2024 Indigenous Pre-Convocation Celebration for Brockville and Cornwall

Submitted by Shirley Chaisson, Indigenous Student Advisor, Cornwall/Brockville and Shannon Hall, Educational Developer/Curriculum Consultant of Indigenous Ways of Knowing & Being

Indigenous Services was thrilled to host our second pre-convocation celebration to Honor the remarkable achievements of our Graduating Class of 2024. Evening celebrations began with a wonderful and personal Land Acknowledgment from our Cornwall Campus Dean, Jennifer Haley, followed by some encouraging words and future insights to our newest SLC Alumni from Shelley Aylesworth-Spink, VP of Student Affairs.

Our keynote speaker was Taylor Smoke, Student Support Officer at Iohahi:io. Motivating words, future direction and gentle guidance was the foundation of Taylor’s speech. Excellent food and fantastic conversations led to the finale of the night…our Blanket Ceremony.

Each student was ‘gifted a blanket’ and were ceremonially wrapped in it by Amanda Cook and Taylor Smoke, the Post-Secondary Coordinator & Student Support Officer for Iohahi:io, respectively.

Bestowing a blanket to mark big achievements is a cultural practice shared among many different Indigenous Communities. Historically, it was common to use blankets in trade, give as gifts, offer to record community history and for some blankets hold deep meaning & traditions linked to birth, life & death. Blankets were and continue to be elemental in ceremonial practices for Indigenous peoples and are integral to ceremonial celebrations such as weddings, naming, coming of age and puberty rights to name a few.

As our Indigenous spirits re-emerge with the promise of sustaining our culture, languages, systems and identity, it is with utmost compassion and sincere honor that we recognize the indomitable spirit and resilience of our Indigenous students who have overcome unique challenges and barriers on their educational journey. With deep admiration, we extend our heartfelt congratulations to these exceptional individuals, paying tribute to their rich cultural heritage and invaluable contributions to our academic community.

St. Lawrence College acknowledges and gives thanks to the Indigenous communities for trusting and allowing us to be a part of their journey and we honor the relationship by bundling each student in a blanket and safely returning them to their families and community(s).

“Congratulations 2024 Graduates! You did it! Begin each day believing in yourself and watch the magic happen!”