School of Engineering Technologies ● Celebrations of Graduates ● Class of 2021
my spirit name is thunderbird turtlewoman and i'm Mi'kmaq from Elsipogtog first nation i want to congratulate all the graduates of nbcc for the remarkable job that you've done it's taken a lot of perseverance i know that it's been a tough year especially with covet but you've done it i know you had to stay home many times and do your work from home and but you've all done it and so i'm holding my eagle feather here and usually i would come in to do a an eagle feather blessing but to us the eagle the eagle flies highest to the creator there is no barrier between the eagle and the creator and so this is how i see all of you that you are got now going to soar you're going to fulfill your dreams whatever those dreams are you can do it you can put you can do whatever you put your mind to do and so uh now you have all those skills behind you you're going to put them to work and you've been waiting for this a long time your family's so happy for you i'm sure your friends are happy for you um the teachers everyone all the way around so um you deserve you deserve to have a congratulations on your graduation so i'm holding tobacco here i'm going to take this eagle feather put it down and i'm going to sing a song for you i'm going to sing the git busan and the gift was that people the eagle flies he reminds us as people to sit in a circle that there is no hierarchy that everyone has value within that circle and everyone has worth and so i want to sing this song and uh for your spirits all of you out there and again congratulations on the good work that you have done the hard work that you have accomplished someday some days you probably felt like not even getting up in the morning but you did it so the four beats on the drummer for the our ancestors the ones that went before so again i'm going to hold up my feather and give thanks in our way when something when our prayer is answered or when we achieve something it's so important to give thanks so on your behalf i will give thanks so i'm going to hold this feather and i'll say it but blessing for all of you and i want to say that means uh thank you in in my language i feel that thank you is the most important word in any language so i say to you walalin thank you merci and congratulations have a great year hello my students each you welcome i give thanks to all of your students for educating yourself for the well-being of our children the children have yet to come for them too when you get everything all ready for the future and i am so happy that you guys came through this you know for all the hard work that you did don't forget the work that you did is for you yourself it's for you first and then it's for your children and then it's for your family and then it's for your community after that and which is very very honorable you know i'm honored that you guys did so well you know uh for for this this uh i am doing it for my but my community it's the the uh yeah chill the so let's work for one another each and every one of us because we are all family we we be we came as a family when we were first born and we'll go out with a blast you know communicate with everybody and be kind to one another love one another and be careful wherever you go just be careful and have a good good the rest of your life teach you wiliwan n thank you very much tahoe as i stand here i'm very proud of all of you as you should be proud of yourself for moving forward i raised my hands to the creator grateful for life's hardships and successes no you were challenged for a better understanding of yourself and your limitations you succeeded thank you for your sacrifice being away from your families thank you on your journey always take your time to make wise decisions this is your life welcome also remember your teachings continue encourage conversation and teach each other each positive step to the future is self-care for you your families and your communities my aunt used to say you can feel sorry for yourself for five minutes a day and the rest of the time is to find solutions for your problems there is no more i can say but thank you for making an old lady grateful colleagues guests and most importantly learners what a great day to graduate from nbcc i could talk at length about the experiences of the past year and the public health restrictions that have prohibited us from doing things the way that we're used to but instead i'd like to talk about the future your future post-secondary education is hard and you could have decided not to bother with it instead you've all made tremendous sacrifices and worked hard giving up other things that are really important to you to come to nbcc and to finish your programs but with your sacrifice come some very rich rewards increased employment and earning potential with your graduation today you've greatly increased your employment prospects a study of 2019 graduates one year after graduation in the middle of the pandemic showed an employment rate of 91 percent there's more good news college-educated new brunswickers earn on average 35 percent more than those with an education level of high school only studies also show because you've completed your post-secondary education your families are more likely to do so too that's important particularly in a province where we have an estimated 120 000 job vacancies over the next seven years and the lowest post-secondary education attainment in the country we need more highly skilled and trained new brunswickers to help our province reach its potential so that's what's in it for you let's talk about why this is so important to each of us in the mbcc family at nbcc two things are really important to us one ensuring that learners receive the skills and training they need to be successful in their chosen career second to meet the labor market needs of the province ensuring our businesses have the skilled labor force they need to survive and thrive your hard work and dedication means we've been able to deliver on