Great Plains College celebration ceremony honours 30 grads
By Joan Janzen
Great Plains College held a celebration ceremony honouring the graduates of the Early Childhood Education – Level 1 program. Family and friends gathered on Wednesday evening, January 21, at the Norman Ritchie Centre to acknowledge the achievements of the 30 graduates.
Great Plains College honoured the 2026 graduates who earned their Early Childhood Education – Level 1 certificate at a ceremony on January 21 held at the Norman Ritchie Centre. Thirty students completed the course; however, only half of the grads were able to attend the ceremony. Photo by Joan Janzen
The part-time program was introduced at the Kindersley campus and ran from September 2025 to December 2025. All the students successfully completed three Level 1 courses to earn their Level 1 certification. The program was offered tuition-free thanks to the availability of grants.
Brad Mahon, President and CEO, extended a welcome to the grads and guests.
“We’re so proud of you!” Brad said to the graduates. “Thank you for choosing Great Plains College.” All of these students were juggling other responsibilities while completing the course, and for many of them, it had been years since they had been back in a classroom.
Academic Awards were presented to Melinda Ells and Jenascia Baldelobar. Achievement Awards were presented to students who worked to overcome challenges, showed leadership, and maximized their achievement through determined effort. The recipients were Ronnie Magabo and Brylle Mateo.
Congratulations to the 2026 GPC grads! They are: Jodi Apps, Merylle Kate Bajo, Jenascia Baldelobar, Isabelle Baroni, Samjhana Bhandari, Yira Villanueva Castano, Abid Chowdhury, Anarose Coloma, Karissa Mae Cura, Jenalyn Del Rosario, Kendall Dixon, Melinda Ells, Ashella Gagne, Brittany Gartner, Jocelyn Gee, Abegail Gilponeo, Jayden Heinrichs, Monique Hiebert, Raquel Illana, Gursharan Kaur, Ronnie Magabo, Brylle Mateo, Camryn Nutley, Marianne Oliveros, Grace Omokanye, Michelle Ramos, Mackenzie Reiss, Gagandeep Uppal, Nichole Vergara, and Sherry Vergara.