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The University of New Brunswick will be celebrating the achievements of its 2021 graduates at virtual graduation ceremonies on Saturday, June 5.

The Fredericton campus’ 191st Encaenia will be held at 9 a.m., 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. Saint John’s 46th spring convocation ceremony will begin at 5 p.m. See unb.ca/graduation for information on the ceremonies and associated degrees.

Valedictorians from each campus will virtually address UNB’s graduating class of 2021 during the June 5 ceremonies.

Peyton Juhnke

Valedictorian Peyton Juhnke will be representing all spring 2021 graduates on UNB’s Fredericton campus.

“I feel incredibly honoured to have been selected as the valedictorian for the Fredericton campus, and I want to take this opportunity to acknowledge the strong women who mentored and supported me throughout my degree at UNB. Sarah, Kate and Amanda – kinanâskomitin (thank you) doesn’t even scratch the surface.”

Peyton is graduating with a bachelor of philosophy in interdisciplinary leadership from Renaissance College. She was a Dean’s List student in all three years of her degree, as well as one of the Indigenous Co-Representatives for the Renaissance College Society.

In 2019, Peyton completed an internship with Sarah King in the Office of Experiential Education where she created Campus Closet, a program that provides students with no-cost career attire for interviews, presentations and experiential learning placements.

In 2020, Peyton received the Blue Metropolis Award for Excellence in Indigenous Studies for her essay "Indigenous Freedom." She was also a part of the Student Union’s Breaking Stereotypes Campaign at the invitation of Nadia Wysote, the SU Indigenous Representative at the time.

In the final year of her degree, Peyton developed the framework for an Indigenous Studies minor which she proposed and completed as a way of advocating for Indigenous knowledge systems to be more widely acknowledged and respected within academia. As part of this minor, she completed an independent study with Amanda Myran and Katelyn Copage on Indigenous Research Methodologies.

Allyson Lamont

Valedictorian Allyson Lamont will address spring 2021 graduates in the faculties of arts; science, applied science and engineering; and business on the Saint John campus.

“It is a tremendous honour to be valedictorian for the Saint John campus. I am so grateful for every member of the UNB community who provided me with the opportunities that got me where I am today. I hope as a representative of the graduating class during this time of uncertainty, I can remind my fellow graduates there are brighter days ahead.”

Allyson Lamont will be receiving her bachelor of science with honours in psychology from UNB Saint John. Throughout university she was a Dean’s list student and a Beaverbrook Scholar. Allyson was involved in many student support initiatives, such as UNBSJ's mental health advocating group, Jack.org. She was an active volunteer in mental health and supported fellow students by giving her time to the Peer Support Centre on UNB’s Fredericton campus.

She was a Learning Community Leader, offering advising for first and upper-year students to improve the quality of their experience. Allyson also mentored with Promise Partnership, a program that connects the university with the community to help combat poverty.

Allyson received the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Canada Graduate Scholarship and will be continuing her education at UNB in the accelerated master’s program in psychology.

Watch the University of New Brunswick’s 2021 graduation ceremonies at unb.ca/graduation, YouTube, and on UNB Fredericton and UNB Saint John’s Facebook pages.

Media contact: Kathleen McLaughlin