Mark “Suki” Suknanan never won the French award in school.

The science award eluded him, too. 

So when the Broadcasting — Radio, Television and Film alumnus won Canada’s Drag Race in September, performing as Priyanka and becoming the country’s first winner of the reality television show based on RuPaul’s Drag Race, it made up for all those other times he was overlooked.

“I was never chosen for sports teams or I came in sixth or seventh in track,” Suknanan said. “Even when I was on YTV, although I was the favourite for some kids, it wasn’t until I started doing (drag) that I won.”

Still, to the outsider looking in, it might appear that Suknanan was winning all along. Even before he graduated from Niagara College in 2012, Suknanan landed a job working with specialty channel YTV, eventually becoming a host and writer for the children’s series The Zone Weekend on the network. 

He spent more than five years doing that when Canada’s Drag Race became the opportunity knocking. It was a chance for Suknanan to make Priyanka a household name and take him in a direction he only started considering three years prior. 

Priyanka is born

It was Suknanan’s 26th birthday and he hired a drag queen to help him and his friends celebrate. The experience convinced him that he didn’t just want to watch such performances. He wanted to do them.

“I was already going out and watching drag queens and seeing how free and confident they were. I just so enjoyed it,” Suknanan said. “It was being in the audience and feeling like all your problems went away and I wanted to be that person for someone else.”

Soon after, Priyanka was born. Suknanan worked hard to get his alter ego known and it paid off when she was voted Toronto’s best queen in Now’s 2019 reader poll. 

There were other accolades, too. But the people Suknanan was most worried about convincing of Priyanka’s merits weren’t the audiences for which she performed. It was his family.

Suknanan said he “lucked out” with a mother who supported her son when he came out as gay at 23.

“You never know how parents will react and it made me think how great some parents are until you come out and then it’s ‘Sorry, never talk to me again,’ ” Suknanan said. 

But when he came out as Priyanka at 26, Suknanan recalled a conversation that took some time for the family matriarch to absorb. She figured it was just a phase. Still, she kept silent because she didn’t want her son to be afraid to express himself, Suknanan explained. 

After seeing performances, though, “she started getting on Team Priyanka,” he said. 

These days, Suknanan’s mother is in charge of mailing Priyanka merchandise to fans. 

Coming Out

Through it all, though, Suknanan kept his sexual orientation and Priyanka a secret from his father. It wasn’t until she scored a coveted spot on Canada’s Drag Race, which aired on national television last summer, that Suknanan came out with his mom’s unyielding support and the cameras rolling. 

“As a gay kid, it’s very normal to keep secrets because growing up, you’re so unsure of your sexuality, of who you are and how you’re attracted to people,” Suknanan said. “I would say hiding it from my dad was easy because I didn’t know better.

“When I came out to him, it was a big weight off my shoulders. It’s amazing how conditioned people in the LGBT community are to hiding things. So when I came out, he had to accept me.”

The episode struck an emotional chord with viewers. But there were other moments in the series that left audiences wondering if Priyanka would survive another week of challenges, including lip synching performances and makeovers. 

One week, Priyanka would finish on top. The next?

“It messes with your head because you’re doing well and then all of a sudden you do something and you’re in the bottom.”

Still, Suknanan didn’t give up — he worked harder, in fact — and Priyanka would earn her crown. The win is notable not just because she was the show’s first victor.

“I get to be this person of colour who gets to be a representation of what (drag queens) do,” Suknanan said.

The win comes with a $100,000 prize that Suknanan isn’t sure how he’ll spend. It also comes with opportunities that would have taken much longer without the chance to perform for a national television audience, he said. 

Proud Niagara College alum

As far as Suknanan has come in his career, however, he hasn’t forgotten his time at Niagara College, including teachers Peter VandenBerg and Tom Otto. Both instructors supported and encouraged him to chase his dreams, he said.

The practical elements of the program also set Suknanan up for success.

“The thing I loved about Niagara College that I’ll say until the day I die is, I love how hands-on the experience was,” he said. “I didn’t feel like I was getting up for school. I felt like I was going to work.”

As such, his advice to others focuses on doing the work, too.

“This applies to anything. You have to work so hard that you give your dreams no chance but to come true,” Suknanan said. “You have to work hard. It’s not just going to land in your lap. You have to fight for it.”

They may not be able to celebrate in person, but Niagara College is shining the spotlight on its fall 2020 graduates with a virtual event to remember, along with an alumnus guest speaker ready to take the stage.

On Friday, October 30, NC’s Virtual Fall Convocation ceremonies will celebrate more than 1,000 new graduates of NC’s Class of 2020, and mark a virtual homecoming for TV personality and drag queen Mark Suknanan, who will deliver the convocation address and will be presented with the College’s Distinguished Alumni Award.

During the eight years since he crossed the stage at his own convocation, the NC Broadcasting – Radio, Television and Film alumnus (2012), known as Suki, became the face of YTV shows including The Zone and Next Star Nation. His drag alter ego, Priyanka, also catapulted into the limelight; most recently, winning the hearts of judges and fans of reality TV series Canada’s Drag Race (2020) as he/she was crowned Canada’s Next Drag Superstar.

“This is incredible! I am so excited to be a part of this,” said Suknanan. “It wasn’t that long ago, at Niagara College, that I was inspired to follow my dreams. I hope to do the same for this year’s graduates.”

