The largest ever graduating class from St. Clair College had their diplomas, certificates and degrees conferred during five Spring Convocation sessions in Windsor from June 2 to 4, 2025.
More than 5,500 students participated in five sessions, graduating from various schools within the College.
One of those students was Hannah Aqwa, a recent graduate of the Personal Support Worker program.
"It feels great actually, just to know I have my name on this," Aqwa said. "This is mine, it's no one else's - this belongs to me."
Aqwa admitted she wasn't a very strong high school student, a fact she recently reflected on with her former vice principal and principal.
"I told them I'm graduating on Monday, and they were like, Wow, you are amazing. Like, we didn't think that you - as this person - would become this big person,'" she recalled. "I turned everything around and flipped a switch. I think it was the people that I had alongside me. It's nice having friends to be able to help push you along."
Aqwa's is one of thousands of unique stories at the 58th annual Convocation session hosted by St. Clair College at the WFCU Centre.
Upon completion of this year's Spring Convocation ceremonies, the College has more than 150,000 alumni who proudly wear the green and gold and strive to make a positive impact in our community - and around the world.
"Convocation is truly a celebration for everyone in attendance: students, their family and friends who are with us as guests, and all of the College's faculty and staff who are on the stage and in the audience," said St. Clair President Michael Silvaggi. "It is the culmination - the successful culmination - of several years of very hard work, and a major step toward the achievement of lifelong career dreams and fulfillment."
"And it's obviously my favourite duty as the President, to send the students off into the world, now as our newest graduates," President Silvaggi added.
Some of St. Clair College's recently minted Alumni of Distinction, as well as past honourees, carried on the tradition of giving a convocation address at each session. 143 graduates have been honoured with the title of Alumni of Distinction since its inception in 1992.
The respective Convocation addresses were delivered by Lori Kempe, the executive director of Children First; Chuck Kelly, the president and CEO of Movati Fitness; Dino Miceli, owner and president of Calibur Tool and Mold; Bhupinder Singh, professional wrestler with Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling; and Justin Lammers, chief of Essex-Windsor EMS.
Chuck Kelly, a 2025 Alumni of Distinction recipient, delivered his Convocation address to nearly 1,000 students in the Zekelman School of Business.
"If there's one lesson I can pass onto you today, it is consistently doing the little things right, every day, which leads to big outcomes over time," Kelly said. "You want to dream big, but dreaming big won't be what gets you to the goal. It will be the small things, done well daily, that will lead to your success."
Kelly's own journey at St. Clair was marked by pressure and persistence, graduating from the Ambulance and Emergency Care - now Paramedic program, in 1991. He worked for 16 years as a paramedic before launching what's become Movati Fitness, a boutique club which has 20 locations across Canada, employing more than 2,500 workers and serving in excess of 150,000 members.
"The company we started was built with the values of taking care of our team first, making our members feel welcome, and keeping our club clean and great detail on repairs and maintenance," Kelly said.
He congratulated graduates for their efforts to this point, with inspiring words to push them to the next step in their lives.
"You've made it, you're here, and that speaks volumes," Kelly said. "Graduation isn't just a milestone, it's a statement that says you're ready, ready to contribute, to lead, to innovate, and most importantly, to keep learning."
"This moment isn't the finish line, it's a starting line for something even bigger," Kelly said.
These are words that students like Meaghan Constable and Courtney Coleman are taking to heart.
"It feels good," Constable said after her ceremony. "We've been doing this for three years, and it's finally happening, so it's exciting. All the hard work pays off."
Beneath her graduate robe and St. Clair College emblazoned Stole, Coleman proudly wore a stethoscope.
"I felt like it just symbolized how hard I worked," Coleman said.
Both Constable and Coleman, graduates of the Respiratory Therapy program, already have jobs lined up and are excited to make an impact in their field.
"It feels great that we don't have to worry about it, that straight from school, we can just go right into jobs," said Constable.
St. Clair College will be hosting two more convocation sessions in Chatham on Monday, June 9, 2025.
The first ceremony at Chatham's Capitol Theatre will start at 12:30 p.m. for graduates of the School of Academic Studies and Anishinabek Educational Institute. The second Convocation ceremony will be at 3:00 p.m. for graduates of the School of Health Sciences and the School of Nursing in Chatham.
