BC Celebrates Graduates in the Lower Mainland
Student's family and friends gathered in Burnaby and Surrey at the end of October to celebrate the graduation of CDI College students from Burnaby, Vancouver, Surrey and Abbotsford.
The fall convocations marked the conclusion of several months of dedication and determination for grads from the four campuses. This season's graduates include candidates from CDI College's technology, business and health care training programs.
More than 250 graduates arrived in cap and gown to receive their diplomas and officially embark on their new career paths. Grads were addressed by local MLAs, local business leaders, as well as Burnaby mayor Derrick Corrigan and Senator Gerry St. Germain.
Valedictorians from each campus were also recognized for their outstanding achievement - Jesse Turner from the Burnaby Network and Database Administrator program, Melissa Rathor from the Abbotsford Addictions and Community Services Worker program, Clemence Andrews from the Surrey Law Enforcement Foundations program and a student from the Vancouver Addictions and Community Service Worker program.
Two Intra-Oral Dental Assistant graduates were also recognized by Patterson Dental as Clinicians of the Year, Ann Tran from Surrey and Alina Aslamzada from Burnaby.
CDI College would like to take this opportunity to congratulate all grads for completing their programs and wishes everyone the best of luck in their future careers!
Links of the Week
BC Grad Photos: facebook.com/CDICollege
Massage for a Cause: cdicollege.ca/All-News
Halloween Costume Contest Winner: facebook.com/CDICollege
November 2010 Newsletter
CDI College Alumni - We Want to Hear From You!
Are you a CDI College grad? We'd like to hear from you! We're looking for some CDI College alumni to tell us about their college experience at CDI. If you submit an entry, you'll be eligible to win one of many prizes including a $75 Keg gift card, one of three $50 Cactus Club gift cards or one of ten $10 Starbucks gift cards.
All you need to do is answer five questions in about 100 words or more:
- Which campus did you attend and what program did you take?
- Why did you choose to pursue the career you have?
- How did the CDI College program you graduated from change your life?
- What part of your education stands out in your mind?
- If you were to give one piece of advice to a student considering taking that program, what would it be?
Write as much as you want and don't worry about spelling. Send your responses with your name, contact information and campus location in a Word document to contest@cdicollege.ca by Monday, November 15, 2010 by 5:00pm (PST). Please put ALUMNI in the subject line of your e-mail.
The top entries will each win a gift card to the Cactus Club or the Keg. Runners up will win Starbucks coffee cards. Don't wait. Enter today!
CDI College Graduations Across the Country
BC isn't the only province celebrating graduations this season - Winnipeg held its latest graduation ceremony on November 6, 2010 and the Edmonton North campus will recognize its latest graduates on November 12, 2010.
In Winnipeg, family, friends and graduates were treated to performances by CDI's Got Talent winners, Marissa Mapatac and Mitchell Diaz, as well as a magic show put on by one of CDI College's own students who performs an act in Las Vegas.
Most importantly, everyone's hard work and dedication was recognized with the distribution of diplomas.
Previous Winnipeg graduates have secured jobs straight after graduation, and we have no doubt that this year's graduates will do the same. Despite personal challenges, CDI College graduates have been able to accomplish their goals, thanks to the support they receive at school.
"Going to school with a one year old and finding the time for my child and studies was my biggest challenge," said Jenna Brindle of Winnipeg. "CDI worked with me to accomplish what I needed to do."
Do you have a story idea or question you'd like answered in next month's newsletter? Send along your ideas or questions to stories@cdicollege.ca!
Job Search Tips
You're about to graduate from college, but how do you translate your new skills into a dream job? The first step is to create a job search strategy. Before you finish school, talk with business owners and department managers to discover what jobs may be on the horizon. Keep in contact with those businesses and let your friends, family, contacts, teachers and peers know where you want to work and what type of work you want to do - this will open doors for you when you graduate and give you that backstage pass into your new career.
Be sure to use all the tools available to you at school including help in writing your resume and cover letter, practicum placements and access to computer labs to search for online job postings. Some of the best resources for job search exist before you leave the classroom.
Find out more about the student services available to you on campus!
Halloween Costume Winner
It looks like everyone had a great Halloween and we were happy to see so many unique costumes! From Montreal to Vancouver, you all stepped up and celebrated the holiday in style.
Only one of you could win the costume contest, though. Congratulations to Justin Freeman from the Ajax campus, winner of the first annual CDI College Halloween Costume Contest! Justin entered a photo of his cowboy costume.
Campus locations across the country held potlucks, parties and Halloween themed decorating contests. If you haven't already checked out the photos on Facebook, now's a great time to see what Burnaby, Winnipeg, Richmond and Surrey have been up to!
While Halloween may be over, this may be the perfect time to get head start on next year's costume. We'd love to see just how creative you can get!
Volunteer Opportunities
Can volunteer work really help your career? Of course it can. Work is work and a potential employer is not concerned with how much you received in compensation for your experience, but rather how it will help their business. Skills like teamwork, negotiation, organizing, communication and administration make you a better rounded, more employable individual and, if these skills were gained through volunteer experience, add them to your resume. When adding volunteer work experience to your resume remember these three points:
- Match your volunteer experience to the job you are applying for.
- Explain your volunteer successes.
- Showcase your volunteer work.
The bottom line is that volunteer experience is both rewarding and is a valuable addition to your resume. Find out how CDI College can help you build a resume that will get noticed!
November 2010 Newsletter
Massage for a Cause
Students and staff in the Massage Therapy programs at CDI College campuses in Calgary and Edmonton are set to help some of Alberta's 8,500 homeless citizens afford provincial identification cards.
Students at the Edmonton North and Calgary North campuses invite the public to attend their massage clinics for an hour-long massage, with all proceeds going to a good cause. Funds raised from the cost of the massage sessions will be donated to local agencies to help homeless people pay the $12.30 for an ID card.
The Massage for a Cause campaign is a win-win situation - clients receive an affordable therapeutic massage, and the funds generated by the Massage for a Cause campaign will go toward helping the homeless obtain provincial IDs that will enable them to open bank accounts, access housing, vote and more.
Find out more about the Massage Therapy and Advanced Massage Therapy programs at CDI College right here.
Do you participate in any charitable holiday events? We're looking to feature different charities, voluteer opportunities and charitable events during the month of December and we'd love to hear from you! Send in your stories or events at stories@cdicollege.ca.