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Tuesday April 28 2015 13 EDUCATION AURORA COLLEGE GRAD 1-877-872-2216 Education is the key to unlocking your potential Congratulations to all of the Aurora College Graduates Visit our website www.nwal.ca Tel 867 872-2216 Fax 867 872-2214 For Charter Reservations Call toll-free 1-877-872-2216 email chartersnwal.ca Congratulations Graduates We are confident that you will continue to succeed in life. Keep up the good work 872-2489 195 McDougal Rd. Fort Smith Visit hrblock.ca for an office near you and get Instant Cash Back today. HR BLOCK www.hrblock.ca By DALI CARMICHAEL As Theresa Kakw accepted her Bachelor of Education BEd. degree at last weeks gradua- tion ceremony in Fort Smith she incorporated her culture into her robe woven into a V-stole personalized with her own beaded designs. For the rst time Aurora Colleges Theba- cha campus invited its graduating students to sew their own stoles to wear at convoca- tion adding a traditional element to a mod- ern-day milestone. Completing my education is a big step for me said Kakw who calls the small hamlet of Colville Lake home. The stoles look nice and its part of our tradition to make stuff for ourselves especially for big celebrations. This is something that I can contribute to celebrate my own success. About 12 students took advantage of the new beading project which is set to become an annual tradition available to any graduate who shows interest. Each stole is decorated to match the individual students identity. I wanted to have a little piece of home with me because its so far away said Priscilla Ha- ogak another BEd. graduate who hails from the far North. Sachs Harbour is the furthest northern community in the NWT and Im studying in the most southern community in the NWT. My heart is at home Ive had a lot of community support from home. Basic stroud beads and threads were pro- vided for the students who were also welcome toincorporatetheirownsuppliesintothepiece. Instead of beads I chose to do seal skin with seal skin inlays Haogak said noting she received the black and white fur from her mother and from teachers at the college. IwasneverareallygoodbeadersoIjustg- uredthesealskinwouldsuitmystylealittlebit better.Mystolehasmylastnameonititwasmy grandfatherstraditionalInuvialuktunnameso that has a lot of signicance. Not a lot of people in my family have gotten their education so I justwantedtohelpcelebratethatwithmyfam- ilyshesaid.Italsohaspolarbearsandulusto represent the people that are closest to me and helpedmecomethisfarbecauseitsbeenalong hardjourney.Onthebackofthestolethereisthe Banks Island and I put a little bead at the bot- tom the southern tip of it to represent Sachs. Like the rest of their peers the sewers had to make time for the project within their busy schedulesoftentakingmomentsbetweenhome- work classes employment and family time to sew a few stitches. They were welcome to sew in weekly beading circles held at the school or to take their pieces home to work in solitude. IstartedmineinJanuarysaidJoanneFran- cisanotherBEd.studentfromFortMcPherson. Withallthehomeworkandstudyingandevery- thingIcompleteditaweekbeforeconvocation. Francis with the help of her sister-in-law carefully pieced together her project bit by bit. Everything on my stole represents some- thing she said. I have the mortarboard hat and the diploma. I have eight owers and each owerhasarepresentationofsomething.Theres seven of us from the Beaufort Delta who will obtain a diploma each ower represents one of them. Theres an extra ower to represent everybody that supported me. More than just a decoration to wear at the ceremony the stoles are keepsakes that serve to remind the students of how much they can accomplishwhentheysettheirmindsonagoal. Its traditional it ties in with our education and each one of us I think has something that is represented from home Francis said. Were not all from Fort Smith so it was nice to have something close to us. Grads weave tradition into convocation with beaded stoles PhotoPaulBannister Aurora Colleges graduating class of 2015 was invited to create their own stoles for convocation. The sewers include Erma Baton left April Alexis Joanne Francis Kristen Froese Allison McArthur Larissa Lusty Theresa Kakw Olive Pascal Priscilla Haogak and Destiny Martin.