Meet the 2025 Faculty of Fine Arts valedictorians
Left to right: David LeRue & Santiago Alzate Lopez
As Concordia’s spring convocation ceremonies approach, two outstanding students are stepping into the spotlight: Santiago Lopez Alzate, Contemporary Dance major, and David LeRue, PhD candidate in Art Education, have been named this year’s valedictorians in the Faculty of Fine Arts.
The students are recognized for their academic excellence, meaningful community engagement and their embodiment of the Faculty’s spirit.
“These two students’ achievements and inspiring stories are powerful testaments to their resilience, determination and excellence,” says Elaine Cheasley Paterson, associate dean, academic programs and pedagogy. “Their commitment to their respective fields and communities reflects the spirit of leadership, purpose and interdisciplinary thinking that defines our Faculty.”
Santiago Lopez Alzate, undergraduate valedictorian
Department of Contemporary Dance
For Santiago Lopez Alzate, studying dance at Concordia has been about more than just about movement — it’s also meant connection, critical thinking and expanding the definition of choreography.
“What I enjoyed most was being part of a community not only of dancers, but also artists and intellectuals engaged in thinking about choreography expansively,” he says. “The department nurtured my ability to see dance as more than just a discipline: it’s a way of understanding the world.”
One pivotal experience for Lopez Alzate was the Festival TransAmériques (FTA) field course, where students immerse themselves in the largest contemporary international dance, theatre and performance festival in North America.
“I was no longer in a classroom — I was in a festival, learning from choreographers and directors from around the world,” he recalls. “It was unforgettable: watching shows every night and discussing our experiences under the spring sunshine, surrounded by inspiring peers.”
Looking ahead, Lopez Alzate says he is eager to continue working within Montreal’s vibrant performing arts scene.
“I hope to grow as a choreographer, a cultural worker and a curator,” he says, citing upcoming collaborations with local institutions like Montréal, arts interculturels (MAI) and Tangente Danse.
David LeRue, graduate valedictorian
Department of Art Education
Originally arriving at Concordia in 2016 for the Painting and Drawing master’s program, David LeRue soon discovered a passion for interdisciplinary, community-based art education and research. That path led him to doctoral studies in art education.
“I became more interested in frameworks like research-creation, qualitative methods and theories of pedagogy,” he explains. A transformative moment came during an Art History course, The Right to the City (ARTH 611), with Cynthia Hammond. “It introduced me to arts-based research through the lens of Pointe-Saint-Charles' post-industrial and activist histories,” he explains.
With guidance from his PhD supervisor, Kathleen Vaughan, LeRue developed an approach he calls “Community-Based Research-Creation,” integrating oral history ethics with artistic practice in the classroom.
He developed the approach following an online course he taught at the Pointe-Saint-Charles Art School in 2020. Through city landscape painting, students were invited to explore and express their experiences of Montreal’s urban landscape.
“I was surprised not only by the personal stories, research and artistic qualities of these projects, but also how the process of creation and completed artworks led participants to think abstractly about complex urban problems.”
He says that balancing work, studies and a studio practice wasn’t always easy.
“At times it felt like I was all over the place — teaching, maintaining a studio, doing fieldwork. But seeing those pieces come together in my thesis helped me realize how interconnected this kind of work can be. I was able to see the synergy and connections between elements that felt disconnected and disparate — the challenge was also the reward.
“This is the reality of many community-engaged art teachers and artists, and I was glad to capture some of that experience in my dissertation.”
His advice to future graduate students?
“Look beyond your own discipline. Concordia offers so many ways to collaborate across fields, and environments like 4TH SPACE make it easy to connect. Explore, collaborate, and take full advantage of the resources around you.”
Find out more about Concordia’s Spring 2025 convocation ceremonies.