On December 1, 18 students in degree programs at Conestoga College received a total of $26,000 in entrance scholarships at a special evening event hosted by Dr. John Tibbits, President of Conestoga, and William Dahms, LL.B., Chair of Conestoga's Board of Governors. The event took place at the Doon campus in Kitchener.
Most of these scholarships were presented to students now in the first semester of their first year at Conestoga, but several went to "bridging" students, who have already completed a college diploma or university degree and have gained entry into the first semester of the third year of these four-year baccalaureate programs.
Receipt of these scholarships is based on academic excellence achieved in the most recent period of study prior to entering Conestoga. Scholarship sponsors include the College, the Alumni Association of Conestoga College, COM DEV International, Manulife Financial and Melloul Blamey Construction Inc.
Attending were the winners, their families, College officials and faculty, scholarship sponsor representatives, and teachers identified by the winners as having had a major formative influence on them.
The roster of entrance scholarship winners is as follows.
Program: Architecture - Project and Facility Management
Christopher Marion of Waterloo is the winner of a $2,000 scholarship from Conestoga College for achieving the highest standing of any student entering the first year of the program. He is a graduate of St. David Catholic Secondary School and St. Louis Adult Learning Centre. In addition to his interest in design and construction, he also enjoys involvement in sports, woodworking, music and painting.
Jonathan Martin of Drayton is the winner of a $1,000 scholarship from Conestoga College for the second-highest standing of any student entering the program. He graduated from Norwell District Secondary School.
Ryan Samworth of Goderich achieved the third-highest academic standing and is winner of a $1,000 scholarship sponsored by Conestoga College. A multi-sport athlete and avid hockey player, he graduated from Goderich District Collegiate Institute.
Lee-Ann Smith of Sunderland and Kristijan Urban of Guelph are co-winners of a bridging scholarship. Each receives $1,000 for the highest academic standing by a Conestoga diploma graduate entering the third year of the program. Both graduated from the Architecture - Construction Engineering Technology program -- Kristijan in 2004, Lee-Ann in 2005. Kristijan's scholarship is sponsored by Melloul Blamey Construction Inc. Lee-Ann's is sponsored by the Alumni Association of Conestoga College. Before entering their diploma program at Conestoga, Lee-Ann graduated from Brock High School (Cannington) and Kristijan graduated from Centennial Collegiate and Vocational Institute.
Wojciech Podolan of London is the winner of a $1,000 bridging scholarship sponsored by Conestoga College, for entering the third year of study with the highest academic standing of any student who is a graduate of another college. He completed the Architectural Technology program at Sheridan College and is also a graduate of St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Secondary School.
Program: Health Informatics Management
Shiva Monzavi of Kitchener is the winner of a $2,000 scholarship, sponsored by Manulife Financial, for having the highest marks of any student entering the program. A native of Iran, Shiva immigrated to Canada in 2004 and is a graduate of St. Louis Adult Learning Centre.
Sheetal Rajkumari achieved the second-highest average and is the winner of a $1,000 scholarship sponsored by Conestoga College. She is from Toronto and graduated from East York Collegiate Institute. A native of India, she immigrated to Canada with her family three years ago and hopes eventually to earn a master's degree.
Lindsay Willits of Wingham is a graduate of F.E. Madill Secondary School and the winner of a $1,000 scholarship for the third-best academic standing entering the program. The scholarship sponsor is Conestoga College. She also has been an active volunteer at Wingham and District Hospital, the Belmore Community Centre and the Howick Turnberry Fall Fair.
Program: Integrated Advanced Manufacturing Technologies
Joshua Brennan of New Hamburg achieved the top marks of any student entering the program and is the winner of a $2,000 scholarship sponsored by Conestoga College. He is a graduate of Waterloo-Oxford District Secondary School.
Daniel Baillargeon of Cambridge graduated from Galt Collegiate Institute and Vocational School, and is winner of a $1,000 scholarship from COM DEV International for achieving the second-highest standing of any student entering the program. He has won several awards in industrial design, technical studies and manufacturing technology.
Willem Bijlsma of Alma is the winner of a $1,000 scholarship from Conestoga College for the third-highest academic standing entering the program. A native of the Netherlands, he is a graduate of Centre Wellington District High School and Wellington Heights Secondary School.
Kathleen Rodgers of Cambridge is the winner of a $1,000 bridging scholarship from the Alumni Association of Conestoga College, for having the highest marks of a Conestoga graduate entering the third year of the program. She graduated from the Mechanical Engineering Technology - Design and Analysis diploma program in 2004 and hopes eventually to establish her own design engineering company.
Program: Integrated Telecommunication and Computer Technologies
Aaron Thorpe of Kitchener is the winner of the Vice-President, Academic Scholarship (Technology), a $2,000 award sponsored by David Burns, Conestoga's academic vice-president, for achieving the highest marks of any student entering a technology degree program. He is also the winner of a $2,000 scholarship from Conestoga College for best academic achievement by a student entering the program. He is a graduate of Forest Heights Collegiate Institute and his experience as a volunteer working at a medical clinic in Africa has instilled in him a desire to return there as a professional engineer, aiding international development. His final-year academic average at Forest Heights was 92.40.
Kirubaharan Vallipuram of Waterloo is winner of a $1,000 scholarship, sponsored by COM DEV International, for the second-highest academic standing entering the program. He is a graduate of Georges Vanier High School in Toronto and hopes to eventually run his own business.
Jordan Wisniewski of Cambridge is the winner of a $1,000 scholarship from Conestoga College for achieving the third-highest standing of a student entering the program. He is a graduate of St. Benedict Catholic Secondary School.
Program: Nursing
Melissa Bacon of Waterloo is the winner of the Vice-President, Academic Scholarship (Health Sciences), a $2,000 award sponsored by David Burns, Conestoga's academic vice-president, for achieving the highest marks of any student entering a health sciences degree program. She is a graduate of Bluevale Collegiate Institute, and hopes to pursue a career in oncological or medical-surgical nursing, or as a nurse practitioner. Her final-year academic average at Bluevale was 92.67.
Elisabeth Caskenette of Cambridge is the winner of a $2,000 scholarship, sponsored by Manulife Financial, for achieving the top qualifying average of students entering the first year of study. A trained potter who has also worked on native reserves and as part of a relief mission in West Africa, she completed studies at St. Louis Adult Learning Centre.
CONTACT: Jal Wadia, 519-748-5220, ext. 2240, jwadia@conestogac.on.ca