Ceremonies will continue on October 27
With drumming beats from the Strong Water Singers and inspiring words from the College president, Niagara College kicked off the first day of its largest Fall Convocation Ceremonies to date.
The first of three Fall 2023 Convocation ceremonies at the College, an afternoon ceremony on October 26 marked the graduation of almost 500 students from a variety of programs within its School of Nursing and Personal Support Worker, and School of Academic and Liberal Studies.
NC President Sean Kennedy addresses graduating students on October 26.
In an inspiring address from the convocation platform, NC President Sean Kennedy encouraged the graduating students to embrace their ‘inner five year old.’
“As I reflect on the state of the world today, global and human crises can feel overwhelming and, at times, hopeless. This is where your ‘inner five year old’ can help restore a sense of balance,” said Kennedy.
“Always strive for the highest of standards in all that you do. Make a difference in the lives of your family, your workplaces, our communities, and our world,” he said.
“Be responsible adults and citizens but, along the way, remember your early self, before the pressures of social norms and social media, before you felt the demands and stresses and messes of society and our interconnected world. May you always be guided by your inner five-year-old in embracing a world full of possibility, discovery, wonder and joy.”
Most of the day’s graduates are bound for in-demand health-care fields, with almost 350 graduating from programs within NC’s School of Nursing and Personal Support Worker alone including Gerontology, Palliative Care – Multidiscipline, Nursing Leadership and Health Care Management, and Community Mental Health Multidiscipline.
Due to a record number graduates this fall, NC expanded its Fall Convocation Ceremonies to be held over two days with three ceremonies in 2023 – its largest Fall Convocation to date.
The afternoon ceremony begins with drumming from the Strong Water Singers.
The October 26 ceremony began with drumming from the Strong Water Singers, an Indigenous collective of drummers from across the Niagara region – who will also set the tone for NC’s convocation ceremonies on October 27.
Fall Convocation will continue at NC on October 27 with ceremonies at 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. The morning ceremony will celebrate more than 530 graduating students from various programs within the School of Business and Management Studies; School of Environment and Horticulture; School of Hospitality and Tourism; School of Wine, Beer and Spirits; and School of Culinary Arts.
An afternoon ceremony will celebrate more than 560 new graduates from a wide variety of program areas within its School of Allied Health Studies – including NC’s first class of Massage Therapy graduates – School of Nursing and Personal Support Worker, School of Community Services, School of Justice and Fitness Studies, School of Trades, and School of Technology. The College will also confer an Honorary Degree in Applied Studies upon Indigenous education leader Rebecca Jamieson, President-CEO of Six Nations Polytechnic, during the afternoon ceremony.
The almost 1,600 NC students graduating at Fall Convocation this year will join an additional 4,500 from who graduated during five days of Spring Convocation Ceremonies in June to make up NC’s Class of 2023. They will also join NC’s alumni community of more than 120,000 – and growing!
NC’s Fall 2023 Convocation Ceremonies are held at NC’s Simplii Financial Athletic Centre (gymnasium) at the Welland Campus. Ceremonies may also be viewed via livestream or watched later via the convocation website at niagaracollege.ca/convocation.
For more information about NC’s Fall 2023 Fall Convocation Ceremonies – including a schedule and list of programs graduating within each School -visit the ‘Ceremony Schedule’ section of NC’s Convocation website.
Related release:
Oct. 23: Niagara College expands Fall Convocation with record number of October grads
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