Queen’s recognized leaders in art, advocacy, and education with five honorary degrees.
The honorary degrees were awarded during the Fall Convocation ceremonies held from Nov. 11 to 15 at Grant Hall. The University grants honorary degrees to individuals who have made significant contributions to society or the University at local, national, or international levels, with recipients selected by the Senate.
“We are excited to welcome our honorary degree recipients, whose stories and insights will inspire the next generation as they move into the next chapters of their lives,” Principal Patrick Deane told the Queen’s Gazette.
This year’s recipients include Kent Monkman, a Cree interdisciplinary visual artist, Marie Benard, an advocate for social equity, inclusion, and sustainability, Rhonda Hopkins, a Teaching and Learning Professor at the Indigenous institute Kenjgewin Teg, Jennifer Jones, a former president of Rotary International, and Matthieu Aikins, a prize-winning Canadian-American journalist and author.
In his speech, Monkman shared his reasons for focusing on the “grimmer seeming” topics in his artwork.
“It’s a way for me to process and heal from my own personal journey, first, and then to validate and authorize it to the canon of art history, the experience of Indigenous Peoples across this continent who’ve been erased from this art history,” Monkman said during his speech.
The Journal interviewed two honorary degree recipients about their personal journeys, the significance of their recognition, and the impact of their work on their communities.
Benard is a ionate advocate for social equity, inclusion, and sustainability, with a strong foundation in the mental health field. She currently works as a rights advisor for individuals impacted by the Mental Health Act in British Columbia. Prior to this, she worked as a peer worker in a psychiatric facility in Vancouver, where a social worker in her facility nominated her to receive an honorary degree.
“I feel really honoured and blessed. I was really surprised that a university as prestigious as Queen’s would choose me,” Benard said in an interview with The Journal.
Benard grew up in foster care and earned her General Education Development at 15. She’s currently working while pursuing an online degree at Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops, B.C.
“I can’t speak for everybody, but just the people that I’ve personally gotten to know that you would never know how incredible they are because of the way they look or their diagnosis. They get written off for so many reasons and so many compounding reasons that leave them without the they need,” Benard said.
Rhonda Hopkins, a fluent pan-dialectical speaker of Anishinaabemowin from Wikwemikong Unceded Territory, has dedicated over 40 years of her life to Indigenous education and language revitalization.
She’s currently a Teaching and Learning Professor at Kenjgewin Teg, an Indigenous institute where she developed an Early Learning Diploma Program.
In an interview with The Journal, Hopkins outlined the importance of Indigenous education, emphasizing how bringing Indigenous perspectives to the table is key.
“It provides more opportunities for First Nations people because for so many years we went without proper education or exposure to our world view. We need to celebrate all that Indigenous people have to offer, and by celebrating that, we bring their lens to the forefront,” Hopkins said.
When asked what the importance of the degree meant to her, Hopkins reflected on her previous honorary degree from the World Indigenous Nations University. She noted it didn’t receive the same level of recognition or respect from both Indigenous and non-Indigenous people alike as the degree she’s receiving now from Queen’s. Hopkins called on Queen’s to continue recognizing the First Nation’s people as important contributing educators and to allow the lens of First Nations people to come into play in education.
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