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Convocation
2025 Award Winners
Medicine Hat College celebrates convocation annually in June. Each year, four prestigious awards are presented at the ceremony in recognition of academic and teaching excellence and contributions made to the college and our communities.
Congratulations to the following 2025 award winners!
Honorary Applied Baccalaureate Degree
The Honorary Applied Baccalaureate Degree is the highest honour that MHC can bestow. This year, the college recognizes Willie Desjardins, a distinguished leader in Canadian hockey whose influence extends far beyond the game. As a coach, mentor, and advocate for education, he has shaped the lives of countless athletes, fostering both their athletic and personal growth.
His coaching career began in 1985 as an assistant at the University of Calgary, where he quickly demonstrated his ability to develop and inspire young athletes. He went on to coach in the Western Hockey League (WHL) and National Hockey League, before returning to Medicine Hat in 2019 to lead the Medicine Hat Tigers as head coach and general manager. With over 500 career wins in the WHL – and a very successful 2025 season – Desjardins is among the most accomplished coaches in league history. He also founded the South Alberta Hockey Academy with Prairie Rose Public Schools and is a key player in the high school’s South Alberta Flight Academy.
Governor General's Academic Medal
The historic Governor General’s Academic Medal was created in 1873 to encourage academic excellence across the nation and is presented to the student who achieves the highest overall average upon graduation. This year’s recipient is Kristine Klassen, a graduate of the Administrative Office Professional program.
Klassen’s education at MHC was a natural progression, starting with the GED prep course and exam and upgrading through Coulee Collegiate. She then enrolled in the before moving on to the Administrative Office Management program in the School of Business & Continuing Studies.
Described by her instructors as an exceptional student who helped build culture in the classroom with her open nature and positivity, Klassen is known as an excellent communicator, hard worker and high achiever.
MHC Student of the Year
The Student of the Year award goes to Bachelor of Education student, Anica Haberstock. Haberstock’s academic performance was outstanding throughout the program, which is offered in partnership with Mount Royal University. During her four years at MHC, she maintained a 4.0 GPA and earned a spot on the Medicine Hat College Deans’ List and the Mount Royal University President’s Honour Roll.
Haberstock was a collaborative and active participant in class, always present and ready to learn, while excelling in her coursework - regardless of subject - with deep, intuitive, and creative insights. She was also an active participant in the college community as an award winning, multi-sport student-athlete with the Rattlers women’s volleyball and soccer teams, assistant coach with the Rattlers women’s volleyball team, vice-president of the Rattlers Athletic Leadership Initiative, and president of the Education Undergraduate Society.
MHC Instructor of the Year
Nominated by students, the Instructor of the Year award goes to Dayna Felesky in recognition of her teaching expertise and professionalism.
As coordinator of the Sport & Event Marketing and Management program and an instructor in the Sport & Event and Business Administration programs, Felesky is passionate about her students and the subjects she teaches. Leveraging her wealth of experience as business owner, she enriches her teachings with industry examples to enhance students' understanding of the course content and cultivate meaningful learning experiences applied to real-life scenarios. Her students describe her as a transformational leader and a great role model.
