Grads celebrate

Page 15

There was a sense of accomplishment in the air as family members and friends sat down to a dinner and entertainment on Sept. 27 at the Montana Band Recreation Centre in Hobbema. They were gathered to celebrate the graduation of more than 140 students from Maskwachees Cultural College.

The fifteenth annual graduation ceremonies saw diplomas and certificates presented in a number of study categories, including Early Childhood Development, Cree Language Instructor Training, Teaching Assistant Level One, and Social Work.

Local cultural dancers from the four First Nations communities at Hobbema kept in perfect time with a local drum group performing. A round dance followed the dinner and graduation.

Graduation co-ordinator Kolletta Saddleback was kept busy during the four-hour ceremony and said the round dance was well attended, though it didn't start until 2:30 a.m., with a lot of singers and visitors from different bands and reserves in the area taking part.

"We had a lot of support from four of the first Nations communities in our area, and also from northern and southern Alberta as well. The ceremony was awesome. We had a really good turnout. It was all worth it, all the planning and everything that went into it. There were a lot of us that helped out and the staff from the college continuously helped. We just had a wonderful time and we are hoping that next year that it would be even that much better."

Saddleback said that since opening its doors in 1974, the college has graduated more and more students each year. The courses at the college are popular, and the school has expanded its reach.

"As the years went on, what happened was people in Saddle Lake at the Blue Quills First Nations College were interested, so we sent our instructors, our teachers and our professors to the college there to teach our courses. Now we have some students who attend our program in social work at the Norquest College in Edmonton. We call it our Edmonton site," she said.

Saddleback believes the college, which is located on the Samson reserve, is popular because of the cultural component it offers. The college relies on the two resident Elders for advice and cultural ceremonies.

"Our Elders' doors are always open to the students... You cannot call it a cultural college if you do not have the Elders a part of this school. They are always helpful to us," she said.

The college is attended by students as young as 17 years of age and as mature as the age of 60.

"They could get their high school courses here or get their GED and then go on to post-secondary education programs, like social work or early childhood development," Saddleback said.

Kolletta Saddleback said the college encourages students to further their education at a university after college.

Saddleback, who works at the college full-time in administration, is also a past recipient of the alumni Eagle Feather award. She received the award in 2001 for continuing her education beyond college.

Saddleback is 29 years old and a graduate of the University of Alberta with a bachelor of arts degree in Native American studies. She said that as soon as she graduated from Ponoka Composite high school, she enrolled at the college and attended there for one year until she transferred to a university in Santa Fe, New Mexico where she attended school for another year. She also spent a year at the University of Oklahoma before graduating from the University of Alberta.

This year, eight people were honored with an Eagle Feather award.

"We like to motivate the students. We are saying that we are happy for them by giving them this honor, that we are thankful that they came to [the college] to take a few courses with us and then move on.

During the evening's graduation celebrations, scholarships and bursary awards were given out to a number of students.

"These scholarships are also an incentive for the students so that other Aboriginal future graduates can see the potential ofobtaining an education. They might say 'Hey, I want to do that. Hey, I did not know that there was a scholarship like that. I will apply for that next year'."

For 48-year-old Doreen Pruden-Logan, who graduated with honors from the social work program, going back to school after years of raising a family was a challenge, she said.

"It seemed like I had to learn all over again, because of the new curriculum in school, but I just kept on. The other challenge that I had to balance was being a mother and having to also concentrate on my studies. I'm glad that I overcame those obstacles to graduate today," she said.

Pruden-Logan said that she is looking forward to finishing her degree in social work at the University of Alberta.

"What I would like to do when I complete my studies is work in an Aboriginal community where I can help the community work together and to try to change some social policies so that they can empower themselves, as in self-esteem. This idea came from living in a community and about my life experiences, even here in Edmonton. If we, as in all the Aboriginal people graduating and being educated, can help each other, then we can make a change in society, a positive change," she said.

"The benefits of going back to school was meeting a lot of people, positive people. I would encourage adults or anybody who has an opportunity to go back to school to do it. There should not have to be an age barrier. Anybody can succeed if they want to get a good job. I also encourage the youth to further their education, so that they can be our community leaders tomorrow," she said.