Durham College and the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT) are extending their congratulations to several faculty members and students from the Durham College and UOIT Nursing – Collaborative (BScN) program and the Registered Practical Nurse (RPN) to BScN Completion Collaborative program, for their recent recognition by several provincial organizations.

This includes the Registered Nurses Association of Ontario (RNAO), Registered Nurses’ Foundation of Ontario (RNFOO) and Council of Ontario University Programs in Nursing (COUPN).

On April 12 the Nursing – Collaborative (BScN) program received the prestigious RNAO Promotion in a Nursing Program Award at the RNAO Leadership Luncheon in Toronto, which is given to nursing schools that have made outstanding contributions to the nursing profession in Ontario. In addition, Dr. Angela Cooper-Brathwaite, an adjunct assistant professor with collaborative nursing program, received the RNAO’s Leadership Award in Political Action, which recognizes a registered nurse (RN) who initiates and partakes in political action that benefits the health of individuals/ clients or profiles or positively positions nursing.

“This overall recognition illuminates the tremendous support for our nursing program, our students and our partners from not only within the program, but across the whole Faculty of Health Sciences,” said Dr. Sue Coffey, director of the Collaborative BScN program, Faculty of Health Sciences, UOIT. “I’d also like to congratulate the faculty, staff and students associated with our award-winning collaborative nursing program.”

Several RPN to BScN Completion Collaborative program students were also honoured for their positive contribution to nursing education including:

• Bahar Karbalaei, a fourth-year student, who received the RNFOO Gala Post-Diploma Scholarship and COUPN 2013 Excellence in Professional Nursing Practice at the Undergraduate Student Level Award.
• Mary Michalski, a first-year student, who received the RNFOO Undergraduate Scholarship.
• Wei Wang a fourth-year student, who received the RNFOO Mary Brunning Harkin Scholarship.

“On behalf of Durham College I extend my sincere congratulations to everyone – faculty, administrators and students – in the collaborative nursing programs for this wonderful recognition,” said Susan Sproul, dean, Durham College School of Health & Community Services. “It is a true reflection of our commitment to delivering a nursing program designed to graduate professional nurses committed to excellence and innovation in assessing and meeting the nursing needs of society as well as the dedication of our students to acquiring the knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary to practise as safe and competent nurses.”

The Nursing – Collaborative (BScN) program is also acknowledging its community partner the Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Services for receiving the 2013 COUPN Agency Recognition Award. Letters of support from Dr. Ellen Vogel, dean, UOIT Faculty of Health Sciences and Dr. Wendy Stanyon, a professor with the Nursing – Collaborative (BScN) program and a long-time research and practice collaborator, were submitted to COUPN in support of the Ontario Shores nomination.

A designer’s job is to know good design from bad and pay attention to every detail, no matter how small, while creating unique ideas and displaying them for the reaction of others. The result of all this meticulous work – having your work presented in the 12th annual graphic design show held every April at the Creative Blueprint Gallery in the Foundry Buildings in Toronto, Ont.

This year’s exhibit – Beyond Black and White – opened on April 18 and will run until Tuesday, April 30. Showcasing recent work from Durham College Graphic Design students, the concept of the show is to “…symbolize the design process from the beginning to end, with just paper and a pencil or a product printed in full colour,” as stated by Emily Neuman, second-year Graphic Design student. 

Neuman, along with classmate Dana Snow, created the poster for this year’s annual event. The Beyond Black and White concept is reflective of the decisions designers make from typographic choices, colours, materials, etc. Creative videos from the design program’s annual Crow Awards category will also be shown.

“Dana and I worked together to come up with the final concept for the show,” said Neuman. “It was a wonderful opportunity to have our work chosen to represent Durham College and to be able to work together and with our teachers to bring our ideas to a final printed piece.”

The unique opportunity to have their work displayed in a Toronto gallery gives Durham College students a distinct advantage to finding field placements at agencies and studios during the school year and potential job opportunities after graduation.

Admission is free and the exhibit is open to the public. 

Art enthusiasts will have the opportunity to view the fine works created by the talented students of the Foundations in Art and Design and Fine Arts – Advanced programs at the 11th annual Juried Art Show.

Showcased at the Whitby Station Gallery from April 17 to Sunday, April 28 the students’ works include paintings, drawings, photographs, digital art, videos and various 3D creations.

