On June 20th Youville Centre celebrated the remarkable achievement of 17 young mothers at the 2016 graduation ceremony.
Once again this year we were very fortunate to have the professional team from Versaille Academy who arrived early in the day eager and prepared to pamper the ladies and help them look and feel their very best.
We are grateful to the wonderful team of volunteers and staff who spent the morning making sure that the graduates and their gowns were ready to go!
The ladies enjoyed practicing their smiles and posing in their beautiful gowns behind our graduation selfie wall.
Just before the ceremony all the graduates were presented with beautiful Alex and Ani – Path of Life charm bracelets to commemorate the occasion thanks to Cisco’s “Hands and Hearts for Youville” initiative.
The graduates were full of smiles and pride as they excitedly awaited to be piped in to the ceremony.
2016 Valedictorian, Nikki Norton reminded her fellow graduates of the strength that it took for them to be standing there together on that day.
“The thing about success is that the road leading there is definitely not always so smooth. We know that. Our resiliency is what got us here today and it will help us in the future. Let us always remember our strength. Behind the scenes we are not always so glamorous but check us out today! I am beyond proud. My pride lies in the fact that not only are we graduates but we are YOUVILLE graduates!”
Executive Director, Cindy Simpson presented Youville Centre Angel Awards to this year’s recipients Shannon Gorman (Telus), Linda Daily (MBNA/TD Bank) and Michelle Valberg (Valberg Imaging) (absent)
In her speeach, Alumnae speaker Sarah Tunstall reassured the class that they had in them what they needed to continue succeeding:
“You amazing women sitting up there today should be beyond proud of what you have just accomplished. Over 50% of teen mothers never graduate from high school – you women just beat that statistic. Your dedication to your future, your love for your children and your drive for success has paid off. This is the end of one chapter and the beginning of a new and exciting one – and as scary as that may seem, know that you can do it.”
The ceremony concluded with the traditional tossing of the graduation caps!
