Posted on Nov. 8: Diploma and certificate studies students graduate tonight

McMaster's Centre for Continuing Education rolls out the red carpet tonight to celebrate the achievements of some 225 students who are completing their certificate and diploma studies. The students will be honoured at a Graduation and Awards ceremony in the McMaster University Student Centre beginning at 7 p.m.

Among those completing programs and courses are Sara Lake, a single mom and a full-time employee in telecommunications at McMaster, and Angela McKague, a fourth-year psychology major at McMaster. Both have gained an enriched learning experience through their continuing education studies.

“Their stories show what can be achieved through certificate and diploma programs offered by the Centre for Continuing Education,” says Anne Dwyer, CCE program co-ordinator. “Sara was able to apply credits from a diploma program to an undergraduate program and Angela has developed a specialization in addictions while pursuing full-time undergraduate studies.”

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For Sara Lake, her graduation this evening from McMaster's Centre for Continuing Education will be bittersweet. She'll celebrate the occasion with her 10-year-old daughter Nicola looking on. But she'll be missing her mom, Ruth Bates, who passed away earlier this year, and won't be able to share in her joy.

“That last month (of my mom's life) was spent juggling looking after her, carrying out my duties as a single mother and McMaster employee, and completing the work for my final course,” comments Lake, a systems analyst and project co-ordinator in McMaster's telecommunications centre.

“I read my final assignment to her one day (in April) when she was in bed. She passed away a few days after I learned I had completed the program and would get my diploma. But she was proud of me and she knew how much I wanted it.” Lake will receive her Diploma in Management Studies tonight (Friday).

For Lake, the road to this night has been a four-year journey. She studied for and received a McMaster Business Certificate initially and then went back to complete the diploma program offered through the Centre for Continuing Education. She had barely finished that program this past spring when she decided to pursue a full undergraduate program. She applied to and was accepted to study in the Faculty of Social Sciences and is currently taking her first course, Women and Work in Canada.

Her experience with her diploma program courses prepared her well for the undergraduate experience, she says. And she was able to transfer diploma program credits to the undergraduate degree. “There was substantial recognition by the University of my diploma studies,” she remarks. Twenty-four of her diploma credits have been applied to her first- and second-year undergraduate studies.

“It's been quite a long time now and it (graduation) is finally here. I feel a great sense of accomplishment. It will be wonderful to have my daughter Nicola by my side, but I know I will be missing my mom terribly.”

Lake estimates it will take her approximately seven years to complete her undergraduate degree part-time. “It's a long road, but it's one that's worth it. For me it's all about personal growth and exposure to different things out there in the world. This may, in the long run, mean something to my career someday but for me that's not the intent of my studies right now. It is all about opportunity.”

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Angela McKague has taken an unusual route to gain a specialization in addictions and counselling. The fourth-year undergraduate psychology student used her third and fourth-year electives to obtain a Certificate in Addiction Studies from the Centre for Continuing Education.

McKague, who receives her certificate tonight, expects to graduate with a BA in psychology from McMaster next spring. By combining her degree program with certificate courses she's been able to enhance and develop special skills in such areas as counselling techniques and group therapy, and has taken courses on Women and Addiction and Adult Children of Alcoholics.

The certificate courses also provided a learning environment that was different from her university studies. “The students in the certificate program tended to be more mature and came from diverse backgrounds which, for me, added to the class and my personal experience,” says McKague. Course information was also delivered differently, she says. Classes were smaller and discussion-based; students learned through presentations and role-playing activities.

For McKague the testing and teaching methods employed in the certificate courses also provided a change from theoretical-based learning. Some courses were completed via correspondence and others were done during weekend workshops and seminars. The format offered her a variety and opportunity that wasn't available through her degree studies, she says. “It allowed me to see a different field (of study) that wasn't accessible the other way.”

She came upon the certificate courses almost by happenstance. A flyer from the Continuing Education Centre arrived in a registration package she received from the University. The addictions courses attracted her attention and she spoke with representatives in the Faculty of Social Sciences to see whether combining the certificate with her BA studies was possible. “I wanted to take a few courses to explore the area of addictions and wondered whether I could use my electives to do this,” she says. The rest, as they say, is history.

McKague is considering studying for a master's in social work. She is also interested in clinical psychology and the possibility of working with children who are handicapped or have mental disorders. Her new skills in addictions and counselling will give her a strong background no matter what area she pursues.