Yesterday, Columbia International College celebrated December’s graduating during the 2014 December graduation ceremony. Joined by staff, teachers, parents and friends, teachers, students, Ainsliewood Gym to attend the 90 minute ceremony.
Keynote Address
Ms. Kim Meade, Vice-Provost and Associate Vice-President (Student Services), Brock University® delivered an inspiriting keynote address. She gave a number of important tips for succeeding in their academic and personal lives; “express appreciation to those who have helped you,”; “tap into your potential and passion,”; and “mistakes and failures are essential to learning.” Her last piece of advice was to “live a life that matters” and borrowed the words from Michael Josephson’s “What Will Matter” poem.
Valedictory Address and Vote of Thanks
Ubani Chiamaka Hilary was overwhelmingly chosen by his peers -with 95% of the vote-to represent the 2014 December graduating class as Valedictorian. He began his speech with the normal and usual formalities like reflecting on the time spent at Columbia and recapping some of the fun and exciting events. However, it was the latter part of his speech that excited his peers and captivated the attention of those in the audience. Ubani made history when he rapped the final part of his speech, focusing his message on fulfilling dreams and living life to the fullest.
Vote of Thanks was eloquently delivered by Zhang YanZi (June) who expressed her gratitude for being chosen to speak on behalf of the class. She thanked everyone from teachers and support staff, to campus safety and the medical clinic for playing vital roles in ensuring student success. She also stated how thankful she was for meeting people from around the world and making lifelong friends.
University Representatives
Columbia was grateful to welcome university representatives from across Ontario who served as the ceremony’s guests of honour and presented certificates to the graduates. Included were:
• Mr. Ni Jadon, Ms. May Zhai – McMaster University®
• Mr. Marc-André Gougeon – University of Ottawa
• Ms. Alisha Koumphol – Ryerson University
• Mr. Dan Vassiliou – University of Ontario® Institute of Technology
• Ms. Jenny Hickman – University of Toronto, Scarborough
• Dr. Serge D’Alessio – University of Waterloo®
• Ms. Betty Chang – Western University
• Ms. Lindsay Amyot – York University®
Special Presentation
Columbia’s Head of Campus Safety also attended the ceremony to presentHamilton Police Service Constable, Jon Van Oene, with a special memento thanking him for his exemplary service as our schools Police Liaison Officer. Constable Van Oene has worked closely with us and goes above and beyond to ensure that our students, and our school community, remain a safe one.
Photos and Video
For the second consecutive year, December’s graduation ceremony was streamed live on our YouTube channel. The full production of the ceremony will be available in the coming weeks.
Photos of the ceremony and reception can be found on our Facebook page.
A special thank you to UPO, Liaison, and Maintenance teams for their work in organizing and preparing for the event.
Thank you also to Sodexo for providing a wonderful reception and to Mr. Lawlis and the Vocal Music Ensemble for their musical contributions.