BELLEVILLE – Albert College recognized 42 graduates, including a Kingston student, at its 166th Convocation celebration on Saturday, June 17. Grade 12 graduates were recognized with top awards and celebrated their many accomplishments this year, in addition to receiving their Ontario Secondary School Diploma. The students hail from Canada as well as 9 countries – Nigeria, Mexico, China, Bermuda, Jamaica, Germany, Palestine and Cyprus. Local students are from Belleville, Prince Edward County, Kingston and Toronto, among others.
Sarena Sandhuwas recognized as one of Albert’s academic leaders. A five-day boarder at the school, she held the role of Active Citizenship Prefect, was involved with this year’s drama production and was a leading member of the ACT (Activism, Community service, Team building) committee. In athletics, she was a member of the volleyball, field lacrosse, and field hockey teams and received the coach’s award for each. She is this year’s recipient of the French and economic awards, the Reginald and Margaret Finney Award for English, the T.K. Franklin Humanitarian Award, and the Albert College Active Citizenship Award. She is the recipient of the Grade 12 Prize for Academic Excellence and Governor General’s Academic Medal.
Sarena has received the prestigious Schulich Leader Scholarship to attend Queen’s University, one of only 100 scholarships awarded among more than 300,000 applicants across Canada. The Schulich Leader Scholarship is Canada’s largest undergraduate scholarship supporting Canada’s top talent in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM). She will be studying physical science next year.
The Class of 2023 Valedictorian, Natalie Harrison, said it best in her address to her fellow graduates by saying, “Friends, it’s been a long time coming, but our moment is finally here. No more lunches together, no more cookies at break…no more high school. Accept, cherish and embrace the moment that awaits us. I will not soon forget the times we’ve shared, the trials we’ve conquered, and the memories we’ve built together. Earlier, I mentioned family being a group of people that make you happy, and that still stands. You all make me immeasurably happy, and I wish nothing but the best for you in your futures. Just remember: our Albert College family may be leaving each other, but it is never truly gone, because above all else, family is forever.”
