Student award-winner celebrates convocation milestone

Thousands of UVic students and their families and friends will gather on campus this June to celebrate the achievement of an academic milestone. During Spring Convocation June 10-14th, ceremonies will be held to confer 3,777 degrees, diplomas and certificates.

The moment is extra special for Dominique Rochefort, a citizen of the Métis Nation, who will be accepting her BEd from UVic.

As a single Indigenous woman and mother of two young children, Rochefort didn’t believe she could realize her dream to become a teacher. 

Reflecting on her first year at UVic, she says, “I didn’t believe that I was qualified, that I was smart enough, that I was capable enough.”  

One of the turning points in Rochefort’s educational journey was receiving the Wendy Gedney Bursary in Elementary Education. Gedney also understood the challenges of being a single mom while attending university and quickly became a mentor and friend.   

 “I started to realize that if the university and the donors believed in me enough to make a significant contribution to my education, then I should really start believing in myself.”

This month Rochefort not only graduates but will receive a Maxwell Cameron Award from the BC Teachers’ Federation for the outstanding quality of her practice teaching, her top GPA and engagement in social justice. 

Read more of Rochefort’s story