Exceptional students honoured with Albert Lager Prize

[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/yanglei.jpg” caption=”Yang Lei, who recently completed his degree in Arts & Science and biochemistry, was a recipient of an Albert Lager Prize last night at the McMaster Alumni Association awards ceremony. “]Six McMaster students received the Albert Lager Prize for Student
Initiative yesterday at
the Alumni Gallery Induction and McMaster Alumni Association Awards
ceremony. The
Prize was granted in honour of outstanding contributions to a faculty,
program or the
University.

Yang Lei, one of this year's recipients, is a graduating student whose
positive attitude
and achievements have been invaluable to the Arts & Science Program
and the
University as a whole.

Lei, who recently completed his degree in honours Arts & Science and
biochemistry, was
the 2010-2011 president of the Society of Arts & Science Students. In
his final year in
the program, he was chair of the Combining Two Cultures Conference, a
student-run
symposium on the importance of interdisciplinary education. He also
served as
president of the McMaster Model United Nations Club, as well as the
managing editor and
layout co-ordinator for Incite Magazine.

“Don't be afraid,” said Lei, when asked what advice he would give to
undergraduate
students. “Approach things with an open mind, energy and vitality –
you might end up
liking something you didn't think you would. In a single word: Learn.”

Leo Nupolu Johnson, another award recipient, has been integral to the
success of
several development projects in Hamilton and abroad. The 27 year-old
political science
major dedicated much of his youth to helping alleviate poverty and
human suffering.

In 2007, Johnson co-founded Empowerment Squared, a non-profit
organization aimed
at cultivating stable environments rooted in peace, independence, and
self-
sufficiency.

As the organization's executive director, he oversaw several
fundraising initiatives
including the AIDS benefit theatre production ShAIDS of Grey, which
sold out at
Toronto's Betty Oliphant Theatre.

At McMaster, Johnson sat on the President's Advisory Committee on
Building an
Inclusive Community. The group actively promotes an inclusive
community
with a shared purpose.

Johnson was also responsible for organizing a soccer team comprised of
18 former
refugee youth from 13 countries. The team, United FC, won a silver
medal at the Arsenal
International Soccer Festival in London, England, where they
represented Canada last
July.

Johnson's latest project is underway in Liberia, his country of birth,
where he is
currently raising funds to build a library that “is not just going to
be a room full of
books [but] more like a cultural archive,” Johnson told the Hamilton
Spectator.

Farhana Alam (second year health sciences), Don Courchesne (fourth
year humanities),
Navpreet Dhillon (fourth year life sciences), and Heather Anne Fisher
(fourth year
biology and psychology) were also recognized for their impressive
record of
involvement on campus.

Each recipient has been an active member of multiple on-campus
organizations
dedicated to improving students' university experiences. These
include: the Student
Representative Assembly, the Society of Off-Campus Students, McMaster
iGNITE,
campus
InReach and OutReach, and the University Affairs Committee.

The Albert Lager Prize is awarded on the basis of nomination for
significant volunteer
contribution to the University. Each recipient is eligible to receive
the honour once in
their academic career.

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