Edmonton's valedictorians: Trinity Amable from Braemar School

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Trinity was born at a hospital in Cold Lake in room 3301. Little did she know that one day her son, Dionne, would be born in the very same room. As a young parent, Trinity began to feel lost due to a lack of support in her local area. Despite these obstacles, Trinity was resilient and determined to succeed. She started by searching online looking for jobs and new opportunities.

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After an internet search, Trinity stumbled across an article published by the Edmonton Sun featuring a story about a Braemar student. She learned that the Terra Centre partners with Braemar School to encourage young parents to complete their high school education.

Trinity welcomed this opportunity by saving money for three months before moving into a small basement suite. On July 1, 2022, this change in scenery marked the beginning of Trinity’s attendance at Braemar School.

Over the past two years, Trinity has worked diligently towards achieving her high school diploma. She has maintained exceptional academic achievement in all of her classes, all while raising her son. In addition to Trinity’s role as a dedicated parent, Trinity could always be relied on for help. Whether it be leading extra-curricular events or helping in the classroom, Trinity consistently had a hand to offer with a smile on her face. Alongside school and motherhood, Trinity found time to join Terra’s Collective Kitchen cooking classes and Promising Future fundraising events. Trinity actively engaged in Youth Leadership such as Terra’s Peers Educating Peers program.

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By speaking to teens at other schools, Trinity vocalized her knowledge and experiences of studenthood as a young mother. Trinity’s journey has not been easy, yet every challenge has only made her stronger and more resilient. With numerous awards in tow and her son by her side, Trinity plans to continue her education and looks forward to new experiences along the way.

Commencement address:

Growing up, my grandpa Bill used to tell me “It doesn’t matter if you got 10 per cent or 100 per cent, you tried your best.” His words stuck with me, like our favourite song No Matter What by Badfinger. With the opening lyrics. “No matter what you are I will always be with you.” Throughout my life, visiting museums across the Lakeland, taking me on trips across Canada, walking to the park, then A&W (our favourite spot in Cold Lake), he kept me safe, and I kept him young.

His love and support guided me. I remember when my son was seven months old, a newspaper article from the Edmonton Sun was handed to me by him. A beautiful teen mom Kiwi, had graduated as valedictorian at Braemar School. Discovering her story inspired me to move from Cold Lake and register at Braemar. Edmonton has become my home and the festival city moves me! When I started at Braemar, the principal at the time, Carrie asked me what my “end goal at Braemar was.”

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I would giggle at her and jokingly say, “Maybe I will become the valedictorian? Who knows!” openly putting that out into the universe—and somehow, the universe heard me. I can’t wait for what the next journey will bring, the lives we will all live.

The children that surround us will grow beside us, and for that, we all should be SO grateful, for every day to come. A quote I would like to end my commencement speech with: If milk gets bad, it becomes yogurt. Yogurt is more valuable than milk. If it gets even worse, it turns to cheese. Cheese is more valuable than yogurt and milk.

And if grape juice turns sour, it transforms into wine, which is even more expensive than grape juice. You are not bad because you made mistakes. Mistakes are the experiences that make you more valuable as a person. Alexander Fleming’s mistake led him to invent penicillin. So don’t let your mistakes get you down. It is not practice that makes perfect. It is the mistakes we make and what we learn from them.

What is your favourite thing about Edmonton?

This city is beautiful. I will be forever grateful for Mill Creek ravine.

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Who is your hero?

My Grandfather, Bill Heath

What is your favourite quote or expression?

“cha, as if!” – an Indigenous expression

What one word best describes your graduating class?

Resilient!

We often hear that, as a society, we are more divided than in the past. How can young leaders work to bridge differences between groups?

To normalize. We all bleed the same colour! I aspire to teach the generation healthy communication about race and gender and to be aware that racism is a learned trait. Racism classes should be mandatory in all schools, about the representation in media concerning racism, genocide due to racism and how greed and self-interests ARE root causes of racism. Many colours and cultures like myself, face daily… I would like to go to a store and not be followed due to my skin colour. Young leaders should be taught in schools to be humble to one another.

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