Meet valedictorian Vedant Vaghela

Posted on Monday, June 15th, 2026

Why did you choose Algonquin College?Photo of valedictorian Vedant Vaghela

As I was planning to move to Canada to study biotechnology, I was trying to find out the best program to do so. I found two programs that were to my liking in Ontario — Seneca’s and Algonquin’s. I looked at their websites to compare and soon found out that Algonquin’s Ottawa Campus looked incredible. The gym, especially, was quite eye-catching with things like an indoor running track. Moreover, the location of the College itself mattered a lot to me. I saw photos of Ottawa and found how lush it was, how deep its history goes and how majestic the Parliament Buildings were. After all this I was fully convinced that Algonquin would be a great place for me and three years later, I can confidently say that it was.

What is your favourite memory from your time at Algonquin College?

My time at the Algonquin Students’ Association is by far my favorite memory from my time at Algonquin College. I had the pleasure of serving on the Board of Directors for the Students’ Association and that time was the most rewarding, enriching and exciting time for me on campus. I got to talk with so many students, got to make so many connections (including meeting with MPPs and city councilors!) and I was able to do a lot of important work to inspire a passion for student success, especially advocating for improved transit with OC Transpo. I was honoured to serve alongside seven great people who contributed greatly to improving student success and embodied Algonquin College’s values. My memories with the Students’ Association will forever remain priceless.

What does being named valedictorian mean to you?

I am extremely humbled and privileged to be named valedictorian. I was never expecting to receive such a big honour. I feel incredibly grateful to all the people that have supported me in this journey, and I feel that I dedicated this honour to them — my friends, my parents, my professors and my fellow directors from the SA. To me being named valedictorian means that I continue to do what I have always been doing — to work for the people and to help raise their voices up. When I ran to be the class representative, or to volunteer for IEC, or to be a student navigator or to be on the board, I only had one goal in mind: to ensure that nobody was left behind and that the concerns of the students were properly addressed. I hope to have achieved this in my three years at this College and this honour gives me confidence that I worked for the betterment of students’ lives on campus and off-campus.

What advice do you have for future students?

Don’t use AI.

What did you enjoy about your program?

The labs. Algonquin’s lab spaces are truly phenomenal, and you get so much hands-on experience. What’s more, all the techniques that you learn in the lab here match and often exceed what employers are looking for everywhere else, so once you actually start a co-op, internship or a job, you are much more prepared and can contribute to the team faster. I also enjoyed how varied the courses are in this program. Not only do you learn essential biotechnology skills, but you also learn organic chemistry, analytical chemistry, biochemistry, molecular biology and microbiology. This makes your knowledge much more varied and made it easier for me to apply for jobs in different fields. I loved this program!

Algonquin College’s 2026 Convocation ceremonies will take place from June 23-26, 2026, at the Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa. Graduates will participate in 12 ceremonies over four days.


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