Source: NorthTec – Press Release/Statement:
Headline: NorthTec graduates celebrate their special day
Nearly 250 NorthTec graduates celebrated their special day with stirring ceremonies and a joyful march through the centre of Whangarei.
Forum North was packed with the class of 2017, their families and supporters, and NorthTec staff at the two ceremonies held on Friday (9 March). All those graduating successfully completed diplomas, degrees and graduate diplomas.
At the morning ceremony, students from Business and Management, Information Systems, Software Development, Applied Social Services, Cookery, Architectural Technology and Civil Engineering crossed the stage to receive their certificates and be capped by NorthTec Council Chair, Wayne Jackson.
The afternoon ceremony was for students of Applied Arts, Applied Writing, Sport and Recreation, Conservation and Environmental Management, Science, Māori Arts and Nursing.
In between the two ceremonies, the jubilant graduates set off from the Rose Gardens and enjoyed their march through town, cheered on by supporters and members of the public.
Wayne Jackson said it was wonderful to see so many whānau and friends supporting the graduates on their special day, and thanked them for all the help they had given.
Student valedictorian, Heleina Garisau, congratulated her fellow graduates for all their efforts and their success. She told them: “Our studies are complete and here we are on this auspicious day to celebrate one with another. I applaud you! It has not been an easy task.”
Heleina, a Bachelor of Māori Arts (Maunga Kura Toi), said: “As the graduating class we come from various backgrounds and we each have a unique back story. We are a diverse group of individuals with at least one thing in common… We all chose to attain our qualifications through NorthTec. Fellow students, I acknowledge each of you. We have all faced a variety of challenges to get where we are today.”
—