Regional Connections held its annual English class graduation celebration on June 11.
For students at Regional Connections Immigrant Services, June 11 was the “crowning glory of a year of really hard labour.”
This is how Rhoda Keck, the organization’s language program coordinator, describes graduation day, where the efforts of those learning English are celebrated each year.
“These students come in every day — winter, maybe summer, spring, fall — and they just dedicate themselves to building a better life here in Canada, and part of that is learning English,” she said.
Keck continued that throughout the year, Regional Connections staff witness the results of that hard work through the progress participants make, which makes graduation day special for them as well.
Regional Connections had its graduation celebration on June 11.
“Then for [the students] to come and have the courage to stand up in front of all these people and speak in a language that isn’t their first, by far, for some of them — it’s just amazing to see that growth in all of these students,” she said.
“You can’t even really say what it means to them …. Having English classes and having an opportunity to build a better life in this country that they came to means so much.”
Learning a new language is challenging enough, but Keck considers the accomplishments recognized on graduation day even more remarkable because students are also adjusting to life in a new environment.
“It’s such hard work. [Students] walk from across town in the middle of winter because they know they need to learn for a better life. It’s not easy for them. Everything is different here,” she explained.
“Every interaction that they have when they first arrive is foreign to them, and so to be able to watch them grow and … be able to interact with the staff and order coffee — some of them have never done that in their entire life, and now they’re here experiencing that and doing it in a different language.
“We don’t realize how … nerve-wracking it is for them, but it really is, and they’re able to do it. That’s just an amazing life experience. It sounds little, but it’s big.”
Rhoda Keck, language program coordinator, speaks at Regional Connections’ graduation.
One of the students who celebrated a milestone this year was Moussa Moustapha, who moved to the Pembina Valley from the Central African Republic in September 2025 with “zero English.”
“I started focusing on improving English by joining an English class at Regional Connections, [and] now I speak in English, I listen in it, I read it, I write it,” he said.
Moussa Moustapha speaking at Regional Connections’ graduation on June 11.
For Moustapha, the quick progress he’s shown is helpful in daily life — he said it has empowered him to make appointments, speak with his doctor, talk with cashiers and bank tellers, and get to know his neighbours.
According to him, another important reason to learn the language is to help his family.
“It is my responsibility to take care of my family. Now I [can look for] a good job to take care of my family,” he said.
“It is very important to me because English is the first language in the world. Many countries speak in English. If you speak in English, you don’t have a problem to travel anywhere in the world.”
He added that he also enjoys living in Canada, which he views as a country that respects international law, upholds human rights, and values “dignity and unity.”
For him, learning English is a way to participate, and he appreciates the process.
“I want to thank the government [for] this help,” he said. “I’m so grateful to have this opportunity.”
Moussa Moustapha being presented his certificate from Rhoda Keck.
Moustapha is one of 1,000 students participating in Regional Connections programs across the province, which Keck said are made possible through several grants.
“As I think everybody knows, there have been changes to immigration and that has affected us on the ground, but we’ve had so many different community grants and provincial grants and federal grants that have been given to us, so our numbers are pretty steady at what they’ve been throughout the years,” she said.
“We are really happy that so many received their certificates. It means so much to them. Some of them now will take these certificates and go on to apply for their Canadian citizenship, and they are so proud when they receive that.”
People with English class certificates at Regional Connections’ graduation.
Reflecting on the students she works with, Keck doesn’t hesitate when asked to describe them in three words.
“I’m going to say ‘brave.’ I’m going to say ‘fierce’ because they battle against so many things to achieve so much, and I’m going to say ‘humble.’
“They understand that they’ve been given an opportunity. They understand that this is a completely different world and they need to learn about this place, and that growth and that understanding never happens if there isn’t a humility of spirit,” she said.
Regional Connections provides services in multiple communities in rural Manitoba.
Regional Connections has 15 locations throughout Manitoba offering a variety of services.
Additional Programs:
