JUNE 5 & 6, 2025
CEREMONY PROGRAM
JUNE 5
Procession
National Anthem
Land Acknowledgment
Welcome | Dr. Catherine Swindlehurst, Provost and Vice-President Academic (Master of Ceremonies)
Offering | Dr. Alex Clark, President and Priscilla Campeau, Associate Vice-President, Indigenous Conciliation
Opening Prayer | Dr. Maria Campbell, Elder in Residence
Interlude | Brian A. Cardinal
Board of Governors’ Greeting | Byron Nelson, Board Chair
President’s Welcome | Dr. Alex Clark, President
Official Greetings | His Worship Robert Balay, Mayor of Athabasca
Honorary Degree Presentation | Dr. Shauna Zenteno, Dean, Faculty of Science and Technology
Honorary Doctor of Science | Joy Romero
The Petition | Dr. Catherine Swindlehurst, Provost and Vice-President Academic
Invitation to Pledge | Dr. Alex Clark, President
Graduand’s Response | I do so promise
The Admission | Byron Nelson, Board Chair
Presentation of Degrees | Faculty of Science and Technology
Interlude | Athabasca Ukrainian Folk Dance Club
Presentation of Degrees | Faculty of Health Disciplines
Presentation of Governor General’s Silver
Medal | Dr. Catherine Swindlehurst, Provost and Vice-President Academic
Recipient | Supun De Silva, Bachelor of Science with Great Distinction
Congratulatory Remarks | Dr. Alex Clark, President
Ribbon Story | Priscilla Campeau, Associate Vice-President, Indigenous Conciliation
Closing | Dr. Catherine Swindlehurst, Provost and Vice-President Academic
Recession
JUNE 6
Procession
National Anthem
Land Acknowledgment
Welcome | Dr. Catherine Swindlehurst, Provost and Vice-President Academic (Master of Ceremonies)
Offering | Dr. Alex Clark, President and Priscilla Campeau, Associate Vice-President, Indigenous Conciliation
Opening Prayer | Dr. Maria Campbell, Elder in Residence
Board of Governors’ Greeting | Byron Nelson, Board Chair
President’s Welcome | Dr. Alex Clark, President
Official Greetings | Reeve Tracy Holland, Athabasca County
Honorary Degree Presentation | Dr. Manijeh
Mannani, Dean, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
Honorary Doctor of Laws | Cadmus Delorme
The Petition | Dr. Catherine Swindlehurst, Provost and Vice-President Academic
LAND ACKNOWLEDGMENT
Invitation to Pledge | Dr. Alex Clark, President
Graduand’s Response | I do so promise
The Admission | Byron Nelson, Board Chair
Presentation of Degrees | Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
Interlude | Brian A. Cardinal
Presentation of Degrees | Faculty of Business
Presentation of Governors General’s Gold Medal | Dr. Catherine Swindlehurst, Provost and Vice-President Academic
Recipient | Dr. Margaret Rauliuk, Doctor of Education in Distance Education
Congratulatory Remarks | Dr. Alex Clark, President
Ribbon Story | Priscilla Campeau, Associate Vice-President, Indigenous Conciliation
Closing | Dr. Catherine Swindlehurst, Provost and Vice-President Academic Recession
Athabasca University respectfully acknowledges that we live and work on the Traditional Lands of the Indigenous Peoples (Inuit, First Nations, Métis) of Canada. We honour the ancestry, heritage, and gifts of the Indigenous Peoples and give thanks to them.
MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT
Welcome to Athabasca for our 2025 convocation!
Today is a celebration of each graduate’s success and of the incredible contributions you will make to your community as an AU graduate.
It’s a time to take stock: to look back, look around, and look forward at what you’ve achieved and where you will go next.
Look back: you have put in so much hard work over the past months and years. You have persevered through good and tough times. You should be proud of the commitment and character that has led you to this incredible success.
Look around: especially at your peers, your friends, your family members, and our entire Athabasca University community who have come together to celebrate. Enjoy the special people and moments of the day; take lots of photos, tour our lovely campus and enjoy the beauty of the Athabasca region. It’s a time to create life-long memories.
Think about those who couldn’t be here with you today and to the special people who have contributed to your success. Take time to be grateful to them for their presence in your life. Remember that your gift to them as a graduate can be your own highest contribution to making the world a better place.
