APRIL 23, 2023 • By Matthew Tierney
Eighteen outstanding students from across the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering have been presented with the University of Toronto Student Leadership Awards (UTSLA). These students were recognized for their leadership, service and commitment to the university at a celebration on April 5, hosted by the U of T Engineering Office of Advancement, the Engineering Society (EngSoc), and the offices of the Vice-Dean Undergraduate and the Vice-Dean Graduate.
Their diverse activities include taking on leadership roles with the Orientation Committee, mentoring first-year students, working with student clubs such as Engineers Without Borders and the U of T Aerospace Team and leading SkuleTM mental wellness initiatives. They sat on numerous steering committees, participated in working groups, founded clubs and organized conferences, and many excelled in varsity and intramural sports.
The UTSLA continues a long-standing tradition, which began with the Gordon Cressy Student Leadership Award, established in 1994 by the University of Toronto Alumni Association in honour of Gordon Cressy, former vice-president, development and university relations. During the award’s 25-year history, it celebrated the exemplary contributions of more than 4,000 students whose commitment and service had a lasting impact on their peers and the university.
Also at the event this year, members of EngSoc and the Graduate Engineering Council of Students (GECoS) celebrated their outgoing student leaders, and recognized the contributions made to student life with the EngSoc Awards.
“Our student leaders inspire their peers, as well as future students, through their contributions to the educational experience that makes this faculty such a wonderful place,” says Chris Yip, Dean of U of T Engineering.
“It really has been an amazing privilege to work with this cohort and I’m looking forward to seeing what each of them will accomplish as engineering leaders. Congratulations to all our U of T Engineering student leaders.”
The UTSLA recipients for 2024 are:
- Julianne Attai (Year 4 EngSci)
- Emma Catherine Belhadfa (Year 4 EngSci)
- Samantha Butt (Year 4 MechE)
- Yuxuan (Amy) Huang (Year 4 EngSci)
- Parker William Johnston (Year 4 ElecE)
- Hannah Kot (Year 4 ChemE)
- Seyedreza Fattahi Massoum (UTIAS PhD candidate)
- Erin Ng (Year 4 ChemE)
- Kimberley Orna (Year 4 ElecE)
- Joanna Roy (Year 4 EngSci)
- Joseph Anthony Sebastian (BME PhD candidate)
- Peter Serles (MASc MIE 1T9, MIE PhD candidate)
- Charu Tyagi (Year 4 CivMin)
- Deniz Uzun (Year 4 ElecE)
- Yang (Sarina) Xi (Year 4 EngSci)
- Bo Zhao (Year 4 CivMin)
- Katherine Zhu (Year 4 EngSci)
- Nelson Lee (Year 4 CompE): 3T5 Second Mile Award winner
Outgoing EngSoc Leadership
- Parker Johnston, President (Year 4 ElecE)
- Bo Zhao, Vice-President of Finance (Year 4 CivMin)
- Renee Slen, Vice-President of Communications (Year 3 MSE)
- Kenneth Lloyd Hilton, Vice-President of Academics (Year 3 CompE)
- Joy Lai, Vice-President of Student Life (Year 4 EngSci)
Outgoing GECoS Leadership
- Brohath Amrithaj, President (ChemE 2T2, ChemE PhD student)
- Tess Seip, Vice President of Communications (MIE PhD student)
- Norna Abbo, Vice President of Student Life (BME MASc student)
EngSoc Award Winners
- Affiliated Club of the Year: Engineers Without Borders
- Director of the Year: Hard Hat Café – Edlyn Li (Year 3 MechE) and Kelvin Lo (Year 3 IndE), Stores – Ashlyn Abdelmasseh (Year 3 MechE) and Aidan Maunder (Year 4 MechE), and Skule Photography – Ethan Chen (Year 3 MSE)
- Discipline Club of the Year: MSE Club
- Engineering Society Centennial Award: Jim Xu (Year 1 TrackOne) and Lauren Altomare (Year 2 EngSci)
- Engineering Society Semi-Centennial Award: Rafiq Omair (Year 3 MechE) and Prarthona Paul (Year 4 CompE)
- Engineering Society Award: Parker Johnston (Year 4 ElecE)
- Joe Club Award: Amanda Morelli (Year 4 MSE)
- Representative of the Year: Sherry Zhang (Year 2 IndE)
- Skule Cannon Award: Erika Narimatsu (Year 4 MechE)
- L.E. Jones Award: Julia DeMarchi (Year 4 CivE)
See more photos from the event in our Flickr gallery.
Story from U of T Engineering News, with files from Matthew Tierney
