By the end of the day, more than 1,700 Lambton College graduates will have crossed the stage at Progressive Auto Sales Arena, as part of the school's largest convocation ceremony in its history.
The 56th annual event included so many students that the school had to split the day into two ceremonies, at 10 a.m. and 3 p.m.
Lambton College President and CEO Rob Kardas said the venue was expected to be full with students and guests during both ceremonies.
"The convocation ceremony is the most important day on our calendar," Kardas said. "It's awesome to have so many students graduating, and that's a combination of international and domestic students."
Lambton College's 2023 morning convocation ceremony. June 7, 2023. (Photo by Natalia Vega)
In addition to celebrating student success, Kardas said it's a great day to acknowledge those who have supported the students.
This year's convocation speaker was Dr. Bill Boyes.
The Lambton College alumnus (pre-service firefighting education and training program) is currently the fire chief of Brampton Fire and Emergency Services and acting commissioner of Community Services for the City of Brampton.
Over the past few years, Boyes has been recognized for his leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic and for advancing Brampton Fire's Master Plan; which focused on enhancing diversity, equity, and inclusion. He was also named Fire Chief of the Year in 2021 by the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs.
"We're really excited for him to [address] our graduates and we're going to give him an honourary diploma in Fire Science," said Kardas.
Some students were also highlighted with prestigious awards.
Danielle Duncan (esthetician program) received the Governor General’s Academic Medal Award, Prabhjot Kaur (eLearning design & training development) received the Alumni Association Leadership Award, and Kumar Gaurav (applied manufacturing management – advanced materials processing) received the Board of Governor Award.
Graduating students are beginning to take their seats. This is the first of two convocation ceremonies @LambtonCollege is holding today at PASA. pic.twitter.com/wTyroLoCsV
— Natalia Vega (@NataliaV_News) June 7, 2023