The best and brightest students of St. Peter’s College gathered with faculty, staff and guests at the Awards Ceremony held on Saturday, September 24. The day honours students who have achieved in the areas of academics and volunteerism for their work entering the College or during their previous years of university study.

St. Peter’s College offers over $100,000 annually in scholarships, awards and bursaries. That’s in addition to the awards that are available to students through the University of Saskatchewan, with which St. Peter’s College is affiliated. 

This year’s student body is a diverse group hailing from the local region, across Western Canada, and beyond. One of the awards winners, Brooke Lavergne, comes from the small farming community of Rosenort, MB, just outside of Winnipeg. For Brooke, it was a bit of an adventure discovering St. Peter’s and deciding to head 8 hours west. 

“I had recently graduated high school,” Lavergne explained, “And I’ve lived near Winnipeg my entire life, and so I thought why not have a change of scenery. We heard about St. Peter’s through an aunt, so I thought ‘why not!’. And here I am.”

Lavergne graduated from the school in her small community, so she says the relatively small class sizes available at St. Peter’s are a welcome feature. She enjoys the parkland environment and surroundings, and she’s been happy to meet a new group of friendly faces. Brooke plans to continue her studies in statistics at the U of S following her introductory year. 

Coming from about 8 hours in the other direction is Amarachaukwa Ahuakagha. The Nigerian born student comes to St. Peter’s via her home of Calgary to study pre-nursing. For her, St. Peter’s beckoned because of other criteria. 

“On the University of Saskatchewan’s website, there is a list of colleges where you can take your pre-nursing year, and St. Peter’s was the only Catholic one, so I chose it,” she explains. From its inception as a high school and into its current incarnation as a full service independent post-secondary campus, St. Peter’s College has maintained its roots in Benedictine tradition and study. For Ahuakagha, the faith grounding was a critical part of her decision. 

“I wanted a place that would ground me spiritually.”

Of course, many of the students are from the area and they or their parents have been connected in some fashion with the College for years. Paige Wuchner, from nearby St. Gregor, is one local student who’s been able to take advantage of a unique program at St. Peter’s. 

“I’ve been here since last year as an Accelerated Student along with another student from my class in Muenster,” she explains. “I loved it - it’s a great transition into university, with small classes. You get lots of help, and overall it was a great introduction.”

The Accelerated Scholarship program allows area students to take a university credit class in a year prior to their enrolling in the University of Saskatchewan. The credits earned during their grade 12 year can then be applied to a destined U of S program, giving the award winners a leg up on their university studies. Wuchner explains that, for her, the experience helped to establish strong time and study management practices and gave her an insight into university life. 

All three students were multi-award winners for the day. Many other first year and upper year students were the beneficiaries of College donors’ generosity. A lunch and social gathering time were a welcome feature of this year’s award ceremony, following several years of virtual celebrations. Winners are listed below.