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THEBACHA/FORT SMITH - Genevieve Cote said she was surprised by the turnout at the Aurora College convocation ceremony in Fort Smith April 25.

Cote, who graduated with a diploma from the college's two-year natural resources technology program (NRTP), said she was floored by the overwhelming support she and her fellow students received.

"All their families were there. It was such a big gathering. Everybody was so proud of the achievements of everyone in the community," she said. "For me it was like a cultural experience. I was very pleased to see this and I thought it was very awesome."

Jeff O'Keefe, Thebacha campus director, estimated nearly 400 people packed into the Fort Smith Recreation Centre to celebrate the hard work and sacrifices made by the college's 38 graduates.

"A lot of people come in from out of town," he said, adding a large number of Fort Smith residents showed up for the ceremony, too. "It's always amazing to see how many students have made connections in Fort Smith."

O'Keefe said students graduated from a number of different programs, including a four-year Bachelor of Education degree program, in partnership with the University of Saskatchewan and the Indian Teacher Education Program.

Students also graduated with diplomas in management studies, a recreation leaders program, and with certificates in office administration, management studies, early childhood development, a personal support worker program and in adult education.

Western Arctic MP Dennis Bevington, Fort Smith Mayor Peter Martselos and Thebacha MLA Michael Miltenberger listened to Shermayn Menicoche-Moses address the gathering as this year's valedictorian.

Menicoche-Moses, from Fort Simpson, graduated from the management studies diploma program.

Cote, a resident of Fort Smith who is originally from Quebec, said the flowing of pride was very different from her experiences in her home province, where convocation ceremonies are treated as a formality in the education process.

"It's like, 'fine, you finished. When are you going to get a job?" she laughed.

"I can see here how people are excited about people studying and pushing further their education and how the whole community is proud to celebrate this."

Cote said she took the natural resources program to further her field knowledge in environment and biology.

She invested two years of her life, spending five days a week from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the program, and said it was more than worthwhile.

"We were lucky to have a lot of field work," she said, adding the class went on a two-week long caribou hunt in February and spent about a month-and-a-half in total camping at a lake in the area.

She said many of her classmates were hoping to use the program as an entry point for employment with the government or diamond mines. She said a couple students were looking to build on the program and pursue further education at the University of Lethbridge.

Cote said she not only learned a great deal from her courses, but also from her Northern classmates.

"The experience shared amongst the students was really great," she said.