Durham College (DC) is proud to share that Kelly O’Brien, general manager of the W. Galen Weston Centre for Food (CFF), was presented with a Colleges and Institutes Canada (CICan) Leadership Excellence Award for Managerial Staff at the association’s annual conference on May 6. Presented in Niagara Falls, this award is in recognition of Kelly’s tremendous leadership and track record of success.

An inspiration to not only her team but also to the students studying in the CFF, Kelly works diligently each day to seamlessly integrate business operations of the CFF into all culinary, hospitality and horticulture curriculum, resulting in a powerful example of serving both students and the community at the highest possible level. Under her leadership, business operations at the CFF have also enjoyed three ‘best-ever’ years in a row, growing significantly in the number of customers and guests to the centre, and also the amount of students who work and volunteer annually.

In addition, Kelly is very active in the community, committing her team and students to improving the lives of others through skills and confidence-building activities, such as cooking sessions with patients at the regional mental health hospital. As well, she continues to establish partnerships with local businesses that benefit not only the college broadly, but the students and the partners. When not overseeing CFF operations, Kelly teaches marketing and leadership to students as a part-time instructor in the CFF, and contributes to the centre’s broader academic planning and operations.

Congratulations Kelly on your well-deserved award. The CICan Awards of Excellence recognize best practices from institutions across the country, as well as individual leadership and achievements, for more information on this year’s awards, please visit the CICan website.

Unique pop-up art installations appearing across Durham College’s (DC) Oshawa campus over the last few months have caught the eye of students, employees and visitors. From underwater scenes and fire-breathing dragons to dresses made of sheet music, these displays were created by students in DC’s Foundations in Art and Design program and interact in different ways with formerly empty wall space.

In the fall, students were tasked with staging a Guerilla Art Installation event, appropriating the campus as their temporary gallery to present impromptu performances and install non-defacing and non-destructive displays of art and sculpture. The spirit of the event was then carried over to project work in their second semester, resulting in the work that has been appearing around campus. These projects have allowed students to explore their art form deeper, preparing them for their Grad Exhibition Thesis Show and the Annual All-Student Juried Art Exhibition in April and May.

You can catch the final art projects at the Robert McLaughlin Gallery until Sunday, May 5 and Station Gallery until Monday, May 27. For more information on current student art across campus or what DC’s artists are up to, visit the Foundations in Art and Design Facebook page.

Representatives from businesses, government institutions and non-profit organizations across Durham Region and the Greater Toronto Area gathered in the Global Classroom at the Centre for Collaborative Education on April 4 for Durham College’s (DC) annual Field Placement Employer Appreciation Reception.

Organized by students in DC’s Special Events Management program, the event was held to recognize the invaluable contribution placement and practicum hosts make to experiential learning when they open their doors to DC students. In fact, more than 1500 organizations served as hosts to more than 4,400 students this past year.

During the event, guests heard from Christina Arcangioli, brokerage team leader for Keller Williams Energy Real Estate Brokerage, about the importance of collaborating with students. Laura May, a second-year student enrolled in the college’s Office Administration – Executive program also spoke about her placement at the Municipality of Clarington, while Patrick Trudell, a second-year Community Integration Through Co-operative Education student, reflected on his three culinary-related field placement opportunities.

Field placement at DC assists students in relating the theory learned in the classroom, to practice in the workplace. It is an opportunity for students to gain vital field experience, develop professional contacts within the industry, and enhance their résumé while studying. For more information, please visit the Field Placement webpage.

Photo supplied by Jessica Evans.

On March 28, Durham College (DC) hosted the Rain It In competition in the Global Classroom, welcoming teams from post-secondary institutions across Ontario as they pitched to a panel of industry experts their innovative solutions for mitigating the impacts of intense rainfall events. The competition is the brainchild of DC’s Water Quality Technician alumni Ellen Stitt, who hopes to empower college and university students to make a difference in their communities and positively impact the environment.

Since graduation in 2013, Ellen has had an incredible career, working as a senior operator and mechanic with the Ontario Clean Water Agency and most recently as the marketing manager for the Ontario Association of Sewage Industry Services. She is also an active volunteer, serving on the Walkerton Clean Water Centre’s Board of Directors and numerous other committees, including the Great Waters Challenge Youth Advisory Board with Waterlution, where she co-authored a children’s book entitled Canada’s Great Water Adventure. Ellen is the recipient of the 2016 OCWAmarine Citizenship Award and was a finalist for the 2018 Water Environment Association of Ontario Outstanding Young Professional Award and the 2018 Water’s Next Young Professional Award.

Rain It In is the direct result of Ellen’s dedication and passion for water. After pitching the competition at a Water Innovation Lab, facilitated by Waterlution, her group was selected to receive the Durham College seed fund to kick-start the competition and influence the next generation of water sector workers. While 10 teams entered proposals, only five finalists were selected and given the opportunity to present their ideas on March 28.

In the end, Waterloo Urban Adapt from the University of Waterloo was selected to receive a small monetary prize to help with the development and implementation of their innovation solution – a campaign that would help homeowners understand the Stormwater Credit Program and educate them on flood prevention for resilient properties.