This is core to our university’s strategic plan, Like No Other, which embraces the values of access, opportunity, and community. Looking at today’s graduates, we are proud of the open, accessible, and flexible education we provide, like no other university. We provide opportunities for more students who are first in their family to attend university, who are Indigenous, who are disabled, and who live in rural or remote areas.
Look forward: the next phase of your journey starts today. You are now a member of AU’s global community of amazing alumni, making an impact in their communities and changing lives every day.
Congratulations on your incredible accomplishments, today and into the future.
Have a wonderful convocation,
Sincerely,
Dr. Alex Clark
President, Athabasca University
MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR BOARD OF GOVERNORS
On behalf of the Board of Governors: welcome to convocation—and congratulations to each of our 2025 Athabasca University graduates!
I am delighted to welcome you, your guests, and members of our community to Athabasca, the home of our university.
Convocation is truly the highlight of my year as board chair. Celebrating with you and your family and friends as you cross the stage in Athabasca is a profoundly meaningful experience for me and our board members.
Today is a special day. Graduates, you’ve worked long and hard both day and often night to reach this milestone. Your perseverance and dedication to your studies has led you, day by day and course by course, to your accomplishment.
For all those joining us in Athabasca, please take some time to appreciate our rejuvenated campus and the attractions and beauty of the region. The university and our whole community are excited to celebrate with you today.
I also want to thank all those special people who have helped make our graduates’ accomplishments possible. From partners to parents, friends to family, university staff to other university students—their unwavering support is truly appreciated.
The world needs the highest contributions of each AU graduate more than ever: a world of new opportunities is now open to you. Across health, business, humanities and social sciences, and science and technology—we need you to shape and strengthen our communities, our provinces, and our countries.
AU, as our new strategic plan celebrates, is a university like no other—with graduates like no other too. Each graduate joins our growing community of proud alumni across the world in urban, rural, remote, and Indigenous communities. Together, we can ensure AU continues to grow its impact like no other.
Please keep the memory of this amazing experience alive by staying connected with the university and with your fellow graduates as alumni. I know you will continue to make your own highest contributions to your communities into the future.
Have a wonderful convocation,
Sincerely, Byron
Nelson Chair, Board of Governors of Athabasca University
BYRON NELSON
DR. ALEX CLARK
HONORARY DOCTOR
OF SCIENCE
Joy Romero will be granted an Honorary Doctor of Science degree in recognition of her leadership in a science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) field and her passionate support of AU’s mission to widen access and opportunity to learners and knowledge—especially for those excluded or from rural and northern communities.
Joy Romero has devoted her career to fostering access, opportunity, and innovation to improve the lives of others. With an outstanding career in technology, she demonstrates an enduring commitment to promote access to post-secondary education for non-traditional learners and opportunities in science education and research for everyone.
Educated as a metallurgical engineer, businesswoman, and senior executive, she understands that access and opportunity in education change lives.
When she was earning her engineering degree, she was one of very few women who were pursuing careers in the sciences. The idea of inclusion, for Joy Romero, goes beyond any one group. Rather, she said it’s crucial to understand where people are coming from and provide them with the right opportunities.
“We need to build the pathways so nobody’s excluded,” she said. “I’ve always tried to reach total populations, whole populations who are interested in STEM.”
This commitment is reflected in her mentorship of countless emerging leaders and her development and leadership of the Learning Communities project in northern Alberta to bring education and training opportunities to work sites and remote northern communities through workshops, information sessions, and work-study programs.
Joy Romero has supported numerous charitable and philanthropic causes, particularly those aimed at advancing education, health, and environmental sustainability. Her work in this area exemplifies values that AU holds dear: the integration of learning with community service and stewardship.
Her outstanding commitment to providing accessible, flexible, and innovative learning opportunities for learners of all backgrounds and stages was epitomized in her role as Board Chair of Athabasca University from 2006 to 2009.
While the honorary degree recognizes her contributions and leadership, with her enduring sense of the unique potential of people and opportunity, she credits other for their contributions:
“Nobody does anything by themselves,” she said. “I’ve always had the privilege of working with and leading really smart people who do great things.”
