Indigenous students celebrate graduation at outdoor classroom space

McMaster’s Indigenous students celebrated their graduation this week at a special gathering held at the Indigenous outdoor classroom.

The space, located between Alumni Memorial Hall and Whidden Hall, is used for classes, ceremonies, performances and other activities, designed to affirm the importance of Indigenous knowledge to the university community.

The 17 new grads earned degrees from programs in Social Sciences and Health Sciences. They studied in a range of areas, including Social Work, Anthropology, Nursing and Public Health.

President Patrick Deane, Provost David Wilkinson, Social Sciences Dean Jeremiah Hurley, Indigenous Studies Program director Vanessa Watts and McPherson Chair Dawn Martin-Hill greeted the graduates and their families at the ceremony.

Student awards were presented by the Co-operative of Indigenous Studies Students and Alumni.
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