Conestoga news

April 10, 2016 8:40 AM

Students and mentors honoured at awards ceremony

The School of Health & Life Sciences and Community Services honoured students and mentors at an awards ceremony held April 7 at the Doon campus. This year the event celebrated the excellence and outstanding achievement of 75 individuals - the greatest number recognized to date.

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President’s Degree Scholarships were awarded to students Leah Kittle, Sarah Luis, Marlee Darrach and William Homerston at the School of Health & Life Sciences and Community Services Awards Celebration on April 7.

New awards for 2015-16 included the Transchem Community Contribution Awards which recognize students and mentors who have given back to their community and made positive contributions to an individual or group through their program. Recipients were students Brittany Baker, Katherine Chan, Chris Sharpe, Mary Margaret Talbot, Mary Tisdall and mentors Ted Mahy of Riverside Glen and Gwyn Roberts-Gill of the Waterloo Region District School Board.

The Primary Response Security and Investigation Awards were established this year to recognize students in Community Safety programs. These students were nominated by their programs as those who best exhibit characteristics embodying interprofessional practice and team work. Recipients were students Jenny Cordoba-Gomez, Curtis Cressman, Dan Dreer, Jonathan English, Joshua Wagler, Josh Wilkinson and preceptors Gael Gilbert of Supportive Housing of Waterloo and Al Steeves from the Kitchener Fire Department.

Also new this year were the CIBC Community of Caring Awards for students at Conestoga’s living classrooms at Riverside Glen and University Gates long-term care facilities. Students were nominated by faculty based on their performance on care practice in labs. The 2016 recipients were Kayla Hargrave and Brenda Foss.

The Schlegel Scholarship for Aging was established to recognize students studying at the living classrooms as well. Recipients for this award must be outstanding team players who seek innovative ideas and solutions while assuming a leadership role with their peers. Recipients for 2016 were Kayla Pryce and Leanne Taylor.

In addition to the new awards, the ceremony marked a number of firsts for health care and community services students. For the first time, a student from the School’s new Community Integration through Cooperative Education program was recognized with a college-wide award. Yvonne Spicer received the Neil Aitchison Conestoga Students Inc. Scholarship.

The School also celebrated first-time award winners for the college-wide Scotiabank Global Citizenship Awards. Recipients were Ashlyn Baer, Trilby Ball, Cassey Moses and Paige Shirk.

Conestoga’s School of Health & Life Sciences and Community Services delivers a comprehensive array of career-focused programs that combine theoretical and hands-on learning to support our community’s growing need for individuals with the skills, knowledge and determination to make a difference.

For more information about the School of Health & Life Sciences and Community Services, visit the website