HONORARY DOCTOR OF LAWS
Cadmus Delorme will be granted an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree in recognition of his leadership and advocacy for post-secondary education, particularly Indigenous post-secondary education, and working towards Truth and Reconciliation by fostering understanding and meaningful relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples, government, businesses, and communities.
Cadmus Delorme has devoted his life to growing access, opportunity, and community by reducing barriers to post-secondary education for Indigenous students, and fostering authentic respect and collaboration through mutual understanding between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples. His is a voice that is truly national and truly influential.
As an undergraduate student at First Nations University and president of the Students’ Union, Cadmus Delorme became a national voice for Indigenous post-secondary education, advocating for the restoration of permanent national and provincial funding for the university. Thanks to his efforts and those of his student peers, the university continues to provide accessible post-secondary education for Indigenous and non-Indigenous students.
“All we ask of all of you listening is that you stand by us as we heal, and we get stronger, and that we must all put down our ignorance and accidental racism of not addressing the truth that his country has with Indigenous people. We are not asking for pity, but we are asking for understanding, and this country must stand by us.”
Leadership, for Cadmus Delorme, is about supporting as much as it is about doing: “At the time I didn’t really feel like I was doing big things. I was just doing my duty as Chief.”
Cadmus Delorme sees business Reconciliation as foundational to creating opportunity for Indigenous Peoples and communities. He founded two organizations: OneHoop, which helps connect businesses, government, and Indigenous communities; and Flowing River Capital, a complementary organization focused on supporting First Nations, Métis, and Inuit communities to become equity partners in businesses.
Cadmus Delorme also served as chairperson of the Government of Canada’s Residential School Documents Advisory Committee, and currently serves as chair of University of Regina’s Board of Governors.
Thank you to the honorary degree and awards selection committee for their support and diverse perspectives in selecting this year’s recipients.
After completing his master of public policy degree from the University of Regina, Delorme served as Chief of Cowessess First Nation from 2016-2023. His focus was building community through strengthening Indigenous governance, improving child welfare services, guiding the First Nation to equity partnerships in two major renewable energy projects, increasing agricultural capacity, and many cultural rejuvenation projects.
Crucially in 2023, Cadmus Delorme became a national leader in Truth and Reconciliation, when he announced the tragic discovery of 750 unmarked graves on Cowessess First Nation at the former site of the Marieval Indian Residential School site. His words captured the attention of Canadians and the need for Reconciliation:
Cadmus Delorme’s focus on Reconciliation reflects AU’s work towards Conciliation, led by Nukskahtowin, an Indigenous meeting place and centre for ideas, perspectives, and people to come together.
JOY ROMERO
CONVOCATION 2024/2025 SCHOLARSHIPS
DOCTORATE DEGREES
Doctor of Education –Distance Education
Margaret Rauliuk
Doctor of Business
Administration
Jeffrey Kent
MASTER DEGREES
Master of Business Administration
Justin Sarris
Master of Education –Open, Digital, and Distance Education
Chloe Martynuck
Karin Potgieter
Master of Health Studies
Sarah Manley
Master of Arts –Interdisciplinary Studies
Sarah Petrescu
Master of Nursing
Jenna McLanders
Master of Science –Information Systems
Miran Nevesinjac
Master of Counselling
Dawn Kingston
These scholarships are awarded annually to the graduating students with the highest grade point average in a specific number of Athabasca University credits from each degree, diploma, or certificate designation.
