Order of Recognition for Graduates
Centre for Justice and Human Services
School of Human Services
Early Childhood Education – Internship certificate
Early Childhood Education certificate
Early Childhood Education diploma
Educational Assistant certificate
School of Justice Studies
Criminal Justice – Corrections diploma
Criminal Justice – Policing diploma
Bachelor of Criminal Justice
Centre for Trades and Technologies
Crooks School of Transportation
Automotive Service Technician apprenticeship
Heavy Equipment Technician apprenticeship
Parts Technician apprenticeship
School of Construction Trades
Pre-Carpenter certificate
Carpenter apprenticeship
Pre-Electrician certificate
Electrician apprenticeship
Pre-Pipe Trades certificate
Plumber apprenticeship
Pre-Powerline Technician certificate
Pre-Welder certificate
Welder apprenticeship
School of Culinary Arts
Baker apprenticeship
Cook apprenticeship
School of Media and Information Technologies
Computer Information Technology diploma
Digital Communications and Media diploma
Multimedia Production diploma
School of Spatial Design Technologies
Interior Design Technology diploma
Virtual and Augmented Reality certificate
Centre for Health and Wellness
School of Allied Health
Health Care Aide – Government of Alberta certificate
Therapeutic Recreation – Gerontology diploma
School of Health Sciences
Practical Nurse Refresher certificate
Practical Nurse diploma
Centre for Business, Arts and Sciences
School of Academic Upgrading
Academic Upgrading Certificate of Achievement
School of Agriculture
Agriculture Sciences – Animal Science diploma
Commercial Greenhouse Technician certificate
School of Business
Business Administration – Management diploma
General Arts and Science – English diploma
General Arts and Science – Health Sciences certificate
General Arts and Science diploma
General Arts and Science – Psychology and Sociology diploma
Graduates’ Academic Regalia
Stoles
The colour of the stole signifies the academic area where students in certificate and diploma programs studied.
Aztec gold ..................................... Centre for Business, Arts and Sciences
Purple ............................................ Centre for Justice and Human Services
Spruce green ................................. Centre for Trades and Technologies
White ............................................. Centre for Health and Wellness
Buffalo Stole
In past years, Lethbridge Polytechnic presented Indigenous graduates with a traditional eagle feather to honour their academic achievement. In wanting to do our part to conserve the eagle population, we will now commemorate the accomplishment of our Indigenous graduates by presenting them with a Buffalo Stole.
The design of the stole was inspired by a polytechnic illustration created in 2017 to mark Orange Shirt Day, a day that honours the survivors of residential schools in Canada. The design highlights Chief Mountain, an unmistakable and important landmark in traditional Blackfoot territory. It also highlights the buffalo, which historically provided for the Blackfoot people’s sustenance and basic needs. Post-secondary education is often referred to as “the new buffalo.”
Hoods
Students who have earned baccalaureate degrees wear hoods of different colours that signify the academic areas they are graduating from.
Dark green .......................................................... Conservation Enforcement
Purple .................................................................. Justice Studies
Gold-trimmed ...................................................... Ecosystem Management
Maize ................................................................... Agriculture Sciences
Cords
Gold Cord
Honours with Great Distinction Academic excellence at Lethbridge Polytechnic is celebrated each term when students are named to the President’s List. To qualify, students must achieve an academic standing of Honours with Great Distinction, reflecting a cumulative program GPA of 4.0. The college awards this gold cord to students to recognize and commemorate their academic achievement.
Silver Cord
Honours with Distinction Academic excellence at Lethbridge Polytechnic is celebrated each term when students are named to the Dean’s List. To qualify, students must achieve an academic standing of Honours with Distinction, reflecting a cumulative program GPA of 3.75 to 3.99. The college awards this silver cord to students to recognize and commemorate their academic achievement.
Congratulations to Our Fall 2025 Valedictorian
Mary Lou Masculino
Computer Information Technology
Originally from Victorias City, Philippines, Mary Lou Masculino arrived in Lethbridge in July 2023 as an international student.
She says she was surprised and deeply honoured to learn she had been selected to represent the fall graduating class as valedictorian.
“It felt surreal,” says Masculino. “When I met with Registrar Marko Hilgersom, and he explained everything to me, I was slowly processing the news. At the back of my mind, I kept asking myself if I was understanding the situation correctly. It was such an unexpected and amazing honour.”
Masculino says the decision to return to school was guided by a desire to build stronger foundational skills, something she considers essential to becoming an effective auditor in the future.
Masculino is currently working as a research assistant in the University of Lethbridge’s Department of Neuroscience, and she has plans to return to the IT audit and compliance field. She is also considering pursuing additional industry certifications to strengthen her qualifications.
Congratulations, Mary Lou
The valedictorian represents the graduating class, and the honour is based on a combination of academic achievement and service to the polytechnic, fellow students and the community.
Alessandra Chan
Practical Nurse, Governor General’s Academic Medal recipient
Alessandra Chan moved to Lethbridge to pursue a career in healthcare and study to become a practical nurse. Chan has been deeply involved in campus life during her time at the polytechnic, leading the student crew at the Simulation Hub where she found a passion for teaching and simulation-based learning, volunteering as a peer tutor and serving as president of the Nursing Students Club. She also worked as a student research assistant in the polytechnic’s Microbial Research Laboratory exploring the antibacterial properties of local plants. Following graduation, Chan will be working at Red Deer Regional Hospital where she looks forward to continuing her commitment to patient-centred care. She has also set her sights on medical school to further her impact in health care and education.
