The Departments of Social Science and Communication Studies hosted their joint Student Awards Ceremony at the Underground on Nov. 22 to celebrate the accomplishments of outstanding students. Celebrated annually for the past 12 years, the event drew a crowd of more than 100 people to honour a group of students whose scholarly accomplishments were matched only by their broad-ranging social commitments and determination to “make a difference”, both as students and as engaged citizens.
This spirit of strong social purpose imbued the opening remarks from Professors Amanda Glasbeek, Chair of Social Science, and Mary-Louise Craven, Undergraduate Program Director in Communication Studies, as they welcomed this year’s award recipients with their family and friends, along with faculty members and staff. Associate Dean Kate McPherson, attending on behalf of Dean Ananya Mukherjee-Reed, added enthusiastic congratulatory remarks of her own. Capturing a sense of pride and complicity with the budding scholars felt by many faculty in attendance, Professor Craven humorously noted: “Thank you for all those special ‘A’ papers that made our job worthwhile and… much easier”.
The reception preceding the ceremony allowed students to mingle with professors, retired faculty, and family members. During the reception, a number of memorial awards honouring long-standing members of the former Division of Social Science, such as Professors Ellen Baar and Gina Feldberg, and communication scholars Arthur Siegel and Jerry Durlak, were presented.
Following the opening remarks, Carl Baar launched the formal accolades, presenting the Ellen Baar Award, in memory of his late wife, to law & society major Endi Batino (also doing a minor in history).
This year, the Department of Communication Studies honoured six of its top students, including Bradley Ferns, twice a recipient at last year’s ceremony who this year earned the Arthur Siegel Memorial Award from the late scholar’s daughter, Alisa Siegel.
The Department of Social Science saw 36 students in their different programs receive a total of 38 awards, with two students earning two awards each in their respective fields. Urban studies major Bryan Mark, who is double-majoring in film (screenwriting), received the Frances Frisken Urban Studies Prize as well as the Lynn M. Bell Urban Studies Achievement Award; and, Bradley Wilson who graduated with top honours in health & society this past June, crowned the HESO 4th Year Book Prize with the Gina Feldberg Prize.
Professor Megan Davies and other professors in the health & society program were warmly thanked by Sadaf Khursheed when she received the 2nd Year HESO book prize.
Each of the nine programs in Social Science had a number of awards to offer. Anecdotes and heartfelt praise flowed as many of the recipients were introduced by faculty members who had nominated them. Students’ involvements outside the classroom were no less impressive, covering many social and political issues they vowed to tackle both at the local and global levels. For instance, in the urban studies program, both Amber Ghosh and Avery Donsky were recipients of the Marion Miller Urban Studies Award for their leadership roles in FUSS (the Federation of Urban Studies Students).
One of the awards in criminology honours an inspiring youth, Joshua Yasay, who was acriminology major and community activist when he was tragically killed two years ago. Rossana Tamburro received the Joshua Yasay Memorial Award, presented by the Yasay family in a poignant tribute to their son.
Following the program-specific awards, the Department of Social Science concluded with five departmental awards open to all its students: the David L. J. Sealy Award (Krisna Saravanamuttu), the Lillian Lerman Book Prize (Gunwa Jaouhari), the Department of Social Science Award (Aria Kamal), the Gordon Lowther Scholarship (Zachary Goldford), and the Otto Friedman Memorial Scholarship (Alexander Gordon and Danika Goshulak).
Department of Communication Studies
Eric Koch Award – Sophia Goshulak
Penny Jolliffe Scholarship – Hailey Sarsam
Reva Orlicky Memorial & Founding Friends Award – Cheyenne Alexander-Legerton
Dalton Kehoe Prize – Jade Robertson
Jerry Durlak Prize – Cassandra Popescu
Arthur Siegel Memorial Award – Bradley Ferns
Department of Social Science
African Studies
Esiri Dafiewhare Scholarship – Angela Ouma
Stevenson Scholarship in African Studies – Edna Appiah-Kubi and Alexandra Koster-Pickering
Business & Society
Business & Society Honours Award – Mohib Paracha
Alterna Social Economy Scholarship in Honour of Haswell B. Iron – Eunice Kays
Criminology
Criminology Honours Scholarship – Anthony Malone
Criminology 1650 Book Prize – Melissa Ayisi
Joshua Yasay Memorial Scholarship – Rosanna Tamburro
Health & Society
Health and Society Book Prize 2nd Year HESO – Sadaf Khursheed
Health and Society Book Prize 3rd Year HESO – Ryan Torrence
Health and Society Book Prize 4th Year HESO – Bradley Wilson
Gina Feldberg Prize – Bradley Wilson
International Development Studies
International Development Studies Honours Award – Yesica Ayme Bustamante
Latin American & Caribbean Studies
Latin American & Caribbean Studies Honours Award – Diego Herrera Vasquez
Lydia Covenay Burnett Bursary – Jessica Ashby
W.W. Anderson Award in Caribbean Studies – Israel Ceron Alsibar
Law & society
Law and Society Honours Prize – Proshat Babaeian Koopai
Law and Society Prize – Rebecca Rossi
Jane Banfield Prize – Delia Popo Harding, Brendan Toles and Martin Vuong
Social & Political Thought
Social & Political Thought Undergraduate Student Award – Dila Vardal
Urban Studies
Frances Frisken Urban Studies Prize – Bryan Mark
Lynn M. Bell Urban Studies Achievement Award – Bryan Mark
Christine L. Sgro Entrance Award – Fatima Wajhat
Mohamed Naim Malik Scholarship – Mohammed Abdelmutti
Social Science 3700 Urban Studies Prize – Recheta Lieu
Marion Miller Urban Studies Award (3000-level) – Aratrika Amber Ghosh
Marion Miller Urban Studies Award (4000-level) – Avery Doering
Work & Labour Studies
Labour Studies Student Achievement Prize – Christopher-Michael Flynn
Neil Reimer Scholarship – Maninder Ajimal
Social Science – Whole Department
Ellen Baar Award in Social Sciences – Endi Batino
Gordon Lowther Scholarship – Zackary Goldford
Otto Friedman Memorial Scholarship – Alexander Gordon and Danika Goshulak
Lillian Lerman Book Prize – Gunwa Jaouhari
Department of Social Science Award –Aria Kamal
David L. J. Sealy Award – Krisna Saravanamuttu