GRADUATE DIPLOMA/ CERTIFICATES
Graduate Certificate – Data Analytics
Sylvester Obichie
Graduate Certificate –Information Technology Management
Corina Dransutavicius
Graduate Certificate –Technology-Based Learning
Dana Witte
Graduate Certificate –Instructional Design
Nicole Simpson
Graduate CertificateInformation Security
Nadir Choudhary
Graduate DiplomaCounselling
Ashley Wozniak
Graduate Diploma - Heritage
Resource Management
Madison Kitts
Graduate Diploma - Distance
Education Technology
Danielle Prevost
Graduate Diploma –Instructional Design
Tegan Hickie
Graduate Diploma –Legislative Drafting
Vani Govindarajan
Graduate Diploma –Management
Robbyn Peckford
Graduate Diploma –Leadership and Management
Denise Manderson
Post-Master’s Diploma –Nurse Practitioner
Kimberley Harkness
Post-Master’s Certificate in Counselling
Kally Troung
BACHELOR DEGREES
Bachelor of Arts
Jade Meunier
Bachelor of General Studies
Judith Obee
Bachelor of Nursing
Krista Aasman
Bachelor of Science
Supun De Silva
Bachelor of Commerce
Jennifer Dahl
Bachelor of Management
Trudy Slaght
Bachelor of Professional Arts
Natasha Arbuckle
Bachelor of Health Administration
Zacharie Labonte
Bachelor of Human Resources and Labour Relations
Alexander Aucoin
UNIVERSITY DIPLOMAS
University Diploma in Arts
Connor Caborn
UNIVERSITY CERTIFICATES
Post Baccalaureate
Certificate, Inclusive
Education
Kaitlyn Pietrantonio
University Certificate, Accounting
Jill Koval
University Certificate, Advanced Accounting
Gregory Turfus
University Certificate, Computers and Management Informations Systems
Lynn Dobson
University Certificate, Computing and Information Systems
Justin Raczynski
University Certificate, Counselling Women
Alexandria Sassoon
University Certificate, Finance Brodie Seger
University Certificate, French Language Proficiency
Melanie Fournier
University Certificate, Heritage Resource Management
Jesse Blauel
University Certificate, Human Resources and Labour Relations
Ahmad Alawieh
University Certificate, Management Applications
Jessica Spenrath
University Certificate, Management Foundations
Ryan Thiessen
University Certificate, Marketing
Megan Rodger
University Certificate, Public Administration
Riley Fowler
2025 GOLD MEDAL RECIPIENT
Margaret Rauliuk (Doctor of Education in Distance Education ’25) Esquimalt, B.C.
Dr. Margaret Ellen Rauliuk RN MN EdD FCAN is a nurse, educator, and scholar whose work bridges practice, pedagogy, and critical inquiry. Her multi-modal dissertation, A Settler’s Guide to Conciliation: A Digital Critical Nursography, challenges the place of the monograph as the doctoral artifact in the 21st century. This groundbreaking work interrogates settler identity and colonial structures in nursing and nursing education through narrative, visual, and digital methodologies reimagining the possibilities of nursing education and scholarship into the future.
Rauliuk came to nursing education late, but in the past 10 years has taught across undergraduate and graduate nursing programs emphasizing learner-centred, culturally safe, and equity-oriented practice. Her scholarship reflects a commitment to
health equity, social, and planetary justice as she explores topics such as anti-Indigenous racism in health care, critical digital and musicbased pedagogies, the history of modern nursing, and interprofessional primary care team development.
Rauliuk has published in peer-reviewed journals and academic texts, and has presented her research nationally and internationally— including at the International Council for Open and Distance Education World Conference and Eportfolio Australia Forum. Rauliuk is a founding director of the Association of Regulated Nurses of Manitoba serving as board chair from 2016-18, representing Manitoba at the Canadian Nurses Association. Rauliuk is a fellow of the Canadian Academy of Nursing.
2025 SILVER MEDAL RECIPIENT
Supun De Silva was born in Sri Lanka and immigrated to Canada in 2010. He completed his first undergraduate degree in ecology at the University of Alberta, driven by a desire to understand how environmental changes affect animal life. His interest in technology later led him to Athabasca University to pursue a second undergraduate degree in computer science, sparked by a fascination with how everyday technologies, such as websites, function and how they can be leveraged to better serve people.
De Silva’s studies at AU have helped him move closer to that goal. During his program, he relished courses that focused on fundamental computer science topics, web development, how humans interact with systems, and databases.
AU also provided opportunities to gain research experience under the mentorship of Dr. Oscar Lin and Dr. Maiga Chang. Through this research, he was able to apply the theoretical knowledge gained in courses to develop systems used by students to aid their academic journeys.
GOVERNOR GENERAL’S GOLD AND SILVER MEDALS
The Governor General’s Academic Medals were created in 1873 by Lord Dufferin, Canada’s third Governor General, to commemorate outstanding academic achievement on a national scale. Students who achieve the highest average are eligible to be recognized with a Governor General’s medal.
