THUNDER BAY — Hundreds of Confederation College students are crossing the stage for their convocation ceremony.
Over 900 students are participating in the ceremonies at Thunder Bay Auditorium on Friday, but there is a total of more than 1,800 students receiving diplomas.
Confederation College president Kathleen Lynch noted that students were still a little wary in September coming back to in-person learning.
"In the fall things were still tenuous, people weren't sure what to expect," Lynch said. "The whole year went really smoothly in my opinion, like we never had any pause. You have to think that people that were in [their] first year a couple of years ago had never met their classmates."
Zoogipon Kakegabon is a graduate of the Onajigawin Indigenous Services two-year program. The new mother was pregnant at the beginning of her semester, but won over $20,000 in awards for essays that she had written. She's grateful for the hands-on learning that her class participated in for making care packages for youth transitioning out of care.
Mya Macmillan, a graduate of the college's dental hygiene program, worked hard over the past three years and is grateful for being able to do clinic work and help the community. Mya is grateful to the college for starting her career process but also treasures the friendships and connections that she's built over the past three years.
This year is the second year that graduation ceremonies have been back in person, with the auditorium expecting hundreds of supporting family and friends passing through the doors to congratulate the graduates.
