Student leaders were recognized for their contributions at Glendon’s second annual Student Leadership Celebration, presented by Glendon Student Services in historic Glendon Hall on March 22.
Right: Winners of Glendon’s Student Leadership Awards
“The students we honour today have all distinguished themselves as effective leaders. Being a leader is hard work. It requires effort, determination, tenacity and perseverance; it takes commitment and it comes with plenty of challenges along the way,” said Rosanna Furgiuele, associate principal student services. “Leaders are defined by the way they view challenges. They choose to see these as stepping stones, not as obstacles; as opportunities for change, not as sources of discouragement; as a springboard for personal growth, not as an excuse for apathy.”
Left: From left, Aaron Rodrigues; Vice-President Students Rob Tiffin; Vedrana Cetrina, Glendon Principal Ken McRoberts; Rosanna Furgiuele, associate principal student services, and Margaret Wallace
The New Leader Awards went to Vivian Shahriar Bahrami and Sarah Byrnes, two students who recently became involved in student activities, demonstrating strong commitment and leadership potential.
Five Outstanding Contribution Awards were handed out – the Residence Life Award to Dani Richardson, two Student Life Awards, one to Méliane Étien, the other to Shareefah René, a Governance Award to Jaclyn Volkhammer and a Student Spirit Award to Keith Morris.
Right: Tiffin (left), McRoberts and Aurelien Muller
Caroline Grenier, Glendon’s residence life coordinator, outlined this year’s special activities and improvements in Glendon’s residence life, including an active Environment Committee, the revitalization and restructuring of the Residence Advisory Committee, and an enthusiastic Social Committee. “[Glendon’s] Wood Residence is proud of having organized the highest number of events among all of York University’s residences,” said Grenier. “Next year, we will be implementing a bilingual house and a ‘green’ floor in our residences.”
Left: From left, Chad Craig, manager of communication, public relations & recruitment for the Faculty of Graduate Studies, Tiffin, Méliane Étien , McRoberts and Furgiuele
There were so many good leaders nominated this year that it was hard to choose, said Fiona Kay, student financial services manager. “For this reason, for the first time ever, the selection committee chose to award seven honourable mentions, each of whom will receive a Glendon diploma frame in recognition of their achievement.” The honourable mention winners were Julissa Alvarez, Cécile Bérodier, Sarah Khan, Karène Kwan-Tat, Aurelien (Mac) Muller, Mohamed Noorani, Alexandra Ross and Nicholas Torti.
Right: Furgiuele (left) congratulates Sarah Khan
Oscar Mera-Burbano, president of the Glendon College Student Union, spoke of the many challenges facing student leaders. “Being a leader is tough, but very rewarding,” he said. “The exact ingredients of leadership are hard to pinpoint and vary with each individual. It isn’t always glamorous work and patience is very important. You need to have a clear idea of your leadership goals and a desire to make a difference.”
The David McQueen Award, honouring a longtime professor and former principal of Glendon, was given to Jameela Pereira for her active four-year commitment to student life and to bettering the Glendon community.
The John S. Proctor Award for outstanding service at Glendon Athletics was presented to Vedrana Cetrina, who works at reception and registration at Proctor Field House. Margaret Wallace, director of the Glendon Athletic Club, and assistant director Aaron Rodrigues were on hand to praise Cetrina’s cheerful dedication and service above and beyond the call of duty.
Left: From left, Tiffin, McRoberts, Tamaisha Eytle and Furgiuele
Glendon alumnus Chad Craig, manager of communications, public relations and recruitment at York’s Faculty of Graduate Studies, as well as president and director of the Board of Directors of Friends of Glendon, a non-profit organization contributing to scholarships and bursaries for Glendon students since 1971, praised the tightly connected and committed community of Glendon.
“Student involvement just keeps on increasing,” said Craig. He was on hand to give out the Friends of Glendon Student Service Award to a Glendon student who demonstrates excellent leadership skills, has made outstanding contributions to student life and who still keeps at least a B average. This year’s winner is Tamaisha Eytle, who “has utilized her exceptional communication and mentorship skills to create strong bonds at Glendon,” said Craig. “Her love of Glendon has enabled her to engage and inspire fellow student leaders and staff through all the various causes and organizations she promotes.”
Rob Tiffin, York’s vice-president students, said “The academic year has whizzed by and it seems like yesterday that we took part in orientation, where we encouraged all of you to get involved. You took that challenge and made that commitment to listen to others, be creative, bridge gaps and help bring the [Glendon] community to take the steps that make a difference.” Tiffin also invited those students, who are about to graduate, to continue their commitment to their college by becoming active alumni.
In her closing remarks, Furgiuele emphasized that effective leaders are team players. “Leaders are individuals who can bring out the best in others. They lead by example and know how to encourage, to motivate and to inspire. Good leaders take a little more than their share of the blame and a little less than their share of the credit. We are proud of you and we congratulate you for all that you have accomplished. Glendon is a better place because you are here.”
Submitted by Marika Kemeny, Glendon communications officer