Thousands of St. Clair College students are set to graduate during Fall Convocation ceremonies this week.
More than 3,500 students from various schools within the College will receive their diplomas and degrees during two ceremonies in Windsor and one in Chatham.
"Convocation may be described by one word that describes this final experience of our students: culmination," said St. Clair College President Michael Silvaggi. "Crossing the stage with credentials placed in their hands is the well-deserved culmination of years of hard work to acquire the state-of-the-art knowledge and skills for the rewarding careers that await them. There is another word that also applies: celebration – A celebration for everyone involved: the graduates, their family and friends in the audience, and the College's faculty and staff who are so extremely proud of our newest Saints alumni."
The Chatham celebration will take place at 1 p.m. on Thursday at the Chatham Capitol Theatre.
Giving the convocation address that day will be Paula Reaume-Zimmer, President and CEO of Bluewater Health.
A self-proclaimed "average student" in high school, Reaume-Zimmer attended St. Clair for Nursing, where she did a hospital nursing placement in her home community at Chatham-Kent Health Alliance (CKHA). According to her, it was at CKHA where she first felt inspired and nurtured, inspiring a lifelong passion to help others through healthcare.
Reaume-Zimmer graduated from St. Clair in 1994, then continued her education, completing her Bachelor of Science in Nursing at the University of Windsor and earning her Master of Science and Doctorate in Healthcare Administration from Central Michigan University.