“This is a great opportunity for our students to participate in the process of showing their work in a professional environment,” said Herb Klassen, professor and program co-ordinator of the Foundations in Art and Design program. “We very much appreciate the contribution the Station Gallery is making to the education and development of the up and coming members of Durham Region’s artistic community.”

The theme of this year’s show – Just Mess With It – reflects the belief that modern life needs to be messed with in order to cope with the rapid changes imposed on society.

“We were able to reflect on our accomplishments and progress and then share our creations,” said participating student Kevin Cormier. “Having our work displayed in a local gallery allows us a taste of what it is like to be an artist.”

The official reception and presentation of awards will take place at the gallery on Thursday, April 25 at 7 p.m. The exhibition benefits the students as they prepare to take the skills they’ve learned in the classroom and apply them to future opportunities, according to Klassen.

 “Having work on display in a professional gallery has a profound impact on the confidence of the emerging artist and/or designer.”

Zain Shafique is not your average college student. When his birth country of Pakistan was hit by floods, Shafique chose to volunteer with UNICEF to help victims. After aiding his countrymen, he decided to study abroad in a country with a much different culture and climate, a decision that turned out to be a great one.   

Since arriving at Durham College in 2012, he has been elected as the Board of Governors’ student representative; serves as an international student mentor and; hosts his own radio show on Riot Radio. All that on top of his academic studies in the college’s Computer Programmer Analyst program.

“The one and only factor that motivated me is my mindset of giving back to society as much as I can in order to make a positive difference,” said Shafique.

The focus of his radio show, Culture Shake with Zain, is to reach out to international students and raise their awareness of the activities and opportunities available to them at Durham College. Shafique encourages students to get out of their dorm rooms and take advantage of what the campus and surrounding area have to offer.

“I know that there is still a huge population of students that do not know about the different activities which are present on the campus,” said Shafique. “It is really beneficial for them to know how to get involved.”

While behind the microphone Shafique draws on the experience he obtained while working in Pakistan as part of UNICEF where he was part of Achay Dost, a radio show for the Youth of Pakistan. On Culture Shake, he stresses that international students need to embrace the diversity of the people and experiences that Canada has to offer and get out of their comfort zone and try new things. 

Lauren Toyota has had one wild ride since graduating from the Music Business Management (MBM) program in 2003. From hosting and producing a string of Vancouver-based television shows to interviewing celebrities on MuchMusic, Toyota has definitely been busy in the close to 10 years since leaving Durham College.

Breaking into the television industry isn’t an easy task, but starting in the right place always helps. For Toyota, who attributes a lot of her success to her instincts, personality and work ethic, Durham College was the start of a successful and exciting career.

“The practical components of the Music Business Management program, such as running music festivals, networking and being involved in all aspects of that, were beneficial to what I did as a television producer and host when I first started my career,” said Toyota. “It was just encouraging to have teachers who actively worked in the music industry leading by example and helping the students, especially myself, with networking and job opportunities even after graduating.”

Now, Toyota appears on air daily as a host for MuchMusic’s flagship show, NEW.MUSIC.LIVE. (NML). As the co-host of NML, Toyota conducts high-profile artist and celebrity interviews such as Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, Will Ferrell and world-famous boy band One Direction; shoots field segments; travels across the globe for television, film  and music video on-set visits; researches assigned topics; writes scripts; and completes other pre-show preparation.

“The best part of my job is interviewing people and being on air everyday doing different things,” added Toyota. “No day is ever the same!”

The sky is the limit for this Durham College grad, who sees herself one day hosting her own show on a network in either Canada or the USA.

“School can provide you with great job placements and connections but you also have to make your own opportunities happen while in school,” added Toyota. “Don’t wait until after you graduate to start looking for work and make those calls. Keep up the momentum!”

The first graduating class of Durham College’s Digital Photography program presented an exhibition titled DC Vision at the Ajax Public Library on April 4.

The second-year students participated in the exhibit as part of their final project for their Field Trips and Visiting Lecturers’ class. The exhibition is designed to showcase a variety of photographic styles and genres using studio or environmental portraiture, street, landscape and still-life photography.

One of the college’s newest course offerings, the Digital Photography program is designed to prepare students for commercial success, allowing them to gain technical, aesthetic and critical thinking skills.

The exhibit will be on display until Thursday, April 18, during regular library hours. Please call 905.683.4000 for room viewing availability as the gallery space is occasionally used for library programming and may not be open to the public at all times.