'Pioneering' class graduates from McEwen School of Architecture

The charter class of Laurentian University's McEwen School of Architecture is ready to take on the world.

Fifty students received diplomas after four years of study. This is the first group of students to take classes at the school's downtown Sudbury campus when it opened in 2013.

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Being a member of the school's charter class presented both unique opportunities and challenges, said graduate Sahana Dharmaraj.

"We were kind of provided with a blank slate with everything that we had to tackle," Dharmaraj said. "It was also very freeing because we were the ones who were going to define what people would look at in the years to come."

Terrance Galvin, the school's director, said the charter class rose to the challenge of defining their own path.

"They feel like pioneers, which means that they feel things are often mapped out," Galvin said. "But a lot of things are uncertain so when you're a student in that situation there are challenges."

"I think that there were no obstacles that we hadn't foreseen in some way that we couldn't overcome."

Galvin said about 40 of the students will be returning in the fall to complete their master's degree.