Ontario’s first-ever Poet Laureate will deliver address to college’s graduates from Welland campus on Friday
Published October 25, 2021 at 11:03 am
Ontario’s first-ever Poet Laureate will deliver the convocation address for 1,000 Niagara College graduates at the virtual event this Friday (October 29).
The position of Poet Laureate was created in the memory of Canadian singer-songwriter Gord Downie from The Tragically Hip and was awarded to Scarborough’s Randell Adjei back in April.
As Poet Laureate for a two-year term, Adjei is dedicated to writing and championing poetry, art and literacy, celebrating Ontario and its people, and raising the profile of poets in the province.
Adjei is a celebrated spoken word artist who has performed around the world. He has won multiple awards for his dedication to helping youth express themselves creatively through performance arts as the founder of RISE (Reaching Intelligent Souls Everywhere) Edutainment.
For his part, Adjei is thrilled to be part of the event. “I am ecstatic to be addressing the Class of 2021 graduates at Niagara College because it is a pivotal time in their lives,” he said.
Adjei added, “Niagara has often been a place of getaway and rejuvenation for me. Also given Niagara’s approach to learning and education, I am really looking forward to being involved.”
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The college, in turn, will be given him an Honorary Diploma in Community Studies upon Adjei in recognition of his contributions to the literary arts, which serve to unite and bring attention to social injustice.
Two separate convocation ceremonies will be livestreamed from the Welland Campus on October 29: the 10 a.m. ceremony will celebrate new graduates from the college’s schools of Business and Management, the Canadian Food and Wine Institute, Hospitality and Tourism, and Trades.
The 2 p.m. ceremony will be dedicated to the schools of Academic, Liberal and Access Studies; Applied Health; Community Services; Justice and Fitness; and Nursing and Personal Support Worker Studies.
For information about convocation or to access the virtual ceremonies, visit niagaracollege.ca/virtualconvocation/
(Photo of Randell Adjei courtesy of Niagara College)
