Annette Kampert, a Business Administration – Accounting student and active volunteer on campus and in the community, has been named valedictorian for Lethbridge College’s Spring 2024 Convocation. She will lead the procession of graduates and speak at both ceremonies planned for May 24 in the Val Matteotti Gymnasium.
“Annette is an awesome student in every sense,” says James Reimer, chair of the college’s School of Business. “She has consistently, in all of her courses, scored as one of the top students in the program and will leave as a tremendous ambassador for the college as well as being exemplary in all she does.”
In addition to excelling in the classroom, where she earned a perfect 4.0 grade point average, Kampert is an active volunteer on campus, including speaking to new business students at New Student Orientation, being a student representative at the Business Program Advisory meetings and serving on the Business Grad Dinner committee. She was raised on a family farm east of Coaldale and graduated from Calvin Christian School, and she has also been active in the community, including volunteering at the Lethbridge Soup Kitchen, at the Sunny South Lodge in Coaldale and at her church.
“Annette is also an excellent classmate,” Reimer adds. “We often see Annette working in the IB Commons with other students. What sets her apart is not only is she concerned with her own grades, but also the grades of others. I can attribute several students doing better thanks to Annette’s help. One could argue which is more important? Achieving high grades for oneself or helping those around us do better? Many students achieve one but not the other. Annette has ultimately found a way to do both!”
Kampert says she chose Lethbridge College because she wanted a two-year program and it was close to home. She remembers being extremely nervous the first day, but after the first few weeks, she felt comfortable and knew she had made a good choice. “Lethbridge is definitely bigger than a small town, but the college has a really big community feeling to it,” she says. “I never really felt out of place at the college. There’s a sense of belonging.”
To current and future students, she has simple advice. “Embrace the experience,” she says. “This might be a once-in-a-lifetime thing. Try new things and enjoy the experience – your classmates, your instructors - enjoy everything.”
Kampert says she is considering continuing her education and going for a four-year degree one day and potentially the Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) designation. But for now, she is happy working at Mulder Plumbing and Heating in Coalhurst – one of two job offers she received at the end of her first year and where she has been working part-time during her second year.
“Putting the theory into practice, which we emphasize in the Business program, has become a reality already for Annette,” says Reimer, adding that “Annette is a great representation of all students at Lethbridge College who achieve high scores. Her attitude, positivity, work ethic and overall kindness and friendliness have set her apart.”
This year’s Spring Convocation ceremonies will be held at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Friday, May 24, in the Val Matteotti Gymnasium. For more information, go to lethpolytech.ca/convocation.