Excerpt From the September 22nd 2011 Graduation Ceremony
Good evening graduates, faculty, family and friends.
My name is Petria Rennie, it is with great pride and honour that I have been asked to speak tonight on behalf of the graduating class of April 2011.
When I was accepted into this program a little over two years ago and was told I would be in school for eighteen months, I never thought it would seem like 36 !
Eighteen months of dental hygiene has had its ups and downs. However, the ups definitely outweigh the downs especially when you dona��t receive that phone call at the end of level 3 telling you to come back!
It is a great feeling for all of us here tonight, not only knowing how much we have accomplished but more importantly knowing that we are prepared in all areas of the dental hygiene profession. With great thanks to the staff and faculty at CADH we are now ready to start the next chapter of our journeys!
I know that all the graduates and students here tonight would agree with me that this program has been the hardest and most grueling eighteen months of their lives so far!
When you have a program that combines both theory and practical together in such a condensed schedule it can really get on top of you after a while! I have the utmost respect for my fellow graduates that had children at home to organize and as I stand up here tonight I would like to formally apologize to my boyfriend Mark for putting up with my a�?bipolar personalitya�? as I can truthfully say there were times when I was crazy!
There is one thing that we will all miss about CADH and that is the friendships we have made. The friends that helped us make it through those long twelve hour days, shared clients with us and were a shoulder to cry on when things didna��t go according to plan and more importantly to celebrate with when they did!
If anyone has ever said that dental hygiene school was a breeze, they definitely have not heard of our school! Not only did we learn a thing or two about time management, but motivation and determination are something that can be said for all CADH graduates. We have been given the tools and materials to build our careers, and the experience and knowledge to steer us in the right direction. So onwards and upwards into the future we go, some of us traveling abroad, and others staying close by. One thing we all have in common is the memories and experiences we have shared.
If I can leave you all with one thing it would be this quote by Winston Churchill, which I felt to be quite fitting, a�?Success is not final, failure is not fatal; it is the courage to continue that countsa�?.
Thank you all and congratulations graduates, we made it !!
Petria Rennie
Graduation Speaker
September 22, 2011
Graduate Speaker # 2
Good evening;
My name is Chandula and I would like to say that I feel privileged to be up here to give a speech on behalf of my graduating class.
I can remember one day I was sitting with a friend discussing the thought about going into dental hygiene. I always knew I loved working with people, helping them out and I knew I wanted to work in the field of health care. That is one of the common passions I think we all share…or should share. Not everyone is cut out to do hygiene. Your life changes when you enter this field. Every conversation starts to revolve around teeth and I soon found myself always staring at peoplea��s mouths, classifying their bite and dental status.
The first day of class it was clear that many of my classmates had really sacrificed a lot to be in this program. Many of them are not from Ontario but from B.C., Alberta, Newfoundland and Yellowknife. They have had to leave behind their friends, children, families, many loved ones and their entire life to fulfill this goal. I know in the beginning my classmates were very homesick and found it difficult to adjust. We had to start relying on each other. Friendships and bonds were made very quickly as we started to spend five days a week with each other, in a classroom for eight hours at a time.
My time here at CADH has definitely been memorable. Thank you to my classmates for helping me made those memories. I never went a day without laughing at someonea��s antics. I will miss our huddles in the librarya��.after a test, after clinic, or at break to sulk, vent or sleep. I will miss watching all those You Tube videos or doing online shopping for Valentinea��s Day.
This program has been mentally, physically and emotionally draining at times. Especially in the past few weeks when we have had to successfully complete competencies, study for tests and the national board ALL at the same time. We actually just wrote our national boards this past Monday. Congratuations! That is an accomplishment in itself, we are one step closer to getting to the enda��.I mean we havena��t got the results yet but I am sure my academically strong class will have pulled through.
I finally see the light at the end of the tunnel, it feels so good. Some of us may see a brighter light than others but soon you will get there. We are close to accomplishing this huge goal we set out for ourselves.
To our family, friends and significant others, I want to extend a big thank you for putting up with us during the worst of times. I know my parents and everyone around me had to deal with my mood swings, meltdowns and tantrums.
I think there is a sense of relief that we have achieved this goal we set years ago for ourselves. Eighteen months ago, we began with a preconceived notion of what this program was going to be like. As much as anyone can tell you how difficult it can get, it is only when you live through it that you truly understand the stresses. Only your classmates and faculty can understand the magnitude of something as simple as a client cancelling an appointment or not showing up after spending so much time preparing for them.
I do want to thank the faculty, especially for dealing with us in the past few weeks when we have been extraa��shall I say, sensitive. I am not going to start naming all of you (there is just too many of you) but you know who you are. Some days we would be so consumed with what we had to do, that we perhaps didna��t see the value in the constructive criticism you gave us. I think we have been a challenging group of individuals to tackle. We have had to come a long, long, long way. I once had someone tell me, a�?though your class is small, you guys sure have a huge impact in everything you doa�?. I took that as, we are a handful.
I would like to thank dispensarya��James and Robin! I will apologize right now on behalf of my class for really messing up your system and mixing up all our instruments on a regular basis. I dona��t even think they are here tonight because they are still going through all our instruments to find out who has Alizaa��s assessment kit?????? Of course leave it to our group to mess a previously fool-proof system.
I also want to thank my best friend Shirin, who I was privileged to take this program with. Her constant support really made this process easier because we both knew we could rely on one another for anything. Her constant humour has helped me through the toughest times.
I want to wish all my classmates the best of luck and success in their career. I know we are all going to part ways; many of us are excited to return home and get our lives back. So I want to leave you by saying thata��.
Your success is not measured by how well you fulfill the expectations of others, but by how you honestly live up to your own expectations. As you start with your careers, you shall be representing not only yourself but each other in the field of dental hygiene. Always remember to take the time to provide the utmost detail in everything you do. We worked so hard to get here, many hours, much sacrifice. Never sell yourself short in anything you do. Every graduate present here today is deserving of high praise and recognition and I would like to congratulate each of you on reaching this milestone. Congratulationsa��.
Chandula Samarajeeva
Graduate Speaker,
September 22, 2011
CLASS OF APRIL 2011 a�� AWARDS
Henry Schein Award : Lacey Nowicki
Hu-Freidy Golden Scaler Award: Swathi Umesh
Faculty Client Management Award: Ajin Varghese
Sunstar Butler Award: Petria Rennie
Program Director Award: Ruben Del Rosario
A�DEANa��S LIST SCHOLARS
Rafeef Azzawi
Assunta Gaillardetz
Lacey Nowicki
Selena Rai
Chantel Robinson
CLASS OF OCTOBER 2011 a�� AWARDS
Henry Schein Award: Kayla Green
Hu-Freidy Golden Scaler Award: Leslie Ann Pittman
Faculty Client Management Award: Chandula Samarajeeva
Sunstar Butler Award: Natalie Drake
Program Director Award: Harpreet Gill
Hazel McCallion Community Service Award: Miranda Tschirhart
Northern Surgical Award: Thuy Le
DEANa��S LIST SCHOLARS
Natalie Drake
Kayla Green
Tazeen Khalid
Thuy Le
