Secwépemc language education

Canada’s Indigenous Languages Commissioner, Dr. Ron Ignace also addressed the Graduates and guests in both Secwepemctsin and English. He shared the words “I’m honoured here to witness this great ceremony with the help of your Elders to breathe life and to strengthen our languages and stand them up on the rightful place on our land. So that going forward, that our people will have our languages in their heart and our children will have our languages on their lips.”

Dr. Kathryn Michel shared words for the grads in Secwepemctsin and English. Speaking about Secwepemctsin learning she said “it’s a gift that keeps on giving”. I get so much from it and I know all of you that are working hard on your language know that it’s something that brings joy, brings perspective, and brings your dreams. The language really gets us understanding our Secwepemc way of life and the gifts of our ancestors unfolds for us. All of our students here have taken a leap of faith they have been challenged and they’ve kept going, I really admire their perseverance.

Each year’s cohort was represented by a Valedictorian. The 2020 cohort’s Valedictorian was Ada Jules, who is also a recent Bachelor of Education graduate. She presented her entire Valedictorian speech in Secwepemctsin. She thanked her cohort for their support throughout her language learning and expressed that they had all become family through their language journey together.

The 2023 Diploma cohort’s Valedictorian was Denise Sellers. When she spoke of her learning experience she said “Heartfelt thanks to all the people who got us here, namely the Elders, for all their patience and understanding.” Denise credited the Elders for bringing her constant motivation to do better and to be better.

The 2023 Certificate cohort’s Valedictorian was Candice Day. Candice spoke of the multigenerational aspect of the third cohort. She noted that her group spans approximately 53 years, give or take, three dialects, and seven communities across Secwepemculecw. She spoke to her cohort, saying, “We all bring different gifts and strengths that we support one another with”.

During the ceremony each graduating class had recipients of the Joe Stanley Cicwelst Michel Language Achievement Award.

We were incredibly excited and proud to honour our future knowledge keepers in this way.