Meet our Valedictorian Emma Martin

Posted on Wednesday, June 7th, 2023

As we prepare for the upcoming 2023 Spring Convocation, we are pleased to highlight our valedictorians who will be speaking to their respective classes during their ceremonies.

Why did you choose Algonquin College?

When choosing where I would continue my education, it was important to me that I picked somewhere with a smaller campus, where I could know all my classmates and could create a lasting legacy somewhere. Picking Algonquin was a hard choice as for me personally it was five hours away from where I call home and away from everything that was familiar. Seeing the beautiful campus, connecting with some great staff and enjoying the small-town feel helped me make my decision.

What is your favorite memory from your time at Algonquin College?

It is very difficult to narrow down just one of my favorite memories, as I have two years’ worth of memories I would love to share. But instead, I will just briefly mention two of my favorites. The first was attending a BBQ and a fire at one of our teacher’s homes, where we were able to come together as a group and share stories and laughs as well as learn from each other. My other favorite memory would be Hockey Tuesdays. The school runs a pick-up hockey game every Tuesday and Thursday and it was a great way to decompress outside of usual school hours.

What are some of the highlights from your time at Algonquin?

I have many memories, including our Agricultural Experience week tours, the people we got to meet, and the bus rides that came along with them; activities hosted at the school, including trivia, bingo, hockey, egg hunts and many others; countless hours we spent chatting about homework; our half online and half in-person classes; and finally, just the overall shenanigans that the class of 2023 sometimes found themselves getting into.

Tell us about your faculty and your classmates. How important have they been to your overall Algonquin experience?

The faculty that I was able to interact with during my time at Algonquin with amazing. I was weary of coming to college, concerned that maybe I would have professors who would not know my name. That is very far from the truth: our faculty were always there to answer questions or even just to have a discussion. The faculty that I had the privilege of interacting with made my time here great. They made us feel like an extension of their family. My classmates are special people who are going to do great things; from them I have learned more than I think I might have in class. We were a small but mighty group and many of us became very close-knit. We could always lean on each other, whether it was for personal reasons or homework help. I am honored to be graduating with this group and look forward to seeing what the future holds and hearing all about their lives in the future.

What does being named Valedictorian mean to you?

Being named my classes valedictorian has been a privilege and an honor. I have had the privilege of representing my classmates as their student rep for the past year. This means the world to me. I am lucky to have gone to school with an amazing group of people who a destined for great things so for me to be able to represent them is something I will not soon forget. If you had told Grade 12 student Emma that she would be her 2023 college class valedictorian she would not have believed you, so with that, thank you.

Who or what will you miss most?

There are many things that I will miss about Algonquin College and my time here. The faculty has opened many doors for me and has been very instrumental in molding what kind of person I am. I will miss the college atmosphere and feeling the sense of really belonging and looking forward to the next event the school was hosting and the normal things that came with being a student. I will miss my classmates. Lastly, I will miss my core group of friends. Over my two years I surrounded myself with a group of people who have changed my life and allowed me to truly be myself, and I am incredibly grateful for them.

What advice do you have for future students?

I would advise future students to take every day in stride and treat it like it may be their last, have fun, make those memories, meet new people, get out of their comfort zone and push themselves. Life goes by fast and soon you will be looking back and reflecting on what you could have done, you are in control of that, so make it happen.

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