Four years can fly by in a flash—just ask Acadia University’s graduating class of 2025! 

In the whirlwind of office hours, cheering on our athletics teams, and late nights writing papers, it can be hard to remember to take a moment to pause and reflect on the experience. While those undergrad years flew by for our students, the flights wouldn’t have gone as smoothly without support from, and connections with, our faculty and staff. 

So, upon graduation, some of our students took a moment to share a note of thanks with the Acadia faculty and staff that made a lasting impact on them and let them know how they changed their lives forever. 

Watch as our faculty and staff react to receiving letters from the students whose lives they shaped. 

"To know you is to learn from you, and to learn from you is to love you” 

Mckenna Batstone (‘25, Biology and Women’s & Gender Studies) thanks Dr. Shelley Price (F.C. Manning School of Business) for showing her the importance of being her authentic self and modeling leadership. "To know you is to learn from you, and to learn from you is to love you,” she tells Dr. Price in her letter. 

Dr. Price tearfully responds that the journey they took together was co-created and that she’s grateful for how Mckenna has given to the class. She concludes by saying “I can’t even begin to imagine where this is going to take you.” 

“By the end of the semester it's not a group of strangers anymore; it’s a small little family”

When Chenuka Gamage (‘25, Computer Science) came to Acadia, he wasn’t just embarking on a new academic journey—he was also coming to Canada from Sri Lanka. He thanks Dr. Franklin Mendivil (Math & Statistics) for all the time they spent connecting and for the advice he shared about math and life. 

Dr. Mendivil says “one of the fantastic things about being a teacher is being able to make connections with people.” He warmly recalls the hours spent in his office with Chenuka working side by side, talking, and learning from each other about their lives and experiences. 

“Professor, colleague, mentor, and second mother”

“I am certainly not the same person I was when I started at Acadia, and a lot of that has to do with the confidence you instilled in me,” Graham Thurston (‘25, Education) tells Dr. Roxanne Seaman (Kinesiology). He’s grateful for the leadership and care that Dr. Seaman modelled for him through the S.M.I.L.E. program and how it has impacted his personal and professional development. 

Touched and surprised by the Graham’s thoughtful letter, Dr. Seaman thanked Graham in turn for his leadership and says he will always be part of the S.M.I.L.E. family.

“Your encouragement has meant more to me than you’ll likely ever know”

Chris Cameron (Acadia Athletics) had an outsized impact on Ella Keefe (‘25, English). By encouraging her to trust her instincts and giving her the encouragement she needed to pursue her passion for photography and videography, Ella now has the confidence she needs to move into the next chapter of her life. 

In his response, Chris tells Ella that it goes both ways. Her commitment to and care for the Acadia community made an impact on him, too. From taking time to hang out with Chris’s daughter when she was on campus to her infectious passion, Ella is someone Chris is grateful to have had in his life. 

Lifelong lessons

As these students move on from Acadia, they’re taking invaluable lessons about leadership, community, and connection with them. The faculty and staff who imparted these lessons are sad to see the class of 2025 go, and look forward to welcoming a new class of students into the Acadia family in September.