{"id":90,"date":"2025-06-19T21:28:46","date_gmt":"2025-06-19T21:28:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.ufv.ca\/mola\/?p=90"},"modified":"2025-06-19T21:28:46","modified_gmt":"2025-06-19T21:28:46","slug":"honouring-language-and-legacy-mola-celebrates-halqemeylem-graduates","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.ufv.ca\/mola\/2025\/06\/19\/honouring-language-and-legacy-mola-celebrates-halqemeylem-graduates\/","title":{"rendered":"Honouring Language and Legacy: MOLA Celebrates Halq\u2019em\u00e9ylem Graduates"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"By Mar\u00eda Eugenia De Luna<\/em><\/p>\n

On June 18, 2025, a significant new chapter began at UFV\u2019s Chilliwack campus: the first graduating class of the Halq\u2019em\u00e9ylem Graduate Certificate<\/strong> and Graduate Diploma<\/strong> programs was celebrated in a heartfelt and joyous ceremony. These graduate-level credentials are offered through UFV\u2019s Faculty of Graduate Studies and the Modern Languages Institute (MOLA), in close partnership with Indigenous communities. They demonstrate a deep commitment to the revitalization and teaching of Halq\u2019em\u00e9ylem<\/strong>, the upriver dialect of Halkomelem and the traditional language of the St\u00f3:l\u014d people.<\/p>\n

Bringing these programs to life was not without challenges.<\/strong> Creating university-level credentials in an Indigenous language required sustained advocacy, collaboration, and a willingness to shift institutional norms. For many years, St\u00f3:l\u014d communities have called for formal recognition of Halq\u2019em\u00e9ylem learning. UFV worked together with Indigenous leaders, Elders, and educators to create space within academic structures for a program that is rooted in community priorities. The result is not only a new set of credentials, but a shared achievement grounded in trust, persistence, and respect.<\/p>\n

This celebration was more than an academic milestone. It was a moment of language revitalization, cultural affirmation, and community pride. As a language that was nearly silenced through colonial policies and residential schools, Halq\u2019em\u00e9ylem\u2019s presence at the heart of a university graduation affirms that language carries memory, connection, and future.<\/p>\n

MOLA proudly celebrates these graduates<\/strong> and the broader language revitalization work they represent. While the graduate programs are housed in the Faculty of Graduate Studies, they are delivered through MOLA and build upon the foundation of undergraduate Halq\u2019em\u00e9ylem courses<\/strong> long supported by the Modern Languages Institute. These courses have been central in expanding access to Indigenous language learning and in making space for St\u00f3:l\u014d worldviews in UFV classrooms.<\/p>\n

Six students completed the Graduate Diploma in Halq\u2019em\u00e9ylem:<\/strong><\/p>\n