Thanks to a fabulous grad committee and volunteers (Julia Dalman, Diane Connors, Aleah Loney), we had an amazing celebratory evening on May 16. The event was held at The Almanac on Whyte Ave, a welcoming, new, cozy venue in Edmonton. Guests included friends and family of the graduating cohort, alumni, Advisory Committee members, funders and supporters, and Next Up presenters. We had 13 leaders graduate this year, presenting each other certificates of completion during a program MC’d by alumni Chris Chang-Yen Phillips.
Each graduate made speeches and made heartfelt presentations of certificates to each other. In addition, alumni Julia Dalman and outgoing Program Coordinator Lindsay Ruth Hunt made their own speeches, followed by a few words from our new Coordinator Laura Collison.
We were lucky enough to have performances by our own alumni Becky Best-Bertwistle and Kathryn Lennon, as well as a performance from tzadeka (Maigan van der Giessen). We have such talent in our network and featuring performances for the first time at grad was an amazing addition to the program. The program wrapped up with “paper plate awards,” created by Taylor Rubin and Mili Jobanputra (from the graduating cohort) and presented to their fellow cohort members. This group truly cares for each other and has a lot of fun together!
It was a beautiful evening of tribute to each other, celebrating accomplishments, remembering moments, and “passing of the torch” to a new Program Coordinator!
Congrats Next Up Edmonton 7 Graduates!
Fatima Abdikadir
Matt Ayache
Jana Boehm
Eric Grehan
Daniel Hackborn
Christina Hardie
Todd Houseman
Mili Jobanputra
Alethe Kabore
Damien Lachat
Taylor Rubin
Marin Thomas
Franki Winters