Lethbridge College is ready to celebrate its fall 2023 graduates on Saturday, Oct. 14.
More than 500 students are receiving degrees, diplomas, certificates and apprenticeship credentials from the college this month and approximately 180 of them are expected to cross the stage this weekend.
“Convocation is the time we get to recognize the accomplishments of our graduates and acknowledge the hard work of our faculty and staff,” says Marko Hilgersom, Registrar. “It is an honour to read out the name of each student and to see them have their moment in the spotlight, celebrated by their friends and family.”
A highlight of the ceremony will be the recognition of the fall valedictorian, Rachel Gelowitz (she/they), who is graduating from the Digital Communications and Media program with plans to start a career in graphic design. Gelowitz, who earned a perfect 4.0 grade point average, says she is honoured to have been chosen to represent the graduating class. They will lead the procession of graduates and speak at the convocation ceremony.
Featured graduate Raphael Aubut will receive his certificate in Virtual and Augmented Reality (VR/AR). He says he moved from Québec to Lethbridge specifically for the college’s one-year VR/AR program. Aubut also served as a team captain with the Kodiaks esports team and won the Pillar Award for esports in April 2023. He is now an intern research assistant in the college’s Spatial Technologies Applied Research and Training (START) Centre. Aubut received a bachelor’s degree in human resource management from the Université du Québec à Chicoutimi in 2022.
The college’s new traditional Buffalo Winter Count Robe will also be on display at convocation for the first time. The pictorial history of the college, painted on a buffalo hide, was unveiled during September’s Truth and Reconciliation Week events.
The Fall Convocation ceremony begins at 10 a.m. Saturday in the Val Matteotti Gymnasium. It will also be livestreamed at lethpolytech.ca/convocation.