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In photos: Celebrating Homecoming 2025

In photos: Celebrating Homecoming 2025

More than 2,000 Western alumni from all over the world gathered on campus and virtually to celebrate Homecoming Sept. 26 to 28. With more than 30 different events – from the football game to Student Fan Festival to the Alumni Awards dinner – the weekend was filled with Mustang spirit. In a kick-off to Homecoming celebrations, Western launched its All in Campaign to raise $1 billion and engage 185,000 alumni through 1.5 million meaningful interactions. Students, staff and alumni of all ages joined the Homecoming festivities, making connections and reliving memories. Western News shares some of the highlights from Homecoming 2025:

Volunteers and staff (L to R) Alumni Association director Burns Cheadle, associate vice-president of housing and ancillary services Chris Alleyne and Omar Sayyed, the University Students’ Council vice-president of external affairs, serve up and enjoy pancakes on Concrete Beach on Sept. 27. (Frank Neufeld)

 
Homecoming photo station

Students, staff and alumni snapped photos in front of the vibrant purple “W” at a fall-themed photo station. (Frank Neufeld)

 
Bone and Joint Institute

New for Homecoming 2025, an event called Tours & Talks: Exploring Innovation in Healthy Aging featured work done at Western’s four research institutes, including the Bone and Joint Institute, where researchers such as Yolanda Hedberg (centre) are investigating why implants fail and how to create better patient outcomes. (Frank Neufeld)

 
Golden Anniversary Brunch

Alumni filled the Great Hall for the Golden Anniversary Brunch. (Frank Neufeld)

 

Tours were held in the nursing simulation labs in the Arthur Labatt Family School of Nursing building. (Iulia Costache/Faculty of Health Sciences)

 

Nursing students and faculty members welcomed alumni into the simulation labs in the Arthur Labatt Family School of Nursing building on Sept. 27. (Iulia Costache/Faculty of Health Sciences)

 

The Parkinson’s disease research lab and its driving simulator were part of Tours & Talks through the Western Institute for Neuroscience. (Parshati Patel/Western Research)

 
Brodie Fenlon

Brodie Fenlon, MA’99 (Journalism), editor-in-chief of CBC News, received the inaugural Alumni Award of Excellence in the Faculty of Information and Media Studies on Sept. 27. (Becky Horst/Faculty of Information and Media Studies)

 

More than 2,000 Western alumni participated in Homecoming events in London, Ont. and virtually. (Frank Neufeld)

 

Alumni of all ages, and their families, were on campus to celebrate Homecoming. (Frank Neufeld)

 

The annual fall Homecoming celebrations are a tradition for many Western alumni. (Frank Neufeld)

 

Western’s marching band brought music and energy to Homecoming celebrations. (Frank Neufeld)

 

Western’s “All in” Campaign co-chairs joined Homecoming celebrations. (L to R) David Simmonds, Kelly Meighen and Perry Dellelce celebrate at an event to honour the $5-million gift from the Dellelce family to Western. (Frank Neufeld)

 

The crowd celebrates at the Western Mustangs football game on Sept. 27. Western beat McMaster 52-22 during the annual Homecoming game. (Frank Neufeld)

 

Western Mustangs cheerleaders wowed the crowd at the annual Homecoming game on Sept. 27. (Frank Neufeld)

 

An enthusiastic flag-bearer leads the Western Mustangs football team onto the field for the Homecoming game. The Mustangs beat the Marauders 52-22. (Frank Neufeld)

 

Western Mustangs player Reed Cloutier shares a special moment with young fans as he heads onto the field for the Homecoming game. (Iulia Costache/Faculty of Health Sciences)

 

Families gathered on campus for Homecoming festivities. (Frank Neufeld)

Alumna sets sights on world’s tallest peak

Alumna sets sights on world’s tallest peak

Only two years ago, Illina Frankiv had never set foot on a mountain. Today, she has successfully summited some of the most formidable peaks in the world, and now has her sights set on the Earth’s tallest – Mount Everest.

Around the world in 40 days

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One hundred and three airports. Fourteen countries. Thirty-eight thousand kilometres. In the span of just over a month.

Workshopping Samuels’ ‘Because I Am Your Queen’

Workshopping Samuels’ ‘Because I Am Your Queen’

More than a dozen students and faculty had the opportunity to work alongside a playwright last month, workshopping Because I am Your Queen, a new play by New York City author and playwright Mina Samuels. Joined by dancer and choreographer Jacqueline Dugal, the...

Dear Mr. Fantasy: Alumnus talks politics behind fantasy baseball

Dear Mr. Fantasy: Alumnus talks politics behind fantasy baseball

Get Rob Silver, LLB’00, talking politics and you might be a while. Get him talking about baseball and you’ll need to grab a seat. The Western alumnus is a founding partner of Crestview Strategy, a Toronto- and Ottawa-based government relations firm. He may be a...

Language has been her passport to life

Language has been her passport to life

For most of us, Lucie Bartosova’s dreams would require subtitles. Bartosova, BA’03, BEd’07, MA’09, has a mind for language – she was born into Czech, quickly learned English, started French in Grade 3, Spanish in high school and German in university, and then, through...

Alumnus’ story of mental health struggle brings hope

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Alumna inducted into Ontario Basketball Hall of Fame

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Alumnus forging success on ‘atypical’ career path

If there’s one thing Travis McKenna didn’t want to do with his life, it was work a regular 9-5 job. A career in aviation seemed anything but traditional, so out of high school he applied, and was accepted to the Commercial Aviation Management (CAM) program in...

MD alumnus using comics to teach importance of vaccines

MD alumnus using comics to teach importance of vaccines

Alien invaders are taking over cities, multiplying and turning citizens into zombies. Although the population fights back and, ultimately, overcomes the assailants, losses are significant. How will they protect themselves against future assaults? While Immunity...

CEO alumnus boasts a career of connectivity

CEO alumnus boasts a career of connectivity

Don’t try to keep up with Ysni Semsedini on his fast track. Born and raised in St. Thomas, Ont., he was president of his hometown’s chapter of the Canadian Red Cross at 19. During both of his master’s degree programs – the first in Electrical Engineering at Western,...

Stamp celebrates alumna’s operatic career

Stamp celebrates alumna’s operatic career

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