Supun De Silva (Bachelor of Science — Computing and Information Systems ’25) Edmonton, AB
ACADEMIC REGALIA
The colour of the lining or trim on a graduand’s hood distinguishes their degree. As part of the official regalia, AU graduands also don a black cap and tassel. Graduands from certificate or diploma programs wear a standard, plain black graduation gown with a black cap and tassel.
THE RIBBONS
The four colours of these ribbons—rose, yellow, blue/black, and white—represent the four seasons, the four parts of our being (spiritual, mental, physical, and emotional), the four hills of life, and the four directions.
This gift of ribbons is given to the graduates, as we honour and pay respect to the hard work they put into their education.
DOCTORATES
Doctoral gowns are black, Cambridge-style gowns accented with the colours from AU’s Coat of Arms. The full sleeves end at a point and are turned back to the elbow to reveal the blue lining of the bell. In the Oxford pattern, the hoods are either spruce green and blue or blue lined with gold. Standard black Tudor hats are worn straight above the brow.
Elder in Residence Dr. Maria Campbell, as part of her teachings, uses the following colours to represent these elements:
ROSE IS FOR THE EAST the season of Spring, babies and children, and the place of Red Bear. The time for new life and where we envision and plan for our future.
YELLOW IS FOR THE SOUTH the season of Summer, adolescence, and young adulthood. The place of the Yellow Bear and a time of growth and hard work.
BLUE OR BLACK IS FOR THE WEST the season of Autumn, mature adulthood, and the Black Bear. It is a time for reflection, dreaming, prayers, and harvest.
WHITE IS FOR THE NORTH the season of Winter, old age, and the White Bear. It is a time of achievement, knowledge, and understanding.
Bears are protectors of family and community and they are the medicine keepers. As we travel through each direction, we honour and respect all of wahkohtowin—the Cree law governing relationships to all things in our world—to the living and dead, animate and inanimate, spiritual, and physical beings.
As part of Athabasca University’s conciliation efforts with Indigenous Peoples, a gift of ribbons is given to graduates of Athabasca University. Historically, different coloured sticks were used as offerings in ceremonies but those were eventually replaced by cloth and ribbons. Elder in Residence Dr. Maria Campbell uses ribbons as offerings as part of this convocation ceremony.
With these ribbons, we honour our graduates’ path to knowledge and hard work they’ve done. We wish for them to have a balanced life in all of their being—spiritual, mental, physical, and emotional—on their path towards miyo-pimatisiwin, the good life.
Our best wishes to the Class of 2025.
CONGRATULATIONS GRADUATES ON BEHALF OF THE TOWN OF ATHABASCA AND ATHABASCA COUNTY
Congratulations Athabasca University grads!
On behalf of the Town of Athabasca and Athabasca County, welcome to our home community. We are excited to host convocation 2025 in Athabasca, and to celebrate your hard work and accomplishments together, in person, in our amazing community.
Our community members have learned and worked at AU since the university’s early days here, proudly helping it grow and flourish. We’ve seen generations of students fulfill their goals and dreams from this base in our community, reaching around the province, across Canada and throughout the world.
Convocation is the ultimate celebration of your dedication and perseverance. We share in your excitement, and we are so proud of each of you.
We look forward to seeing you in the region as a member of our AU and Athabasca community, and we wish you every success in the future.
Sincerely,
Robert Balay Mayor, Town of Athabasca
Tracy Holland Reeve, Athabasca County
ATHABASCA REGION
ROBERT BALAY
TRACY HOLLAND
Aerial view of the Town of Athabasca and the Athabasca River
CLASS OF 2025, WELCOME TO AN ALUMNI COMMUNITY LIKE NO OTHER!
Our alumni are boldly moving to innovate, change, lead, advocate, and build to make the world a better and more equal place—and now it’s your turn.
As you embark on this new chapter, we hope that you continue your lifelong learning journey, embrace the opportunities that come your way, stay connected with your fellow alumni, and continue to make a positive impact in your community.
Congratulations and welcome to the AU alumni community.
Please watch for the reach out from my colleagues at “AU Alumni Engagement”.
Alex Clark, AU President
Visit athabascau.ca/convocation to check out a full list of graduates, congratulatory notes, and more!
