A Magazine for Alumni and Friends
Homecoming 2021, which featured a mix of in-person and virtual events from Sept. 22 to 26, proved once again that it’s great to be a Laurier Golden Hawk.
Virtual favourites introduced during last year’s Homecoming were held once again and marquee in-person events on the Waterloo campus – including a pancake breakfast for students and a Golden Hawks football game – were welcomed back.
“This year's homecoming offered a little bit for everyone – from on-campus, to across the country and around the world,” says Jason Coolman, vice-president: Advancement and External Relations. “Whatever way you celebrated, we were thrilled to see alumni tap into their Laurier pride and join us for Homecoming 2021.”
Students took part in an in-person pancake breakfast on the Waterloo campus on the Saturday morning of Homecoming weekend.
More than 400 students joined the in-person pancake breakfast on the Waterloo campus on the Saturday morning of Homecoming weekend. At the same time as the in-person event, alumni from around the world tuned in on Zoom to make Japanese soufflé pancakes in their own kitchens as they followed along with Laurier alumnus, television personality and professional chef Wallace Wong (BBA ’12).
The Laurier Golden Hawks took on the Waterloo Warriors at University Stadium as part of Homecoming celebrations.
In a Homecoming return to University Stadium, the Golden Hawks took on the University of Waterloo Warriors in a rainy game that saw Laurier defeated by a score of 36-12. Students and alumni also tuned in from home and from watch parties at Morty’s and Beertown Waterloo, as well as Prairie Dog Brewery in Calgary.
Two Brantford campus Homecoming highlights were the online events “Aesthetics of the Small: A conversation with 2020 Scotiabank Giller Prize winner Souvankham Thammavongsa” and “A Glimpse of Laurier Brantford’s Mark on the World,” which also celebrated retiring professors Lamine Diallo, Robert Feagan and Gary Warrick.
In addition, the Wilfrid Laurier University Alumni Association celebrated its annual Awards of Excellence – highlighted in this edition of Laurier Campus magazine – and the Golden Hawk Hall of Fame welcomed eight new inductees.
Members of the Laurier community also took part in Hawk Walk, a choose-your-own-physical-activity event in which participants walked, ran, biked and kayaked.
Homecoming weekend wrapped up with Athletics and Recreation airing a special “Hawks Rewind” on Facebook that featured a rebroadcast of the 1991 Vanier Cup, marking the 30-year anniversary of the Golden Hawks’ first national football triumph.