ANTIGONISH: The X-Ring ceremony is held every Dec. 3 on the Feast of St. Francis Xavier, and this year, 999 students earned their rings.
The ceremony is held in the Charles V. Keating Centre and only the X-Ring recipients and faculty are allowed inside the ceremony, StFX said in a press release. All guests on campus watch live from different viewing rooms on campus, they said.
“Your class had one of the most challenging times of a graduating class ever, but you’ve made it,” said StFX President Andy Hakin, “We’ve watched out for each other, and you learned to be a good citizen. We offer academics and social experience. It’s these two elements that make this place special. I encourage you to never lose your Xaverian vales; courage, respect, resilience, and determination.”
StFX said Dr. Tania Sullivan, Head of ER at Saint Martha’s Regional Hospital and StFX alumnus, was the guest speaker. She congratulated everyone including her colleagues at Saint Martha’s who made it through COVID-19 together, and she told the graduates that since they lived through the global pandemic, this will be the start of something better since they’ve witnessed their own strengths.
“I choose StFX because a teacher told me that I wouldn’t be a number here,” she said. “There is no right path for you, go where you want to go; just be the best for you.”
The Honorary X-Ring was presented to Andrew Beckett, former VP of Finance and Administration, StFX said, noting that he received the ring for “making an extraordinary difference in the lives of students, the university, and the community.”
More than 2,100 people joined online from Canada’s coast to coast, as well as from Georgia, Huston, Texas, Bermuda, and Ghana, the university added.
“The X-Ring stands for joining a long line of successful graduates including Prime Ministers, CEOs, and internationally acclaimed artists; whose global awareness and ongoing commitment to social justice reflect Xaverian values,” the university said in the release. “The X-Ring is said to be the third most recognized ring in the world after Super Bowl and Papal rings. Students join 10s of thousands who wear this ring, Rings also identify with personal experiences.”