On Tuesday, Dec. 1, Vancouver Community College (VCC) held its first online convocation ceremony to honour the hard work, resilience, creativity, and success of 2,600 students from both Spring and Fall 2020.
The virtual graduation ceremony began at 1:30 p.m. with a territorial acknowledgment from Elder Deanna George, followed by a musical performance from M’Girl. The event was conducted on Zoom and streamed on Facebook Live for friends and family of the graduands. Separate Zoom rooms were set up to recognize students from the different Schools.
Degrees, diplomas, and certificates were awarded to the following areas:
This ceremony also marked an important milestone for VCC as Ajay Patel was formally announced as the college’s president and CEO. Messages of congratulations from Melanie Mark, BC Minister for Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport, as well as Jenny Kwan, Member of Parliament, Vancouver East, followed.
As VCC’s Fall 2020 valedictorian, Medical Office Assistant graduate Charmaine Paragas addressed the Class of 2020 with words of wisdom, courage, and inspiration.
“Never let anyone dictate what you can and cannot do or achieve. Instead, I urge you to take those suggestions and turn it into the energy you need to set higher goals, to push yourselves further, and that will lead you to become the best version of yourself.”
Daniel Park, graduate from the Professional Cook program, was presented with the Lieutenant Governor’s Silver Award for his extensive work in multiple restaurants around the world. Cosmetology graduate Haruka Onishi was awarded with the Governor General’s Academic Medal for achieving the highest grade point average.
VCC Hairstyling and Design alumna Loni Yee, owner of The Collective Beauty Studio which donates ponytails for the charity initiative Wigs for Kids BC, addressed this year’s graduating class with the message:
"Many of you may have heard that 2020 is not a year to consider what you want, but to be appreciative of what you have. Please be kind, work hard, and success will come naturally."
Watch the Fall 2020 convocation video online.
Congratulations to our VCC grads! Learn about the perks and benefits you now receive as VCC alumni.
