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Ruth Bonneville / Free Press Local MATURE GRAD Portrait of Jolene Sumner, who can’t hold back her tears of joy as she wears her cap and gown after overcoming odds to finally finish her schooling recently. Story: Jolene Sumner was a new resident of an inner-city homeless shelter with her three children. Her family lost everything they couldn't pack up into four suitcases, one each as per the Winnipeg Centre of Hope's protocols. A pest infestation in their rental had turned their skin jaundice and made them all incredibly ill. They had no choice but to flee, she says — it was not unlike a house fire. Utterly embarrassed, Sumner, 44, decided she had to find a way to pass the time while her kids went to school this winter. So she enrolled in Grade 12. The fifth time proved to be the charm for Sumner. She is graduating this spring as a valedictorian of her class and feeling more optimistic than ever before. See story by Maggie June 23, 2026