The young woman, originally from Ivory Coast, was well received by her male classmates.

“I enjoyed experiencing the training with them. I had just arrived in Quebec and was pursuing my integration on almost all levels, be it culture, school and everything. It’s like I had complete integration. »

She did everything she could to get the diploma, which she received on Saturday. “What makes me most proud is that I didn’t give up. It was difficult, but I didn’t give up. I have outdone myself. I surprised myself. […] Also, I come from another country and I completed the exam without failure, which was really a strength for me. I was still amazed. »

It was clear to her that she wouldn’t have an office job. “I don’t like working on documents all day,” she answers spontaneously when asked why she likes physical and manual work.

A career as a mechanic was a childhood dream for her. “When I was little, I saw a woman doing mechanics. In my head it was only men who did this. I had this stereotype. Seeing that a woman could do that was a vehicle for me. I told myself I would do this when I was older. This is extraordinary,” she adds.

Reliability manager

Thanks to her training, Ewadjotchi Eunice Leïla Assouan is particularly able to carry out preventive and corrective maintenance work on various industrial installations, while ensuring their reliability. She now works at Tekna. Before settling in Quebec, the young woman completed her education in the French school system in Ivory Coast.

“I never told myself I couldn’t do it. I told myself that if I made it to Quebec, it was because I could do it. »

— Ewadjotchi Eunice Leïla Assouan, industrial maintenance engineering graduate from Cégep de Sherbrooke

Ewadjotchi Eunice Leïla Assouan would like to further specialize while working. She is also thinking about studying at university. “In the coming years I have no plans to stop working. I want to go to college at the same time I know what major I want [me spécialiser]. Then we’ll see what the future has in store for me. »

More than 1300 graduates

Parents and friends were present in large numbers on Saturday afternoon for the graduation ceremony in the large gymnasium of the Cégep de Sherbrooke Physical Activity Center.

In the 2022-2023 class, 507 people received a pre-university degree, 714 graduates completed a technical degree and 117 people received a university certificate or diploma after a recognition process.

During the ceremony, Éric Gagné, General Director of Cégep, also praised the importance of family support for students’ educational success.

“It’s one of the most beautiful days of the year,” he says. It gives meaning to what we do. It is really the result of many years of work for the students and also for our employees. »

The general director explains that the graduation rate has been quite stable in recent years.

The labor shortage poses an additional challenge for retaining students at the Cégep de Sherbrooke. “The passage rate has been low for several years [du secondaire au cégep] has stagnated in Estrie and perhaps even decreased because a young person can do well Work and be well paid with a high school diploma. He may not live with it all his life, but in the moment it often suits these young people. We want to make it clear to them that if they do not want to be forced to go back to school, it is better for them to have a degree,” notes the Director General.