Today is graduation day for grade 12 students at Morden Collegiate Institute. (MCI)
    
Valedictorian, Keenan Yaschyshyn describes his graduating class as hard-working and determined. 

Yaschyshyn says it feels good to know that the hard work put in over the last 13 years has paid off, especially in light of numerous challenges along the way, like getting used to first exams in grade nine, new teachers and school environment, hard course loads, and more recently getting used to remote learning. He said the MCI class of 2022 proved that no matter whatever challenges were thrown at them, they worked hard, and made sure it got done.

"It's a great honour to get to know everyone and have many many different memories. I sure won't forget," commented Yaschyshn about his peers. "We all connected in different ways, such as sports teams church, neighbours, and community events, and it got stronger once we all started middle school. Everybody made it super enjoyable, which made these 13 years go by in a blink of an eye."

Growing up playing a lot of sports, including hockey, baseball and volleyball, Yaschyshyn said one of his coaches said to him, "don't give up till the ref blows the whistle."

"So my message to the graduating class is, whatever life throws at you, no matter how hard it is, don't give up until the ref blows the whistle...whatever life holds after graduation, no matter how hard it is, never give up."  

After graduation Yaschyshyn plans to attend Lethbridge College in Alberta to study criminal justice and following that, he hopes to start a career in the RCMP.