posted on March 25: Honour M recipients celebrated
President Peter George delivered the following speech March 22 in honour of this year's Honour M recipients:
Good evening, and thank you once again for inviting me to this celebration. It is a wonderful opportunity to applaud the accomplishments of some amazing students.
With the Academy Awards looming we are bound to hear various actors and directors say, “It's an honour just to be nominated.” At times the expression seems a bit disingenuous but really it isn't, especially for awards such as the Honour M. The nomination list features an incredible roster of students who have donated their time, energy, talents and creativity to improving student life at McMaster. Each nominee has made a tremendous contribution and deserves to be recognized.
This year nine individuals have been nominated.
They are (in alphabetical order):
- Monique Bergeron
- Burke Christian
- Nadia Conforti
- Arif Manji
- Sam Minniti
- Lee Schofield
- Jon Selluski
- Ruchika Shukla
- John-Patrick Udo
Each nominee has an enviable list of accomplishments and on behalf of McMaster I would like to thank each one of you for your efforts to make McMaster a better place.
This evening, three Honour M awards will be presented.
The first goes to Nadia Conforti. An honours religious studies student, Nadia embodies the spirit of the Honour M Award.
Environmental causes were Nadia first calling at McMaster. She was an active member of the Environment Committee. She devoted herself to environmental causes that affected students, from campus recycling to conducting environmental audits of McMaster Students Union services. In recognition of her hard work, she was elected committee chair, a position she held for two years.
Other student issues also captured her interest and enthusiasm. She has been a champion in raising student involvement around tuition fees. She helped to organize the campus movement Students Against Tuition Increases. Realizing she needed to be more involved in the McMaster Students Union she sought and was elected the Faculty of Social Sciences' SRA representative for three consecutive terms. She took the role seriously and worked to organize the SRA office and to increase stronger dialogue between the SRA and the Faculty societies.
Most of us are aware of the All-Night Study Program and the MSU/bookstore bookswap.
Most of the credit for the awareness of these and other MSU programs goes to Nadia and her time as MSU Promotions Director. She was also instrumental in convincing the MSU and SRA to create a full-time staff position for public relations.
After two years on the SRA, Nadia was ready for even more challenges. She was elected MSU VP Administration. This role again showcased her unique gift of working with diverse groups and bringing them together to achieve great results.
Nadia, you have helped to develop a dynamic and successful student government that takes on issues that have helped to make McMaster a better place. Congratulations on this award and thank you for all you have done.
Nadia, please come forward and say a few words.
And now it gives me great please to present our second Honour M Award, to Arif Manji.
A student in the Arts & Science program, Arif has spent his four years at McMaster gaining the respect of his fellow students, faculty, staff and the community.
From his first year at McMaster, Arif involved himself in all facets of student life. As first-year rep on the Society of Arts & Science Students Executive, he organized many social events, including a first-year slumber party and Welcome Week.
Never afraid to take action, Arif listened to student concerns and implemented a program evaluation which led to several changes in the structure of first-year courses. His concern for improving McMaster students' educational experience is evident in his current role as a teaching assistant in first-year statistics.
The SRA benefited from Arif's involvement over three years. Through the Educational Affairs Committee, he drafted the MSU Exam and Term Work Scheduling Policy. He seved on the MSU Executive Board and chaired an ad-hoc committee for the University Centre project that drafted a new environmental policy that includes the surcharge/discount incentive program for the use of Styrofoam and Tupperware.
Arif's participation did not stop there. He has served on the Student Life, Educational Affairs, Environment and Teaching Awards committees, and the Board of Governors' Ad-Hoc Library Review Committee. He was actively involved in planning two CLAY Leadership Conferences designed to promote leadership amongst high-school students. He was also elected vice-president of the McMaster Ismaili Student Association.
Following the tragedy of Sept. 11, Aarif helped to organize a McMaster Candlelight Vigil for Peace, which brought together about 300 students to commemorate those who suffered during the tragedy. He invited speakers from each of the ethnic groups on campus to promote understanding and acceptance.
The Hamilton community has also benefited from Arif's compassion and enthusiasm. He organized a Christmas party for elementary school children in an underprivileged neighbourhood. He organized McMaster's first-ever, residence-wide blood donor clinic, which earned Bates the Red Cross Blood Vessel Award for the largest blood collection.
Local children who are in hospital have been the beneficiaries of one of Arif's most successful endeavours. Two years ago he founded a new campus organization, Smiling Over Sickness. More than 400 students are members and they spend their time not only fundraising but volunteering their time to do crafts and organize magic shows and other events to help make sick children smile.
One of Arif's most recent accomplishments was the organization of Shave for a Cure. Arif managed to find 17 McMaster students, including himself, who were willing to shave their heads to raise money for pediatric cancer research. It all came together at the Yates Cup half-time show and the Canadian Cancer Society benefited from a $15,000 donation.
Arif, your dynamic presence will be greatly missed both on campus and in the community. We thank you for all that you have done for McMaster and proudly welcome you to the McMaster Honour Society.
Arif, please come forward to say a few words.
This year three Honour M Awards are being presented. Our final recipient this evening is Lee Schofield. Lee, a kinesiology student, has been a successful student, a devoted volunteer, and a dedicated employee at McMaster.
From his first few weeks in Whidden Hall Lee threw himself into campus life. He joined the yearbook committee, formal committee, was a Welcome Week representative, a member of the residence life staff hiring team and a residence room host. He received the Community Award for his contributions to residence life.
Lee is a familiar face around the athletics complex. A frontline worker at the Pulse, he is a group fitness, swimming and first aid instructor and lifeguard for Athletics & Recreation. He spent countless Saturday mornings in the pool helping a mentally challenged boy swim and was honoured for this and other contributions with the Lifeguard/Instructor of the Year Award. He's also been active with the MACTurtles Cardiac Rehabilitation Program, teaching exercises in the pool each week. He's been an excellent role model and motivates others to work as hard as he does.
Lee knows a lot about this campus, certainly more than most students. He's been a tour guide and leader for student liaison since 1999, helping to showcase McMaster to prospective students and their parents.
Lee's interests in health and fitness led him to the MSU's Emergency First Response Team. His participation has expanded each year and he is now the senior responder and training co-ordinator for the program. He implemented the Responder of the Month Award, is a defibrilation trainer, and has worked hard to get the team new uniforms and ID badges. He regularly volunteers 60 hours a month with the team and has sat on the Board of Directors of the Association of Campus Response Teams of Canada.
In his spare time, Lee is a student volunteer convener and refreshment volunteer for McMaster's Blood Donor Clinics. He is also a weekly volunteer in the teen program at the McMaster Children's Hospital. Big Brothers also benefits from Lee's spirit of community service through his participation in its elementary school mentor program.
Lee's sights go beyond just McMaster and the Hamilton community. He has participated in two Youth Missions to Venezuela and Guatemala, where he worked with children in orphanages and participated in community development projects.
In his nomination it was noted that Lee will go on to touch the lives of many people. He has certainly touched the lives of many people here at McMaster and acted as a sterling ambassador of the University. Congratulations, Lee, and please come forward for a few words.
I have tried to summarize over the past half hour the accomplishments of three outstanding McMaster students. It's not an easy task, but I hope I have managed to capture the highlights of your many contributions. They are inspiring.
To our new Honour M Award winners, congratulations. To all of the nominees, rest assured that your achievements do not go unnoticed. Together you have made McMaster a more compassionate and dynamic university, you have positively influenced the lives of other students and you have helped to make Hamilton a stronger community.
Thank you and enjoy the rest of the evening.
