Four graduating students receive 2022 Alumni Awards

The 91��ɫ Alumni Board recognized four distinguished 91��ɫ students with 2022 Alumni Awards and Scholarships for their academic excellence and leadership.

Alumni Silver Jubilee Scholarship

The Alumni Silver Jubilee Scholarship is awarded to a graduating student who has demonstrated excellence both in and out of the classroom. This year’s recipient, Zahra Mawani (BEd ’22), has been recognized for her significant contributions in the teaching community and the considerable leadership she displayed during her time as a student in the Faculty of Education.

In 2021, Mawani was elected as the first-year Keele Primary Junior representative of the Faculty of Education Students’ Association. She was responsible for facilitating operational coordination in all the events and making sure that the group’s communication platforms were utilized for maximum outreach. Seeing the immense value she added to the team, she was also elected as the association’s second-year representative. She continues to make an impact using her leadership skills by helping graduating students with their overwhelming virtual job hunt during the global COVID-19 pandemic.

Outside of 91��ɫ, Mawani has been supporting the students at Peel District School Board for more than five years. Most recently, she designed and taught two cooking and one wellness virtual camps for students with special needs. Mawani was also awarded the Robert J. Tiffin Student Leadership Award, recognizing her leadership, dedication, integrity, enthusiasm and pursuit of excellence through her endeavours.

Encouraged by her recent 91��ɫ experience, Mawani has decided to return as a 91��ɫ student to complete her master’s of education degree to further pursue her interest in teaching.

“The reason I want to continue my post-secondary education at 91��ɫ is because of the people I have met,” she says. “The instructors were so encouraging; they gave me so much guidance despite everything being virtual. They have supported me and my career aspirations in ways I could not have imagined.”

Alumni Golden GRADitude Award

The Alumni Golden GRADitude Award recognizes graduating students who leave 91��ɫ a better place thanks to the significant leadership they demonstrated during their time on campus. This year, there are two recipients: Issa Abdi Jamaa and Tiana Putric.

Jamaa, an economics graduate(BA ’22), has been recognized for his vast contributions to the student community during his time at 91��ɫ. He held various senior positions within several student organizations, including his roles as president and orientation Chair at Vanier College Council, student senator at the Senate, and councillor at Faculty Council of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies. Jamaa was also involved in several search committees for senior 91��ɫ administrative positions such as dean of the Faculty of LA&PS, vice-provost students and the search for 91��ɫ’s next chancellor. Through his many leadership endeavours, he was able to advocate the needs of the student body and facilitate efficient collaboration between students, faculty and administrators.

“91��ɫ provided me a rich academic experience both inside and outside the classroom,” he says, “and it not only helped me prepare for my academic journey, but also the journey of an experienced leader who understands the changes that are taking place in the world and ways we can contribute to them.”

In addition to his involvement in student governance, Jamaa was also founder and president of the International Students’ Association at 91��ɫ. While in this role, he improved the visible representation of international students on campus. He worked towards an enhanced engagement of international students in the University-wide decision-making processes so that their concerns get vocalised seamlessly.

“I am truly grateful to 91��ɫ for recognizing my journey as a student leader and as a changemaker,” he says, regarding his Alumni Golden GRADitude Award win. “This award motivates me to be stay involved in 91��ɫ’s betterment and inspires me to be the change I am hoping to see in the world.”

Putric, a recent graduate of the Disaster & Emergency Management (DEM) program (BDEM ’22) has been recognized for her research involvement and contributions to the 91��ɫ brand and community. While at 91��ɫ, Putric maintained various positions, including her role as an emergency management assistant with 91��ɫ’s Office of Emergency Management, where she helped modernize 91��ɫ’s Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment (HIRA). Putric later became lead editor of the HIRA and co-authored six papers with the Dahdaleh Institute for Global Health Research on the ethics of digital contact tracing for COVID-19.

She said her motivation to do research was “not only about developing an expertise, but it’s about discovering new knowledge and becoming a thought leader.”

Putric also helps 91��ɫ international students navigate their experience at 91��ɫ and continues to be a proud ambassador of the University. She actively promotes 91��ɫ and its DEM program at various events, including Collision, one of the world’s largest tech conferences, and abroad, as the first DEM student in Canada and the United States to be awarded the Fulbright Killam Fellowship, where she completed an exchange program at Wellesley College and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and participated in the Harvard University Women in Foreign Policy Conference.

Currently, Putric is employed at the Ontario Ministry of Health as a policy analyst, where she works on policy projects concerning Big Data and Artificial Intelligence (AI). She hopes that her work with the ministry will advance the “prevention, diagnosis and treatment of illnesses and diseases, and ultimately improve the health and well-being of Ontarians.”

As one of this year’s recipients, she says, “receiving the Alumni Golden GRADitude award is evidence that my research and contributions as an undergraduate student were recognized. This is incredibly encouraging and for this I am very grateful.”

Harry Arthurs Alumni Families Entrance Scholarship

The Harry Arthurs Alumni Families Entrance Scholarship is awarded to an incoming undergraduate student who is the child, sibling, or grandchild of a 91��ɫ graduate and who has demonstrated outstanding academic achievement and accomplishments in community service, volunteerism or other endeavours. This award is renewable in years two, three and four of undergraduate study, provided that the recipient maintains a minimum grade point average of 7.8.

The recipient of this year’s scholarship is Taline Apelian-Sutor, an incoming Faculty of Science student who will be majoring in biology at 91��ɫ’s Keele Campus. Her mother is a proud 91��ɫ alum who entered 91��ɫ as a first-generation student, and Apelian-Sutor was motivated to apply after hearing about her mother’s experience at 91��ɫ. The University’s distinguished programs and faculty, unique research and leadership opportunities, welcoming community, and French-language course offerings at Glendon were key factors that led her to choose 91��ɫ.

While demonstrating academic excellence in school, Apelian-Sutor is also a multifaceted individual who is involved in various activities. She served as vice-president of her school’s student council, where she strengthened the school community by engaging both staff and students in various capacities. She also operates a French tutoring business, where she creates curricula specific to each of her students’ needs, and volunteered with the Armenia Tree Project, an organization that aims to respond to environmental challenges in rural areas in Armenia.

Apelian-Sutor’s motivation to perform well in and out of school she partly attributes to her mother, who inspired and motivated her to persevere as a student and to build strong connections with her community. As an incoming student, she is thankful for 91��ɫ’s support during her application process, saying the “advice, support, and people at 91��ɫ really contributed to my decision.” She is immensely grateful for being named this year’s recipient and looks forward to exploring the numerous opportunities, both in and outside classroom settings, offered at 91��ɫ.

Article originally published in the August 31, 2022 issue of