Pandemic Reflections - Rachelle Cara

Meet Rachelle Cara. Rachelle is a recent graduate of our Human Resource Management Diploma, completing her program this May. Rachelle and her classmates were among the students who faced the rapid pivot to online learning after UWinnipeg moved courses to online and alternate delivery in response to the COVID-19 pandemic declared in March 2020.

After about 11 months of their one-year program normally delivered in-person, our May 2019 intake students completed their last month of classes remotely. Under “normal” circumstances, PACE would have hosted a grad lunch for our students, transforming their classroom into a space to celebrate their hard work and accomplishments during the course of their program. A month ago, we hosted their celebration online instead.

“Dear Ashlie,

I want to start by thanking you for arranging the graduation celebration for our class in April. I appreciate the time and effort everyone at PACE put into making our 2020 graduation memorable.

I did not feel the joy, excitement, or accomplishment I thought I would feel after completing the year with the final exam on Friday. What I felt was numb, exhausted, and spent after finishing the last month and two exams at home… in social distancing (the new normal). Comparing how I felt to how I thought I would feel fell flat. It did not feel real until I joined our "Zoom Graduation Gathering" on Monday morning of April 20.

It was that moment I chose to invite celebration into my heart. I created a spot to indulge and brought a celebratory drink to my desk. During our celebration, I was able to reflect and "toast" to our group and our accomplishments for the past year. It was then that I allowed it to feel real for me and it felt good, not great, but good at this time is great for me!

On this day last year, I walked into the classroom with a mixture of emotions and dreams of what the future would bring to me as a fulltime student. I remember an instructor telling our class we would not be the same group as we were at that moment when we would meet for our final course together at the end of the program. She was right, I am not the same student that entered the university at the start of the program. As a 2020 graduate, I am proud of my accomplishments and have a new perspective on my growth, capabilities, and opportunities.

I can't thank you enough for allowing me to share my experiences with you and for supporting my growth as a student. I admire and respect what you and your team are doing for the university, the program, and the students. UW was my first choice when I was determining where I was going to go back to school. I am proud to say that I am an HRM graduate from the PACE program at The University of Winnipeg!"