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Representatives of the Splatsin Band and Okanagan College recently came together to honour and celebrate the success of two of their students with a special graduation event. 

Two years ago, Alicia Dominick and Tina William began upgrading their education with the Adult Academic and Career Preparation (also known as Adult Upgrading) program at Okanagan College in Salmon Arm. They continued their educational journey with the Early Childhood Educator Certificate and Early Childhood Educator Infant Toddler Specialty training. And as they celebrate their accomplishments in the classroom, both Dominick and William will be putting their training into practice as they begin work with the daycare at Splatsin called the Splatsin Tsm7aksaltn Society.
 
The special recognition event on Monday, June 29 was attended by Kukpi7 Wayne M. Christian, Tkwamipla7 Doug Thomas, Tkwamipla7 George William of the Splatsin and Gloria Morgan, Chair of the Okanagan College Board of Governors. The event was organized by Darrell Jones, the Education Director at the Splatsin Band and assistant Nerissa Joseph. 
 
“On behalf of everyone at Okanagan College in Salmon Arm, I want to extend my congratulations and admiration to all the students who completed programs this semester. As Kukpi7 Christian noted, we are all inspired by your resilience and the way in which you, and your instructors, rose to the challenge and worked hard to finish your programs. In particular, I would like to thank our Indigenous partners and the community organizations who have worked so hard to help us bring this educational opportunity to the region – it would not have happened without your support and persistence,” said Joan Ragsdale, Regional Dean for Shuswap-Revelstoke.  

Contract funding for the certificate was provided by Indigenous Community Based Partnership Funding, whose partners included Splatsin, Neskonlith, Little Shuswap, Adams Lake bands and the Metis. The funding for the Early Childhood Educator Infant Toddler Specialty training was provided by Community Workforce Grant, in partnership with Shuswap Children’s Association.

“The ECE program faculty was very pleased to have a role in this project,” said Pam Wetterstrand, Chair of the Early Childhood Education program at the College. “When we first met the students, we were so impressed with their innate drive to not only transform their own lives but also the lives of the children they would work with in the local daycares and preschools. The instructors and the students worked hard together to achieve the learning they knew was important. Along the way, the ECE program also benefited greatly and learned many lessons from the students that will inform our future projects. We wish all the graduates all the best as they pursue their future careers.”

More information about the College’s ECE program is available here.