Georgian College began holding its convocation ceremonies on Monday morning as the local school celebrates reaching the 100,000 alumni member mark with this year’s crop of graduates.
The four graduation ceremonies are being held at Sadlon Arena in Barrie, which continue Monday afternoon and into Tuesday.
Edan McFadden, 23, of Orillia, is a newly minted graduate of the communicative disorders assistant program. She shared her thoughts after the first event of the day.
“It was exciting to be done and moving on,” she said. “I’m now working at a hospital in Orillia and at a private clinic in Bracebridge.”
McFadden says there was a good sense of community at the school and a lot of help from the instructors.
“It was a small program and tight-knit, which was nice,” she added.
Her mother, Debbie Tytus, was over the moon after the ceremony.
“I’m very proud of her — another diploma. I think she has a very exciting career ahead of her," Tytus said.
McFadden’s father, Fred, also piped in.
“It is amazing to see the future right before us, all the graduates, we are so proud of our daughter,” he said. “She’s had an incredible journey and she’s going to make an impact on the world.”
Ashkan Janalzabeh, 33, of Newmarket, said he was happy with his time at the college and has already taken his next steps.
“I've got a job in my own field (speech therapy) and moved into a new place in Newmarket,” he says. “Things are moving up."