experiences have shaped her academic interests in literacy development, French immersion education and fostering classroom communities that support all students. In September, she will enter the French Immersion Teacher Education program at the University of British Columbia to pursue a career as a French immersion elementary school teacher.