Undergraduate student Keesha Nurse was named the recipient of an award from the Fondation franco-ontarienne on May 5.
Nurse, a third-year international studies student at York University’s Glendon Campus, was recognized for her outstanding contribution to the development of La Francophonie during the first of two events titled “Soirée Saphir.”
Fondation franco-ontarienne unveiled and recognized three southern Ontario recipients for awards in the following categories: Community Engagement, Youth and Professional.
Laureate in the “Youth” category, Nurse stood out for her commitment and the work she does to cultivate strong ties and a sense of belonging with the francophone community. Although her commitment towards La Francophonie began well before her arrival at the post-secondary level, it is the strength of her work at Glendon Campus that was highlighted.
A proud Franco-Ontarian from Toronto, Nurse passionately and actively shares her love of the French language and francophone culture with others at Glendon, helping students increase their opportunities to express themselves, improve their oral communication in French, and discover La Francophonie’s diversity and the ways it can enrich their personal and professional lives.
Her involvement in La Francophonie at Glendon includes:
- the monthly programming she designs and coordinates for the Salon francophone, her active involvement in La Semaine de la Francophonie etc.;
- the survey she built and administered to fellow Glendonites to find out their opinions and needs for French-language services on campus; and
- the different camps for high school students (leadership, post-secondary transition, Olympiades linguistiques etc.) that she helped facilitate.
“I would like to congratulate and thank Keesha for her involvement in shaping and enriching Glendon’s bilingual campus,” said Glendon Campus Principal Donald Ipperciel. “Her initiatives have given francophone and Francophile students a voice, and increased interest towards cultural programming that reflects a vibrant plural Francophonie.
“Keesha is one of the outstanding students which the Glendon academic community is privileged to teach, to interact with and to count among the Glendon family. She is a model of francophone success for the community and especially for the young people who will succeed her,” he added.