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The University of Toronto has selected 18 Engineering students to receive the 2011 Gordon Cressy Student Leadership Awards. Named after former U of T Vice-President of Development and University Relations, Gordon Cressy, students were chosen based on their outstanding extra-curricular contributions to improving the university’s community.

Congratulations to the following recipients:

Shahed Al-Haque (EngSci 1T1)
Shahed Al-Haque launched a student group named Tetra, designed to help build assistive devices for people with disabilities, and co-led NSight, a mentorship program developed to improve the quality of student experience in the first-year Engineering Science program. As a member of Leaders of Tomorrow, he helped his peers develop leadership skills and empowered them to create positive change in their community.

Lesley-Ann Foulds (CivE 1T1)
Lesley-Ann spent much of her time at U of T volunteering and connecting students to the global community. Through her involvement with Engineers Without Borders, she integrated international perspective into the engineering curriculum. She organized an outreach event to promote awareness of Fair Trade products that ensures farmers in developing countries receive fair wages. As a professional engineer, her goal is to work towards a more sustainable and equitable future.

Marina Freire-Gormaly (EngSci 1T0 + PEY)
During her time at U of T Engineering, Marina created positive experiences for her peers through her involvement in Leaders of Tomorrow as well as the NSight Mentorship program. She also helped establish a cyber-mentor program between U of T and the Asian University of Women (AUW) in Bangladesh, and strengthened ties between the two universities. She is often consulted by faculty members for her input on the student experience and is regarded as a leader by her peers.

Mueen Hakak (ElecE 1T1)
Mueen is President of the Muslim Students’ Association (MSA) and oversees a scholarship program, a publication and a sponsorship program that
supports 130 orphans by raising $60,000 annually. He was elected twice in
succession to the University of Toronto Students’ Union (UTSU) Board of
Directors, representing students from all professional faculties. In 2010, Mueen
served as a U of T ambassador on the Taiwan Ministry of Foreign Affairs-sponsored delegation. While committing himself to enriching the quality of co-curricular experiences of students on campus, Mueen has also maintained an excellent academic standing in his program.

Alexandra Heeney (EngSci 1T1)
Alexandra wrote and presented materials at international conferences in Austria and the Netherlands, where she advocated for sustainable engineering education. She worked with instructors, teaching assistants and administrators to understand the social, environmental and policy issues associated with their work.

Julie Hommik (MechE 1T1)
Julie has shown extraordinary leadership as Co-Chair of the Mechanical Engineering Club and re-energized the participation rate of undergraduate students in engineering events. She received a gold medal from the Canadian Society of Mechanical Engineers for professional leadership among mechanical engineering students. Julie is determined to give her peers the best experience during their life at school. Her message: “Students have a voice within the university, and I do my best to ensure they are heard.”

Rosanna Kronfli (ChemE 1T1)
Rosanna’s participation in the Leaders of Tomorrow program and on the Undergraduate Chemical Engineering Council gave her the opportunity to build leadership skills.  Currently, she is an active member of the Leaders of Tomorrow Chemical Working Group, where she helps in creating opportunities for students to practise and develop their leadership skills. Along with her extensive involvement in the Skule™ community, she is determined to continue to foster leadership opportunities for her peers.

Angela Lee (ElecE MASc 1T0)
Angela’s goal in life is quite simple: bring about positive change in other people’s lives.  Throughout her undergraduate and graduate engineering studies at U of T, she helped students develop leadership skills, encouraged them to be aware of global issues, organized inter-institutional conferences and volunteered at local charities. She acted as the Seminar Director for Leaders of Tomorrow: Graduate where she implemented a 12-month program to promote leadership among engineering students. According to Angela, our diverse backgrounds should not hinder us from making a difference in the world, but rather, provide a positive stimulus that drives innovative change.

Maygan McGuire (ChemE PhD 1T1)
Maygan served on the Dean’s Task Force on Engineering Leadership Education where she participated in discussions and assisted in the preparation of a report that contained a list of recommendations for the Dean. Her most lasting contribution was the conception of a scholarly journal Engineering Leadership Review (ELR) that reflects on and cultivates engineering leadership.

Evelyn Mukwedeya (EngSci 1T1)
As a member of the National Society of Black Engineers, Evelyn contributed to building a support network among U of T’s black engineering students and alumni. She started a bi-monthly club newsletter for Women in Science and Engineering, and successfully encouraged members to become active leaders in the club. Beyond U of T, Evelyn has enjoyed volunteering as a cultural performer at various fundraising events while highlighting the importance of youth sharing their unique cultures.

Arian Omidzohour (ElecE 1T1)
Arian revolutionized the University of Toronto Robotics Association’s (UTRA) vision to become more student focused. This newly adopted culture has increased participation and involvement of engineering undergraduates and put UTRA as a top Canadian Robotics contender. As Chair for the ECE Leaders of Tomorrow Working Group, he was able to encourage students to further develop their leadership and networking skills.

Raphael Sammut (EngSci 1T1)
In his roles as Class Representative, Chair of the Engineering Science Club and Teaching Assistant for first year Engineering Science students, Raphael motivated fellow students to succeed and offered much-needed guidance in their academics. Through his involvement in Leaders of Tomorrow’s Engineering Science Working Group, he organized workshops for his peers to share leadership theories and experiences.

Anna Sheu (IndE 1T1)
As Co-President of U of T’s Consulting Association, Anna more than doubled the membership base, and increased the number of events to help develop students’ professional skills. As a fourth-year representative of the Industrial Engineering Club, she has improved the quality of the undergraduate experience by addressing student concerns.

Chris Siemieniuch (MechE 1T1)
As Co-Chair of the Mechanical Engineering Club, Chris helped initiate leadership and professional development seminars, and organized academic, social and networking events for students. He served on numerous committees such as Leaders of Tomorrow and acted as Student Ambassador for our Faculty’s Mechanical Engineering department.

Kevin P. Siu (EngSci 1T1)
Kevin believes student experience outside of the classroom is just as important as academic achievement. He took on multiple leadership roles in the Engineering community, including President of the Engineering Society. He organized events, participated in musical groups and is actively involved in student government. Kevin hopes his contributions have improved the lives of thousands of students.

Angela Tran (EngSci 0T5, ChemE MASc 0T7 PhD 1T1)
Angela is committed to leadership development and is an advocate for leadership education. She co-founded and championed the Engineering Faculty-wide expansion of the Leaders of Tomorrow: Graduate program and created opportunities for her peers to learn and practice leadership. Through her efforts, she helped others discover their potential and inspired them to make a positive impact in their community.

Sarah Wilson (CivE MASc 1T0)
As one of the co-founders of the Urban Agriculture Society (UAS), Sarah played an integral role in establishing Toronto’s largest and most productive rooftop vegetable garden on top of the Civil Engineering building – which has produced more than 200 kg of food for the U of T Foodbank, the HotYam! Student Café and UAS volunteers. Sarah was founder and acting Chair of the U of T Student Chapter of WaterCan, where she co-organized events for the student community.

Katelin “Cyrene” Wu (CivE 1T1)
With a deep affinity for Skule™ and its community, Cyrene has participated in many extra-curricular activities. She served as the Vice-President of Finance for the Engineering Society and Co-Chair of the National Conference on Women in Engineering. Cyrene also founded the Toronto Swift Women’s Volleyball team, organized events such as Gradball and Cannonball and led numerous sports-related initiatives.

“We are very proud of the volunteer achievements of our graduating students who have been honoured by this year’s Cressy Awards,” said Cristina Amon, Dean, Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering. “Their outstanding contributions have improved the world around us and inspired others to do the same.”

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