“We look forward to welcoming back alumnus Mark Suknanan as our fall convocation speaker,” said College president Sean Kennedy. “His powerful message about his journey to success will surely inspire our new class of graduates.”

The live, interactive virtual ceremonies will contain many treasured elements of the College’s traditional in-person convocation events- including inspiring speeches and the reading of each graduate’s name – while leveraging the use of technology and the College’s expertise in broadcasting to connect graduates remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic.

While president Kennedy and vice president, Academic, Fiona Allan will address viewers live from the Welland Campus, viewers will also hear from the College’s president emeritus Dan Patterson – who ended his tenure as NC’s longest-serving president after 25 years in February – along with video well wishes from College faculty, staff, alumni and more.

As they watch the livestream ceremony, graduates are invited to connect with their classmates through zoom viewing parties and make a virtual appearance during the ceremony broadcast. The College has also created a custom social media experience for graduates and guests to post and view live reactions, photos, and messages during the ceremonies shared with the hashtag #NCGrad2020.

Virtual convocation serves as applied learning in action for a team of the College’s Broadcasting students who – alongside staff and faculty – take on various roles behind the scenes, from directing, editing and audio mixing, to camera and teleprompter operators, floor managers and more.

“I’m tremendously proud of how Niagara College has risen above the challenge of hosting convocation during a global pandemic, by truly breaking new ground with our virtual ceremonies,” said Kennedy. “Our innovative model for Virtual Convocation, which was a resounding success in the spring, enables our 2020 graduates to mark their special milestone achievement in a meaningful, interactive way; connecting them with their families, classmates and friends in real time, ‘NC Together.'”

The upcoming fall ceremonies follow the resounding success of NC’s Virtual Spring Convocation in June, which celebrated 5,000 graduates through 10 ceremonies and drew tens of thousands of viewers from across Niagara, Canada and around the world.

Two virtual ceremonies will be held this fall: a morning ceremony at 10 a.m. (schools of Allied Health, Community Services, Justice and Fitness, Nursing and Personal Support Worker), and an afternoon ceremony at 2 p.m. (schools of Academic, Liberal and Access Studies; Business and Management; Hospitality, Tourism and Sport; Environment and Horticulture; Media; and Trades).

Visit the College’s Virtual Convocation site to view the schedule or to access the livestream ceremonies at niagaracollege.ca/virtualconvocation/.

A handful of Ontario craft breweries and distilleries have joined forces with Niagara College to establish student awards aimed at increasing diversity in both academic programs and the province’s beverage industry as a whole.

The awards, which include both scholarships and bursaries covering partial and full tuition, have been created specifically for students who are Black, Indigenous and People of Colour (BIPOC) and enrolling in the College’s Brewmaster and Brewery Operations, Artisan Distilling, and Winery and Viticulture Technician programs. 

“Currently, these scholarships provide pathways to students who, at one time, may not have thought about pursuing such a career,” said Gary Torraville, associate dean of Niagara College’s Canadian Food and Wine Institute. “With Niagara College’s strong culture of inclusivity, we are a safe environment for underrepresented students and these awards and programs are pathways to industries that have a place for them as well.”

The businesses establishing student awards include:

• Bench Brewing in Beamsville. Bench donated $10,000 to offer $2,500 entrance scholarships to four students enrolling in the Brewmaster and Brewery Operations program, starting this fall and including the winter and spring intakes.
• Reid’s Distillery in Toronto. Reid’s is providing a full tuition scholarship for a student in the Artisan Distilling program, starting this fall, and being offered annually. In addition, Reid’s will provide mentorship to award recipients throughout their studies. Graduates will also have the opportunity to interview for a paid internship with the distillery.
• Georgian Bay Spirit Co. in Collingwood. This is a bursary worth $5,000 to be awarded  annually, starting in 2021, to BIPOC students, those with disabilities, and students identifying as LGBTQ+ or ethnically diverse. 
• Left Field Brewery in Toronto. Left Field has established three $1,000 scholarships to be awarded annually, starting in 2021.

“At Bench, diversity and inclusivity are fundamental to our culture,” said Matt Giffen, Bench Brewing owner. “We want to do our part to make the brewing industry more approachable to a diverse audience, particularly showcasing that brewing is a viable career path to a broader range of cultures and communities that are currently underrepresented in our industry. In that spirit, we’re proud to announce our partnership with Niagara College in establishing the Bench Brewing BIPOC Entrance Scholarships.”

Graham Reid of Reid’s Distillery noted the need to create lasting and significant change in Canadian distilling. That’s why he and his family chose to establish a scholarship for BIPOC students at Niagara College. 

“The brand pillars of Reid’s Distillery are authenticity, education, storytelling and community,” he said. “Creating an industry that more accurately reflects the community it serves is the purpose of the Reid’s Distillery Student Scholarships.”

All of the awards come with the chance for recipients to meet with donors during their studies. 

“Our donors want to have a positive impact on a student’s life by supporting them financially,” said Erica Walters, College development officer. “But it’s about more than just writing a cheque; they’ve noticed a diversity gap in their field, and they want to offer a scholarship that encourages students from the BIPOC community to pursue a career in that industry”.