Great Plains College celebrates graduating classes

Students, teachers, family and friends all gathered together last night for the Great Plains College graduation ceremony.

Living Sky Casino hosted the 2023/24 graduating class in the Event Centre. The 190 graduates were cheered on not only by friends, family, and faculty but also by special guest speakers in Swift Current Mayor, Al Bridal, Swift Current MLA and Minister of Health, Everett Hindley, and the inaugural recipient of the President Emeritus Award, Mark Frison. 

Shaking the hands of each student who crossed the stage was the President and CEO of Great Plains College, Brad Mahon. It was his honour to witness the achievement of each student's hard work and to congratulate them on a job well done. 

Great Plains College President, Brad Mahon, operates under the bright stage lights at the Living Sky Casino Events Centre. 

"It's a reminder of why we do what we do," said Mahon on the subject of educating. "It's really them. We provided them with an opportunity here at Great Plains, but they did the heavy lifting. They did the work, and so we're really here to celebrate them tonight."

While not every graduate could attend the ceremony, those who did were showered with praise and were encouraged to continue their pursuit of knowledge in their workforce. 

Many of these students will be staying in Swift Current, adding their skills to the population and growing the general level of capability. Great Plains College aims to provide that to the communities it is based in, be that in Swift Current, Kindersley, Martensville, or Warman. With six locations in Saskatchewan, they cover more than 100,000 square kilometres across the southwest and west-central regions. 

"We have data that shows that students that study in our campuses and particularly those who engage in practicums in those areas are more likely to stay and settle in those communities," said Mahon "That's part of our value proposition to the community, that we're part of the economic development and the sustainability of the communities that we join."