Down to Gown
October 05, 2026
Science grad and volunteer rober Mandy Pearce helps keep student nerves down and spirits high as part of UVic’s convocation community.
For the past four years, UVic Science grad and employee Mandy Pearce, BSc ’05, has volunteered for spring and fall convocations, helping soon-to-be graduates get into their cap and gowns prior to walking across the stage. Pearce is also one of the last lines of defense for antsy alumni-in-the-making—helping calm nerves, quell jitters and remedy any late-in-the-game wardrobe malfunctions.
Amid the pomp and circumstance of convocation, Pearce shared the finer points of robing, navigating fancy hairdos and the value of volunteering.
What exactly does a rober do?
A rober helps make students ensure they're looking their best, so that they're feeling their best, that the gown looks good on them and is the right size, that the hood is falling well and beautifully over their shoulders and nothing's falling all over the place so that they feel comfortable and confident, especially when they're walking across the stage.
Approximately how many graduating students have you helped?
By now I have probably helped several hundred students.
What are your tools of the trade?
Pins. So many pins, safety pins and straight pins and just a good eye.
Is keeping students calm and confident part of the robing job?
It is absolutely a part of the robing job to help students feel comfortable. The process is fairly well signed, but also there's going to be some nerves. So, we're there to help usher them along and congratulate them and make sure they're in the next place that they need to be at the right time.
Have there been any unusual problems you've had to solve over the years?
I wouldn't say I've solved many problems, but lots of things come up, and we learn how to deal with them to make sure people have what they need—that their caps stay on their head even when they have fancy hairdos, or when they need to take a seat for a while and maybe have a few moments of calm before heading out to the slightly more chaotic Mystic Market.
What's your favourite part about being a rober?
Being able to make their day just a little bit more special, so that it feels out of the ordinary, elevated. How often in our lives, in our adult lives, do we get to have someone else dress us? That makes it special, and I want to be able to do that for them.
What is the most challenging part about being a rober?
The difficult part of being a rober for me is trying to small talk while I am concentrating and making sure I pin it correctly and don't pin them or me.
Have you ever accidentally pinned somebody?
I have not. I have never pinned a student or graduate. I have pinned—accidentally—myself.
What do you like about volunteering at convocation?
It's ceremony, it's ritual. It happens every year, the continuity of it, seeing another new group of students coming out of the university and heading out into the world. And I get to meet all the volunteers. Some, like me, have been doing it for a few years, some for many, many years. We get to be part of the community of convocation.
Do you volunteer anywhere else?
I enjoy volunteering for small things, for big events. I've done some cycling events. I like to be a greeter and just help people on their way.
What would you say to someone who is considering volunteering?
Talk to someone who's already done it. I love talking to people about volunteering for robing. It can seem a bit intimidating, but once you get into it and have tried a few times, it's not as intimidating as it seems. And there's plenty of opportunities to practise and to be paired with people who are more experienced. There's never a problem you have to solve on your own. There's always support.
What do you get out of volunteering?
Volunteering makes me feel connected to a community, but in a way where I actually get to be useful and to contribute something and you get to be part of a team and meet people you might not meet otherwise in your daily work.
—Michael Kissinger, BEd ’94