Diplomas for fiddler, elder
NSCC to recognize Natalie MacMaster, Albert Marshall
Acclaimed fiddler Natalie MacMaster and well known First Nations elder Albert Marshall will receive honorary Nova Scotia Community College diplomas.
The awards will come as 4,500 graduates in 13 campuses across the province celebrate 21 convocation ceremonies in the coming days.
MacMaster’s diploma is from the School of IT and Creative Industries, while Marshall’s will be issued through the School of Trades and Technology. Both schools are at the Strait Area Campus in Port Hawkesbury.
MacMaster has long combined her talent with her generous spirit to make a difference in the lives of others, according to a press release from the NSCC.
She has also helped transform Nova Scotia — Cape Breton in particular—into an internationally recognized region for folk, traditional, Celtic and Gaelic music and culture, according to the NSCC.
As for Marshall, the residential school survivor’s lifelong quest to connect with and understand both the culture he was removed from and the culture he was forced into, is among the reasons for his honorary diploma.
“Through a guiding principle that he conceived, Two-EyedSeeing or Etuaptmumk, Albert asks that we learn to see from one eye with the strength of the Indigenous peoples and see from the other eye with the strength of western knowledge — using both eyes for the benefit of all,” according to an NSCC press release.
Rick Hansen, best known for his Man in Motion tour and Dr. J. Colin Dodds will both receive honorary diplomas from the School of Access in the Annapolis Valley.
A number of awards recognizing student achievement will also be presented during the upcoming ceremonies.
These include the NSCC President’s Award, the NSCC Board of Governors’ Award and the Governor General’s Academic Medal.
The NSCC Alumni Rising Star Award, which is new this year, will also be presented to a student at each campus.
“NSCC is committed to giving students the tools and experience they need to succeed in their programs and beyond,” said NSCC president Don Bureaux, in a press release.
“Convocation is an exciting time and a chance for us to celebrate each student’s success and reflect on all they have accomplished as they embark on the next leg of their journey.”
Convocation ceremonies for the Strait Area Campus will be June 7 at 5 p.m. at the Port Hawkesbury Civic Centre and on June 8 at 10 a.m. at the Membertou Sport and Wellness Centre for Sydney’s Marconi Campus students.