Sisters graduate from police foundations at Sault College - on the same day (10 photos)

Jasmine Thind will be graduating from the police foundations program alongside her sister, Aashmeen, during Thursday’s convocation ceremonies.

“It feels amazing,” Thind told SooToday before the convocation. “My sister is my best friend, and graduating with her - beside her - it’s the best feeling ever.”

Thind originally moved from the Greater Toronto Area to Sault Ste. Marie seven years ago, in order to pursue a career in aviation through Sault College.

“I’m a pretty homesick person - I’ve never been away from home,” she said. “I didn’t really feel like staying here, but then my professors helped me, my peers.”

After jumping from aviation to police foundations at the college, Thind paid that help she received forward, helping international students enrolled in the protection, security and investigation program.

She would often spend a few hours a week with students, helping them with academics and using the three Indian languages that she knows in order to translate English words - and even lectures - for her peers.

I knew they were going to have to face a lot of problems because they don’t know anything about the Canadian justice system,” said Thind. “So I thought I might as well help them.”

Now, Thind wants to combine what she has learned through the college’s aviation and police foundations programs to help her land her dream job.  

“I’m going to be a pilot for law enforcement,” she said. “So it’s pretty different, and most people, they’ve done law enforcement - they want to be police officers.”

“I want to mix both of them.”

Thind and her sister have a number of family members and friends in attendance for Thursday’s convocation ceremonies, including some family from India.

“I love the ceremonies,” said Thind. “It’s a proud moment for my parents, my friends - and having my sister beside me, it’s a proud moment for me just graduating with her.”

Convocation ceremonies continue through Friday at Sault College.

A press release from Sault College follows:

NEWS RELEASE
SAULT COLLEGE
*************************
Over the next two days, friends, family and the Sault College community will join together to celebrate the outstanding accomplishments of Sault College’s newest graduates at its annual spring convocation ceremonies.

Each ceremony will honour graduates from various programs while celebrating their hard work and perseverance. “Convocation is always one of the highlights of the year,” said Dr. Ron Common, Sault College President. “Our students, both past and present, have made our College what it is today and we are proud to have been able to help them find their passions. Today we celebrate their successes and it is with great pride that we watch as their academic journey at Sault College comes full circle. On behalf of Sault College, I congratulate each graduate on this great achievement and wish them all the best as they begin a new chapter,” he added.

The spring convocation will welcome more than 1140 graduates to the Sault College alumni family and each ceremony will feature inspiring addresses from notable keynote speakers.

The ceremony on the morning of June 6 will celebrate graduates from Collaborative Bachelor of Science in Nursing and Practical Nursing and feature keynote speaker Dr. Laura Kistemaker graduate of Sault College’s Nursing program who later went on to attend medical school at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine.

The June 6 afternoon ceremony will see graduates from various programs including:  Community Services, General Arts and Science, Justice Studies, and Health. Keynote speaker Colleen Hele Cardinal, who was the recipient of a 2018 Premier’s Award in the area of Community Services and graduate of the College’s Native Community Worker Addictions Counsellor diploma program class of 2002, will address guests.

Graduates from Business, Culinary, and Natural Environment and Outdoor Studies will be honoured at the morning ceremony on June 7 and will feature keynote speaker John Dedes. John is a graduate of Sault College’s Forestry Technician and Geological Engineering Technician programs and was nominated by Sault College in 2017 for an Ontario Colleges Premier’s Award in Technology.

The afternoon ceremony of June 7 will honour graduates from Sault College’s Aviation, Engineering Technology, Information Technology, Media and Design, Skilled Trades, and Continuing Education programs and include a keynote address from Jim Boniferro the President and CEO of Boniferro Mill Works in Sault Ste. Marie, who has and continues to be a strong supporter of Sault College and the Sault Ste. Marie community.

The Korahshter’s Choir will be singing the anthem and a dedication song at all four ceremonies. In keeping with Sault College tradition, the platform party guests, faculty and graduate procession will be led by the Lone Piper. Following the presentation of liripipes and credentials, the Obadjiwon Singers and the Enji Maawnjiding Dancers will lead the recessional.

Graduates, along with their families and friends, will celebrate this special occasion with a reception immediately following each of the convocation ceremonies.

All four convocation ceremonies will be live streamed on our Sault College YouTube channel, under videos. The videos will remain on the Sault College YouTube channel after the live stream is over.

In addition to these four convocation ceremonies, various other Sault College graduates in programs located outside of the Sault Ste. Marie campus have been celebrated, including: Aircraft Structural Repair Technician Program in London, Ontario on April 30, Social Service Work – Native Specialization program in Thunder Bay, Ontario on June 6, 2019, and Welding Techniques program in Fort Frances, Ontario also taking place on June 6, 2019.

Sault College congratulates all of this year’s graduates and wishes them all the best as they embark on a new life journey.

******************