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Aurora College honours grads
Yellowknife campus sees largest graduating classes to date

Miranda Scotland
Northern News Services
Published Tuesday, May 7, 2013

SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
A seemingly unending row of students draped in blue cloth parade into the room, the odd person stopping as an excited family member insists on getting a photograph.

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Marshirette Mauricio-Earle was among 84 students to graduate at Aurora College's convocation May 4 at the Explorer Hotel. From here Mauricio-Earle plans to move to Hay River and make use of her Bachelor of Science degree in nursing. - Miranda Scotland/NNSL photo

Once everyone is seated and the speeches are given they make their way onto the stage one-by-one to accept their diploma or certificate, officially marking the end of their time at Aurora College and a chance at a new beginning.

The college held its spring convocation Saturday in the Katimavik rooms at the Explorer Hotel. With 84 students participating, the ceremony featured the largest classes to graduate from the Yellowknife North Slave Campus to date.

Part of the reason for the increased numbers is the one-time addition of the Personal Support Worker program in Behchoko, explained college president Jane Arychuk.

"They are the expanding the elders home out in Behchoko and the Tlicho Community Services Agency and Tlicho government were very aware that they wanted their own people working in their own facility," she said. "So they came to us and said 'we want to make sure we train our people'."

Another reason for the increase, Arychuk continued, is the large number of students who came back to finish the nursing program after taking time off for various reasons, such as pregnancy.

Nonetheless, the class sizes were still smaller than what students would find in universities down south, she added.

Kari Williams, who graduated with a diploma in business administration, said the greatest challenge during her time at the college was trying to find a big enough space for learning and for everyone in the senior program to get together. A bigger classroom was needed, she added acknowledging that the college's increasing popularity is mainly to blame for the issue.

"Aurora College keeps growing daily," she said. "People want to stay in the north. There are opportunities and reasons for advancement here and family. Why would you go somewhere else if you can do the same thing here?"

For Williams the highlight of her program was fundraising to go to Harvard for a social entrepreneur conference and later to the University of Victoria for a leadership conference.

While at the events it became apparent to Williams that the program she was taking at Aurora College was comparable to programs at other schools.

"That was a very proud moment for a lot of us," she said.

Williams would like to pursue additional schooling at Aurora College but, she said, the courses she needs aren't offered. Instead, she plans to get her Bachelor of Commerce or Bachelor of Business Administration through online schooling.

"The only way I can stay here and finish my education is do it online. There is no other option for me here in Yellowknife and with Aurora College to be honest, which is sad because I would keep going to school here if I could."

Meanwhile, Marshirette Mauricio-Earle, who graduated with a Bachelor of Science in nursing, plans to uproot her life in Yellowknife and move to Hay River to start a job in her field. The Filipino native and mother of two said she doesn't care where she moves as long as it's in the North and she is apart of the profession she loves.

"The thing that I'm most excited about is just being able to care for people independently. I’m so happy. I think I’ve made the best decision," she said. "There is something about caring for people that it's very hard to explain. It's very fulfilling."

For Mauricio-Earle the best part of her four years at Aurora College was the time she spent helping do research on the topic of rural and northern response to intimate partner violence. And also the chance to assist in presenting the research at the circumpolar health conference in Alaska.

From the study, Mauricio-Earle said, she learned about the social injustices in the North, the cultures in the territory and the needs of women who are experiencing family violence. She also discovered one other very important lesson.

"If there is anything that I got from this research is that you don't judge. As a nurse I think I'm going to be caring for people not thinking of the bad things that are happening," Mauricio-Earle said. "Just caring for people without any judgments at all."

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