Joan Esquega was honoured to be in the first class to graduate from Lakehead University’s Aboriginal education program.
The four-year program follows the university’s concurrent education curriculum but with a specialized focus on educating Aboriginal children and Esquega along with Shannon Moorman and Jessie Plain were the first class to graduate with an Honours Bachelor of Aboriginal Education degree Saturday morning at LU’s 49th annual convocation ceremony at the Thunder Bay Community Auditorium.
About 2,000 students graduated in three ceremonies held Friday and Saturday at the Auditorium and Esquega, Moorman and Plain were thrilled to be walking across the stage and receiving their diplomas.
“We’re pumped,” said Moorman.
“We’re excited. We did it. We’re finally here,” said Esquega.
With careers as educators in the future for the trio, Moorman said the best part of their four-year experience was the faculty they studied under.
“The professors at the university are wonderful and amazing and inspiring. That’s what I look back over. I look forward to teaching, but I look back at our teachers,” she said.
And looking to the future, Esquega said the Aboriginal education program is important because it will produce teachers that relate to First Nations culture and language.
“I think it’s really valuable to our First Nations students who come to Thunder Bay or the surrounding area. They need to have a voice,” she said.
Dean of education John O’Meara said Lakehead’s education programs can be intense but their students come out of their programs prepared for the working world.
“People are really pleased to be finished their programs. They have a sense of achievement and they are really ready to go out and face the challenges of looking for employment,” he said.
And although teaching jobs may be scarce locally, O’Meara said the school encourages the graduates to look not just outside of the province, but outside of Canada as well. There are opportunities in the Pacific Rim countries and Europe.
The LU convocation ceremonies can be seen online here.