Ceremonial Mace
Lethbridge Polytechnic was pleased to incorporate a ceremonial mace for the first time at the 2019 Convocation. In the academic world, the mace symbolizes the internal authority of president and board of governors. At Convocation, it is carried by Chief Marshal and Registrar Marko Hilgersom.
Employees from across campus collaborated on the design and creation of this mace. Jeremy Lauzon, Jonathan Legg and Leon Wensmann oversaw the planning, design, fabrication and installation; Tyler Wall assisted with design and provided 3D renderings; Marcia Black Water and Peter Weasel Moccasin offered input on the Indigenous design; and Kiri Stolz created the graphic design.
The team deliberately selected materials for the mace and its stand that were local, elemental and strong. The steel represents industry and the trades and technologies programs. The stone represents students, the land, the polytechnic’s Blackfoot name Ohkotoki’aahkkoiyiiniimaan or “Stone Pipe,” and polytechnic colours. The wood represents education and the transformative experience it provides. The natural colours represent the local landscape.
The mace incorporates the lines and shapes of the land with gentle curves and flowing lines; the polytechnic’s Blackfoot name in words, images and materials; symbols unique to the institution such as its crest, motto and date of incorporation; and rings that represent the past, present and future of the polytechnic.
Dr. Brad Donaldson
Dr. Brad Donaldson would like to congratulate the Class of 2025 for achieving this important academic milestone, and he looks forward to seeing the many great things they will accomplish in the next steps of their journeys.
During the Middle Ages, scholars at the earliest English and European post-secondary institutions wore wool or fur garments to stay warm in the drafty, stone buildings that were poorly heated. Presidential regalia for Canadian post-secondary institutions generally follow the tradition inherited from ancient institutions of higher learning in the United Kingdom.
While PhDs have worn black mortarboards historically (some say the tradition represents the scholar’s destiny as a builder on the foundation of knowledge), more recently soft, black velvet tams have become popular. The gold metallic tassel is reserved for those entitled to wear the doctoral gown. Each institution specifies its own patterns and colours for the gown, hood and cap for its presidential regalia. The colours in Dr. Donaldson’s presidential regalia represent the blue of the prairie sky and the green of Lethbridge’s coulees.
The hood generally communicates the wearer’s school, degree and field of study. The overall size and shape of the hood represents the type of degree, with the narrow end getting progressively longer with the higher-ranking degrees. The President’s Medallion, which carries the college crest and is a symbol of rich tradition at Lethbridge Polytechnic, symbolizes the responsibility in the Office of the President. Dr. Donaldson’s presidential robe is the most elaborate of academic gowns. It has a full sleeve with a velvet facing on the front and at the neck, and four velvet bars (chevrons) on each sleeve. Three of the bars indicate his doctoral designation, and the fourth is a distinction only allowed to polytechnic and university presidents.
Ohkotoki’aahkkoiyiiniimaan – “Stone Pipe”
Evoking the image of strength and celebrating promises made with honesty and integrity, Kainai Kaahsinnoonik (Grandparent) Peter Weasel Moccasin gave Lethbridge College the Blackfoot name Ohkotoki’aahkkoiyiiniimaan, which means Stone Pipe, in the fall of 2017.
Pipes are used in sacred ceremonies of the Blackfoot people to make an offering to Iihtsipaatapi’op, the Source of Life. The pipe kept and keeps the Blackfoot people at peace. The offering of a pipe is a promise or a peace bond made with the honesty and integrity needed to fulfill the commitment. During the offering of the pipe, everyone involved must uphold and carry out the promises made. It is not certain where or how the first pipe of the Blackfoot people came to be. Oral stories refer to a dream in which direction was given of which materials to use and where to find them. One of the places the stone used in the pipe is found is near the land where Lethbridge Polytechnic sits, within the coulees and along the river bottoms that flow into the Old Man and Bow rivers. In this coulee, a chunk of the ground would be dug up and then broken up on a nearby hard rock to get to the raw stone material within. Once the raw stone was revealed, it would be shaped to a likened form without any cracks.
Next, the stone would be baked and painted with crushed red willow. The pipe stem would be made from ashwood, which is found in Crow territory and is similar to a chokecherry branch. In a process that requires patience, these two raw materials were then shaped into one. The stone starts out rough and becomes refined. The pipe stem must be made straight and unbreakable, for when formed correctly, it represents a straight path – a good path. Once dry, it is unbreakable. These two pieces together form the pipe, which is a connection to Iihtsipaatapi’op, and a promise that keeps us together.
Honouring Blackfoot Territory
Ohkotoki’aahkkoiyiiniimaan Honour Song
Since 2017, Lethbridge Polytechnic celebrations have been enhanced by the performance of the Ohkotoki’aahkkoiyiiniimaan Honour Song – a gift to the college from Blackfoot singers and drummers Troy and Julius Delaney.
Lethbridge Polytechnic is committed to recognizing the Blackfoot and other Indigenous peoples who are an integral part of our community. The significance of the Honour Song is one of reciprocity – the polytechnic’s employees and students honouring the success of all its students with a traditional song from Blackfoot territory, the place they have chosen to meet their educational goals.
Winter Count Robe
Lethbridge Polytechnic’s traditional Buffalo Winter Count Robe was unveiled in September 2023 as part of events surrounding the National
Day for Truth and Reconciliation. A Winter Count is a pictorial calendar or history painted on a buffalo hide that carries the story of a community. The college’s story thus far was painted by Kainai Knowledge Keeper and artist William Singer III (Api’soomaahka/Running Coyote). The robe is a sign of the polytechnic’s ongoing work to understand and honour traditional cultures and ways of knowing, and it is displayed on campus for students, employees and visitors to learn from.