On June 29, 2026, Taking Charge! was honoured to celebrate the achievements of nine students who accomplished their goal of receiving their Grade 12 Diploma. These students, like many Taking Charge! students, walked through our doors with goals of obtaining their education, breaking the cycle of poverty, and securing a better future for themselves and their children.
A student entering Taking Charge!’s building for the first time often presents with many possible barriers. Family responsibilities, generational and life traumas, addictions, mental health issues, and poor experiences with educational settings are common, preventing them from achieving the lives they desire. Throughout their time in our program, we have the privilege of seeing these same people overcome their personal barriers and show unparalleled determination, tenacity, and courage to attend programming day after day, challenging themselves and realizing their true potential. We see them connect with Taking Charge! staff and other students, and we get to see them begin to believe in themselves in ways they previously had not. Through their hard work, they get to know and understand themselves, discover their strengths, become more nurturing parents, and master skills they previously did not think they could ever learn.
Every June, we get to celebrate our students’ accomplishments and honour the journey they went on to achieve this milestone. Everyone at Taking Charge! is immensely proud of each and every graduate and were honoured to be able to watch them walk across the stage and receive their diploma. We know these students will move on to accomplish many more amazing things in the future, and we can’t wait to see what they do next.