As a sponsor of Rain It In, DC is proud to support its alumni as they continue to innovate and create change out in the world. The Water Quality Technician program at DC educates students in keeping water safe for consumption and for its return to the environment through proven treatment methods. Interested in launching your career in the water sector? Apply today!

On March 23, Durham College (DC) opened its doors to more than 3,700 prospective students and their families at the Oshawa and Whitby campuses and Pickering Learning Site for the college’s annual Spring Open House.

The event gave visitors the opportunity to explore DC’s extensive facilities, take guided tours, check out support services, including Financial Aid and Awards and the Access and Support Centre, and learn about the college’s more than 140 full-time programs and hundreds of continuing education offerings.

At the Oshawa campus, prospective students were the first to preview the new Esports Gaming Arena in the Student Centre, while visitors at Whitby attended cooking demonstrations in the W. Galen Weston Centre for Food and learned about exciting upcoming plans for expansions to the campus.

On hand throughout the day was DC president Don Lovisa, dean and principal of the Whitby campus Rebecca Milburn, as well as current students, alumni, faculty and staff who eagerly connected with community members and shared their first-hand knowledge and experience related to all things DC.

Spring Open House also gave curious students the opportunity to learn more about DC’s first degree program, the Honours Bachelor of Health Care Technology Management – which welcomed its inaugural class in September 2018, and the Artificial Intelligence Analysis, Design and Implementation graduate certificate, a new offering beginning in 2019.

Anyone who missed the Spring Open House can still learn more about all that DC has to offer. Campus tours and information sessions can be scheduled online, via email or by calling 905.721.3126.

DC will hold its Fall Open House on Saturday, November 2.

On March 7 and 8, the Enactus Durham College (Enactus DC) team placed third in the Scotiabank Youth Empowerment Challenge at the annual Enactus Canada Regional Exposition event in Mississauga. This was the first time in Enactus DC’s three year history that they have placed at the competition. The team was up against a competitive field of 39 colleges and universities from across Ontario and Quebec.

The award-winning project, Girls EnPower, was conceived by Enactus DC and is committed to transforming young women in vulnerable circumstances into smart, strong and bold entrepreneurs, instilling in them confidence and positive decision-making skills. The group project was presented by second-year DC students, Alexandra Gillis in the Horticulture – Food and Farming program and Sedona Randall, in the Culinary Management program.

Through this mentorship program girls learn the fundamentals of entrepreneurship and are given the chance to thrive within a positive peer community of DC students and faculty role models. This year the project’s focus is leveraging DC’s award winning W. Galen Weston Centre for Food. By working with young women in a professional, state of the art culinary teaching facility the belief that a post-secondary education is unattainable is dispelled.

Enactus is an international non-profit organization dedicated to creating social change through entrepreneurship. DC’s chapter was introduced to the college in 2016 through FastStartDC, the college’s entrepreneurial centre, to create a club of student leaders looking to make a positive economic and social impact on society.

On March 5, in celebration of International Women’s Day, Durham College (DC) faculty member and alumna, Shauna Bookal, was recognized by the Toronto Raptors and Tangerine Bank for her role as a community sports leader who has inspired, motivated and encouraged positive change in the lives of girls throughout the Greater Toronto Area.

For Shauna, the best part of this recognition was having an opportunity to give some of the female athletes she works with a once and a lifetime experience when she invited them along to a meet and greet with some of the top executives of the Toronto Raptors and Tangerine Bank.

This is the second time the Toronto Raptors has recognized Shauna, a graduate from the Sport Administration program, for her role as a leader in sports, having received their State Farm, Exist to Assist Community leaders Recognition Award in 2016.

Also a teacher for the School of Business, IT & Management in the program she graduated from, Shauna’s involvement in the industry ranges from grassroots activities, like volunteering for basketball clinics and house leagues, to national-level activities, having assisted in running the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) Americas Championships as a member of their games organizing committee.

Shauna also volunteers her time and expertise by sitting on large sporting event organizing committees like the Pan Am Games, Invictus Games, North American Indigenous Games and Ontario ParaSport Games.

Growing up she was fortunate to have role models that encouraged her to get involved and give back to the community. Seeing kids laugh, smile and having the time of their lives makes all the sacrifices and the long days worth it for Shauna.

On March 4, Durham College (DC) recognized outstanding student academic achievement and community generosity at the annual Student and Donor Recognition Evening.

Held at the W. Galen Weston Centre for Food, the event honoured DC’s scholarship and bursary award recipients as well as the numerous individuals, organizations and corporate donors who support students and post-secondary education. The evening also brought donors together with the students who benefit from their generosity.

Other highlights of the event included DC president Don Lovisa paying tribute to the late Roger Anderson, former Durham regional chair and a long-time DC benefactor, as well as remarks delivered by Joyce Payne, a first-year Police Foundations student.

New awards and the donors behind them were also recognized during the event including the following:

• Viking Fire Protection Scholarship.
• Mike Shulga Memorial Award.