both of those promises you've not only made your dreams a reality but you've made our dreams come true also congratulations and best wishes it's been our absolute pleasure to be part of your journey congratulations class of 2021 i'm Laura O'Blenas a proud nbcc alum and recipient of the 2019 nbcc alumni award you are now part of the alumni family of more than 90 000 students 62 of the college graduates in the province are nbcc alumni it's extraordinary and you should be very proud as you pass this wonderful milestone in life you may be asking yourself what now what do i do next according to ancient chinese proverb the journey of a thousand miles begins with one step there are three things i want to leave you with today have a curious mind and continue to learn fall in love with what you do and remember that business is personal lesson one be open to continuous learning and it will open doors for you as you begin your career when i graduated from the nbcc business program i felt certain in what i wanted to do i started out working in marketing and promotions for a radio station in moncton then i worked in marketing and promotions for shopping centers i fell in love with the shopping center industry and i stayed there for 11 years but i evolved over that time shifting from marketing to leasing to corporate training to operations my former mentor and boss at the time said i was like a sponge always open to learning always open to change and to new opportunities sometimes i wasn't quite ready for the next challenge but i did it anyways and i stretched my skills each time having a curious mind is a key to your success and continued education is a critical component to supporting this lesson two fall in love with what you do when i left the shopping center industry and went on to run the knowledge park i did not know much about the knowledge industry i saw it as an opportunity to create an experience for knowledge workers much like we did in the shopping centers so i learned i took the initiative to go to a number of research and technology parks in canada the united states and europe i immersed myself in the culture i asked lots of questions to lots of people i studied and i researched i became involved in the international association and i absorbed as much as i could about the industry i fell in love with science and technology i became a co-founder and managing director of the canadian association of research parks and i ran that association for 10 years when you have passion and commitment and you love what you do you will succeed lesson number three business is personal we may sometimes think that the skills we learn in a classroom gives us what we need to find the right job or to set the right career path but our education in the classroom is only half of the recipe the other half is personal your attitude your ability to work with other people to build relationships with people to be a team player and to support mentors peers and subordinates is the other half of the equation in today's world of social media and online communication it is more important than ever to ensure that you invest time and energy in building relationships build your networks go to functions and get involved if i could choose one thing i am most grateful for about my education at nbcc it would be that it has taught me to earn my way it taught me to not be afraid to work hard or to ask for help when i needed it it taught me that i do not know everything about anything this foundation has provided me with a commitment to myself to do better and to reach farther than perhaps i imagined was even possible and so to you the class of 2021 have a curious mind and continue to learn fall in love with what you do and remember that business is personal in the words of dr seus congratulations today is your day you're off to great places you're off and away oh the places you'll go you'll be on your way up you'll be seeing great sights you'll join the fly hires who soar to high heights you won't lag behind because you'll have the speed you'll pass the whole gang and soon take the lead wherever you fly you'll be best of the best wherever you go you will top all the rest and will you succeed yes you will indeed 98 three-quarters percent guaranteed you're off to great places today is your day your mountain is waiting so get on your way thank you and congratulations hello everyone my name is taylor dalestein i'm happy to be speaking to you as the president of the nbcc provincial student union this year our legacy project was to create bursaries for students in need the student union has seen firsthand how some students struggle with food securities and basic necessities and we don't want any of our students worrying about where the next meal is going to be coming from by creating this fund our goal is to help students reach a happier and healthier student experience so they can focus on their studies we invite our family friends students and staff to participate in this opportunity to help make a difference in our students lives you can send your gift by e-transfer to our student union general manager linda.leger@nbcc.ca thank you for making a difference in our student's lives hi my name is dylan gallant vice president of communications for the monday campus congratulations class of 2021 you don't need me to tell you that the last year has been a crazy wild ride but you made it through it and i'm unbelievably proud of each and every one of you it's times like these that really show us what we're capable of we learn our true strengths we learn what resilience is and what really drives us to get out of bed in the morning one nbcc student really embodied all of this and truly showed what it means to be a part of the nbcc family without further ado let me introduce joe waddell from the st john power engineering program as our engineering technologies valedictorian congratulations jill and the rest of the class of 2021 and best of luck in your future endeavors engineering graduates of nbcc it is a tremendous privilege and honor