TISDALE — It was a day of celebration for 26 students at the Tisdale branch of Cumberland College as they graduated from their programs.
With 16 graduates, the adult basic education program was the largest contingent at the June 1 ceremony. Stephanie Wiebe, one of the graduates, said the adult basic education students had lots to balance as they aimed to graduate, which could include their relationships, lower incomes and long travel times to get to class.
“We’re here today because we did it and we did it together,” she said. “In supporting each other throughout this year, we’ve honestly had some great times in the classroom – and lots of food.
“We couldn’t have done it without our supporters. You stuck with us and worked with us in our moments of frustration,” she said.
“Thank you for standing by us this year and encouraging us, even if that encouragement sometime was just telling us to get over it and do our work.”
Charity Whitehead spoke on behalf of the six office administration graduates. She said she came back to school to get a better grasp on computer usage, but learned about grammar, interpersonal skills, filing, accounting along the way.
“I would also like to congratulate my classmates for a job well done. Their commitment and dedication was amazing. I’m happy to have been their friend and I wish them success in their future.”
Speaking for the four recreation and community development students was Sheldyn Moore. They will take their second year at Saskatchewan Polytechnic in Saskatoon. He said they got through the program by working together.
“We had a saying: if we go down, we all go down together because you would help each other with anything we were struggling with, share our thoughts and work through the process.”
Corinna Stevenson, the college’s board chair, wrote in a letter that graduation season was a favourite time of year for her.
“It is a time where we are inspired by and dream with each and every graduate as they embark on a new journey to use their talents, gifts and passion to create and bring meaningful change within our communities and the world around us.”
The Melfort campus of Cumberland College saw 63 graduate May 28, while the Nipawin campus saw 60 graduate May 30.
