Tracey Gergulich

Tracey Gergulich – BA, BEd
Valedictorian

Tracey Gergulich has always had a passion for education.

She ran a home daycare for seven years before becoming an educational assistant at Strathcona School. It was there she learned about The University of Winnipeg’s Community-Based Aboriginal Teacher Education Program (CATEP) from a co-worker.

Now, after six years of attending classes part time in the fall and winter and full time in the spring and summer, she’s graduating from UWinnipeg.

Gergulich says her experience in CATEP has been lifechanging.

“If I could go back and give myself advice on university, it would be that I should have started sooner,” she said. “Now that I have graduated, I have secured a teaching position in the Winnipeg School Division at Machray Elementary School teaching Grades 1 and 2. I love it.”

“The impact I want to have on students is that I want them to love school and to see the value in learning.”

Amidst the many ups and downs she experienced throughout her studies, Gergulich clearly recalls the specific moment she knew she was going down the right path and setting herself up to achieve her dreams.

“My most memorable moment was making the Dean’s List the first time, because it validated that I was on the right path,” she recalled. “It kept me motivated to apply myself and was recognition of all the hard work and sacrifice I had put into my studies.”

She also credits the incredible faculty members who’ve inspired her during her academic journey, including Paul Depasquale, who encouraged her to do a deep dive into her family’s Indigenous history.

As she looks ahead to life after university, Gergulich’s advice for the Class of 2022 is simple: never stop learning.

“Even if you’re not in university anymore and you’ve found your dream job, always pursue a deeper knowledge of what it is you’re doing,” she said. “It will make you more credible, capable, and confident.”