to be here today to share a few words i would be remiss without first acknowledging how this particular year will go down as the year that truly tested us we have learned as graduates to overcome so much more than just our program requirements we learned how to dig deeper than we had ever imagined in order to adapt to the many changes of how our program was delivered to us while we faced an ever-evolving global pandemic many of us myself included focused on family and community in many roles of volunteerism i commend you for your generous spirit in a season of life where most my age wouldn't dream of going back to school i had a very intentional reason for why i made that choice i wanted a better opportunity for myself and family and i wanted to play a role in the bigger picture of success of our province i overcame obstacles many would have after two decades of being out of school but thanks to the patient and caring instructors and tutors at nbcc it all just became a faded memory notedly as a female headed into a male-dominated industry i would like to heartily commend all female engineering graduates as we descend on the workforce the adversity and frustrations we have faced as a graduating class of 2021 have formed us making us stronger like the stress and strain required to break down the fibers of our muscles to make them bigger and stronger the challenge of this year has done that very thing to our character at the very root of your whole being may there be a deep-seated hope that you my fellow graduates are able to see clearly the grit and perseverance which you have demonstrated it's there i promise a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step i am deeply honored to have taken that step with all of you congratulations again class of 2021 thank you thank you i'm so happy to be here to celebrate the class of 2021. on behalf of the nbcc board of governors congratulations to all of you and thank you to everyone who has contributed to this year's wonderful celebration i am also excited to honor the recipients of the governor general's medal this award recognizes excellence in academic achievement the governor general's academic medal was first awarded in 1873 by the earl of dufferin and has since become one of the most prestigious awards that a student in a Canadian educational institution can receive the governor-general of Canada continues this tradition of encouraging scholarship across the nation recognizing outstanding students the medal is presented to the graduating student with the highest grade point average at each of nbcc schools congratulations to the class of 2021 as the vice president academic and research i have the honor of announcing this year's excellent and student leadership award recipient this award is given to learners who have been made an exceptional contribution to nbcc and to the communities that we serve this year we have selected a learner from each of our six schools from the school of engineering technologies andrea alban civil engineering technology highway and municipal program andrea is a true leader both inside and outside of the classroom she's an exceptional learner who's always been willing to help her classmates in her free time andrea volunteers with habitat for humanity and teaches spanish classes organized by the culture hub a non-profit organization located in Moncton New Brunswick congratulations andrea please join me in congratulating our student excellence award winners in the spirit of formal graduation ceremonies graduates please stand president butler i'm pleased to report to you that the graduates assembled and named in the program successfully demonstrated the learning standards required to achieve an nbcc certificate or diploma they've been recommended by their respective instructors and academic departments by virtue of the authority vested in me by the nbcc board of governors i do hereby confer on you your respective diplomas and certificates with all the honors privileges and responsibilities pertaining thereto congratulations graduates graduates it's time to celebrate all that you've achieved during your time at nbcc open up those grad boxes take out your glass and fill it up but before we toast to your success the senior executive team has some thoughts to share with you on behalf of our mbcc family today is a big day for all of you but it isn't the end of your learning journey it's just the beginning in today's ever-evolving world of work lifelong learning will be your constant companion your dedication to learning is demonstrated by the achievement we're celebrating today and you will summon it through your career as you continue to learn and to grow now that you're part of the family the nbcc family we will always be there for you to support your career and your trajectory and your future skilling needs you are part of a new generation of learners with the advanced digital literacy that is so necessary in today's job market you are also the first cohort of nbcc graduates graduating from a province-wide class as opposed to the campus-based classes of history it's a different way of learning and it's prepared you to contribute in new and improved ways not only to your own career but to the province's social and economic well-being you should be proud of what you've accomplished you're creating more career choices for yourself and better opportunities for your family but your impact goes even beyond that you're joining more than 50 000 nbcc graduates who are transforming lives and communities across our province together we can make new brunswick an even better place to be as you begin this next chapter don't focus on what you don't know yet you will have the opportunity to increase your skills base through upskilling and reskilling opportunities throughout your career continuing to add value create new knowledge and processes and improve the world around you now it's time to raise our glasses for a toast on behalf of all of us at nbcc congratulations to the class of 2021 congratulations
2021-06-27 04:54
