Lethbridge College’s Spring 2023 valedictorian Michael Kindley says he came to the college because of the excellent volleyball program and the chance to be a part of the great athletics community and culture the team is known for. But he stayed – for a full five years – because of the quality of education he received while representing the institution.
Kindley, who earned a perfect 4.0 GPA in the General Arts and Science program, will lead the procession of graduates and speak at one of the ceremonies set for May 26 in the Val Matteotti Gymnasium. He concurrently attended classes at the University of Lethbridge, where he is planning to graduate this spring with a Bachelor of Science degree in Neuroscience. He is now in the process of interviewing to attend dentistry school this fall.
“I am incredibly honoured to be acknowledged and to have this opportunity,” says Kindley, who grew up in Lethbridge, played with Lethbridge Volleyball Club and graduated from Lethbridge Collegiate Institute in 2018. “Any number of students would be excellent representatives of this grad class. Athletics and academics through this institution have given so much – be it instructors, coaches, athletic directors and staff – and I am happy to have returned on the faith that was placed in me.”
During Kindley’s time as a Kodiak, he received multiple awards recognizing his academic and athletic excellence, including being named captain from 2021 to 2023 and helping the team win two Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference silver medals and earn a fourth-place finish at the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association National Championships in 2020. In addition to excelling in the classroom and on the court, Kindley has also been active in the community, working as a volunteer coach to young volleyball players, a referee, a tutor to athletes needing academic support, and an instructor for 750 Kodiak Camp athletes.
“Michael epitomizes the idea that you can start at Lethbridge College and truly go anywhere – including all the way to dental school,” says Greg Gibos, General Arts and Science instructor and Kodiaks men’s volleyball coach. “He has been an incredible member of the Lethbridge College community while achieving his lifelong dream of changing lives through sport and medicine.”
General Arts and Science instructor Michael Granzow adds he was impressed with the way Kindley managed the often-competing demands of academics and athletics. “Michael is a highly engaged, thoughtful and dedicated student who went beyond simply fulfilling the criteria of his assignments to demonstrate a nuanced and sophisticated sociological understanding of topics,” Granzow says. “Balancing academic demands and those that come with being a student athlete is no easy task, and Michael has excelled.”
This year’s Spring Convocation ceremonies will be held at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Friday, May 26, in the Val Matteotti Gymnasium. For more information, go to lethbridgecollege.ca/convocation.