On August 13, awards were presented to Conestoga’s top power engineering students during a ceremony at the college’s Kitchener - Doon campus.
Power engineering students gathered to celebrate their work at an awards ceremony on August 13.
The sixth annual Power Engineering Awards recognize students in power engineering programs for lab proficiency, leadership, academic and personal improvement, highest overall average and commitment to safety. Students also received more than $1,800 in cash prizes.
Charles Jenson, a student in the Power Engineering Techniques -- 4th Class program, won the Waterloo Manufacturing Power Engineering Lab Proficiency Award and credited the program’s professors for his success.
“I have really good teachers who taught me a lot,” commented Jenson, who plans on continuing his studies towards becoming a first-class power engineer, the highest level attainable.
George Ehigiamusoe, a graduating student in the Power Engineering Techniques -- 4th Class program, also thanked his instructor Damian Brellisford for his support towards earning the program’s highest academic average.
“I’d like to thank Damian. He’s a personal mentor,” said Ehigiamusoe, who also praised the college for its solid reputation, adding that it is one of the reasons he came from Nigeria to study in Canada.
“Conestoga is a good school, one of the top ones. That’s why I came here.”
Power engineering placement coordinator Tannis Gayler has been organizing these awards ceremonies for several years and spoke of their importance as part of the programs, and towards positively shaping power engineers of the future.
“In our power engineering programs, we value hands-on learning opportunities and we consider our awards program to be a part of this. The awards and ceremony help to foster a sense of teamwork and a positive culture, which are great attributes and experiences for students to bring forward to the workforce.”
Trades & Apprenticeship dean Suzanne Moyer added to the sentiment of connecting the awards to the overall curriculum of the power engineering programs.
“It’s important to recognize students for their accomplishments and commitment towards completing their challenging programs,” said Moyer.
“We strive to create a sense of community and belonging in our programs, and bringing students together to celebrate their work is a very important part of that.”
Gayler also added that cash prizes are a valuable component to helping students and providing them with a sense of accomplishment, and that they would not be possible without the help of donors like Bill Zister and John Murphy, power engineers themselves who were present at the ceremony.
Murphy outlined how his support is related to motivating students to see how much they can accomplish in the same way he was pushed to do so when he was a student.
“We’re trying to pass on to the next generation the encouragement to take that next step. Don’t stop just because you have your fourth class.”
Conestoga’s School of Trades & Apprenticeship offers several diploma and certificate programs in power engineering that prepare students to operate and maintain machinery and equipment that provide power, heat, refrigeration and other industrial services in large facilities, buildings, industrial power and process plants and thermal electric generating stations. Highly experienced faculty and state-of-the-art facilities support active, hands-on learning, providing students with the knowledge and skills required for a successful career in this field.