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UBCO grads excited to celebrate together, face-to-face

Looking to fill the need in high-demand job market

More than 2,400 graduates packed inside the University of British Columbia Okanagan (UBCO) gymnasium to celebrate an in-person commencement ceremony for the first time since 2019.

The class of 2022 is the campus’ largest in history.

Nicole Jules, who graduated with a Bachelor of Science in human kinetics, was thankful she was able to share the moment with her loved ones.

“I’m just thankful to be able to celebrate this big milestone we‘ve worked hard to get to,” she said. “I know the last few years, the previous graduates never felt like they were finished. So, its nice to have this big celebration.”

Jules is still weighing options for a future career in her field of study, but had some words of advice for others graduating around the Okanagan who are in the same boat.

“You don’t have to know what your passion is right now; it honestly doesn’t matter. If you keep pushing forward, keep striving for those new adventures and trying new things, it doesn’t have to align with your perfect job or your perfect version of life,” she said.

Faith Steele, who graduated from the same program, already has an offer as a paediatric kinesiologist in Kelowna. She said it’s exciting to see many of her fellow graduates get careers right away, too.

“Everyone’s had such an amazing accomplishment. You’ve opened so many doors and the world is now yours. You can go and do whatever and you learned the most amazing skills to get you through,” she said.

After years of online classes, she admitted it was a bit strange to finally put a face to a name.

“It’s exciting but weird at the same time. You can’t fathom it,” Steele said. “You don’t know these people. You see their names on a Zoom call for the last three years and now you get to sit beside them and toss your hats. I can’t describe it.”

Ian Gee, who moved from Richmond, graduated with a nursing degree, and chose his field because of the immediate opportunities available after school.

“They always say, ‘you’re going to get a job regardless’, and there’s definitely a lot of openings right now,” he said. “It wasn’t too hard to job search, but it’s good you get secured in something you want to do.”

UBCO Principal and Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Dr. Lesley Cormack, credited the students for their efforts during the early stages of the pandemic and adapting to virtual learning.

“It’s that moment when all the things we did over the last two and four years makes sense,” she said of convocation. “The reason we work at a university is because we’re changing lives. And here is the celebration of that.”

Published 2022-06-10 by Connor Chan

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