Casey Bodner can finally say the words she’s longed to speak for the past 18 years.
On Thursday afternoon, after her name was called during Niagara College’s virtual convocation ceremony, Bodner, who studied in the Practical Nursing program, could finally say “I am a nurse.”
“Twenty years ago, I passed up my opportunity to attend nursing school. I have carried that regret for 18 years,” Bodner said. “A few years ago, a magnet showed up on my fridge with the quote, ‘It’s never too late to be what you could have been.’ That is when it clicked for me that this is the right time to follow my calling. I always felt I was meant to be a nurse, I knew Niagara College offered a great nursing program.”
Casey Bodner, Dean’s Award winner for the School of Nursing and Personal Support Worker Studies.
Bodner was one of more than 940 NC students from the School of Nursing and Personal Support Worker Studies and the School of Community Services to graduate during two virtual ceremonies Thursday. The online proceedings were viewed by nearly 3,000 people in 15 countries.
Many of the students receiving their diplomas not only completed their studies during a global pandemic, they were also catapulted to the front lines to provide care over the past 16 months, noted NC President Sean Kennedy.
That includes Personal Support Worker students who were hired by long-term care facilities while completing their placements and Early Childhood Education students who launched an innovative virtual preschool to keep young children learning and engaged, among others.
“There are countless examples of our students making a difference — from nursing to early childhood education, social service worker and beyond,” Kennedy said. “Our graduates have very important contributions to make in their fields and in their communities.”
Student success in the spotlight
In addition to fulfilling a longtime goal, Bodner was one of two students announced as recipients of dean’s academic awards for having the highest graduating grade point average (GPA) in their school.
Bodner, who obtained a graduating GPA of 92%, received the Dean’s Award from the School of Nursing and Personal Support Worker Studies.
Anica Haberstock, Dean’s Award winner for the School of Community Studies.
Anica Haberstock, who graduated from the Educational Assistant – Special Needs Support program, received the award from School of Community Services. Her graduating GPA was 97.7%.
Haberstock came to Niagara College from Nelson, BC, to play for the women’s varsity volleyball team but discovered the educational opportunities were as great at NC as those in athletics.
“Once I experienced education here, I really, really loved it,” Haberstock said. “I knew I needed to stay for more than just one year. After completing my (General Arts and Science) certificate, I chose to enter the (Educational Assistant – Special Needs Support) program as I knew that no matter what I pursued in the future, this program would be a great stepping stone and would help me develop a variety of crucial lifelong skills.”
Niagara College’s June Virtual Convocation ceremonies, which kicked off on June 21, will continue twice a day – at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. – up to and including June 25 and will see nearly 4,000 students graduate. The ceremonies include an address and performance by guest speaker Sarah Blackwood, the Canadian singer, songwriter and musician from the Juno-award-winning band, Walk Off the Earth.
Visit the College’s Virtual Convocation site to view the schedule or to access the livestream ceremonies niagaracollege.ca/virtualconvocation/.
Convocation 2021 media releases:
June 14: Walk Off the Earth’s Sarah Blackwood to address Niagara College’s Class of 2021
June 18: Success a team effort for NC’s top grad
June 21: ‘Welcome to the rest of life’ Musician Sarah Blackwood offers inspiring wake-up call to Class of 2021
June 22: Niagara College reached 100,000 graduate milestone during convocation ceremony
June 23: Third day of Niagara College convocation shines spotlight on Media, Trades and Technology Studies
