Today marks a milestone in the lives of grade 12 students at W.C. Miller Collegiate in Altona.

It's graduation day.

"I am extremely relieved, but also extremely nervous," said Mackenzie Friesen, valedictorian for Miller's Class of 2024. "I have been thinking about graduation, obviously, all my life. I've gotten really involved in my school over the last few years and so I'm leaving a lot behind. But I know I'll be able to come back. A new beginning and also the end of some things."

Friesen has immersed herself in the high school experience - student council, band, jazz band, choir, vocal jazz, musicals, drama, improv club, multiple sports teams, including captain of this year's soccer team.

She admits that her inability to say 'no' is partially responsible for her level of involvement. Friesen was also motivated by the value she placed on making connections, both with fellow students and teachers, as well as her personal goals.

"Some of that was just making myself do things, even though it was a little bit outside my comfort zone."

Friesen credits those experiences for giving her a meaningful education, one she expects will serve her well in the future. 

"Especially my social skills. I've learned a lot about how to talk to people and how to relate to different types of people on different levels because I've been involved in so many different things. I can talk to a lot of different types of people and connect with them in a way that not everyone can do. Which I found is really cool and especially being in things like band and choir and sports. It's taught me a lot about dedication and being part of a team and working towards one goal."

How does Friesen characterize the Class of 2024?

"We have a lot of different people who do a lot of different things. We were the grade nine class when COVID hit us really hard. Our first experience in high school was very different than most people's experience in high school. That kind of changed how we how we related to things, how we did our schoolwork and which people we had as friends. Because we were separated half and half in grade nine, that in itself made us very diverse. We still connect to each other, even though we're very different people."

In the fall of 2025, Friesen plans to enroll in the University of North Dakota's pre-med program with hopes of becoming a dermatologist.


~With files from Candace Derksen~

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