Posted on May 27: President honours exemplary student leaders

Five graduating McMaster students are leadership exemplified.

For their outstanding scholarship and service to the community, students Gregory Athaide, Sean Park, Dan Freeman, Candy Hui and Sarah Roger, were selected by McMaster President Peter George as recipients of this year's distinguished President's Award of Excellence in Student Leadership.

Established in 1993, the award recognizes students who have demonstrated a commitment to the University's belief in excellence in its student body.

The students will receive their awards at next week's Spring Convocation.

Gregory Athaide

Gregory Athaide has made significant contributions to McMaster first as student in the Faculty of Science and then as a medical student. A devoted Big Brother, he has been a senior buddy for the McMaster Science Society and a mentor in the buddy program for the McMaster Medical Student Council.

Athaide is the first student to sit on the executive of the Hamilton Academy of Medicine. He has been a strong advocate on the Medical Student Council executive and will be remembered for his role in creating the new student lounge. He has chaired the Ontario Medical Association Student Section and represented Ontario on the Canadian Federation of Medical Students. In 2003, he won the OMA Medical Student Achievement Award.

Sean Park

Sean Park has initiative. Arriving at McMaster in the first Bachelor of Health Sciences class, he co-founded and became the first chair of the Bachelor of Health Sciences Society. He employed his interest in cycling to start MACycle Co-op, an MSU service designed to enhance bicycle transportation for students, as well as Montreal Maniacs, a fundraising project for the McMaster University Children's Hospital.

Park has also participated in more established aspects of campus life as the undergraduate representative for Health Sciences to the University Senate and as a member of the Students Representative Assembly for which he was member of the year in 2003. He helped develop and run the Horizons leadership conference and has served on numerous MSU committees.

Dan Freeman

Dan Freeman is passionate about sustainable transportation and has been an effective advocate for the issue at McMaster. He has achieved great results working with the University's Alternative Commuting & Transportation office, the MSU's MACgreen and the MACycle Co-op. Freeman also helped plan the International Youth Summit for Sustainable Urban Transportation as part of the national task force working with the Canadian Urban Transit Association.

Freeman has been president of the Society of Arts & Science Students where he left a legacy by creating the alumni liaison position. A member of many other campus groups like the Cycling Committee and the MSU Environment Committee, he was also elected to represent students on the University's Planning Committee and Budget Committee.

Candy Hui

Candy Hui has distinguished herself through both the quality and quantity of her contributions to McMaster. Since her arrival on campus, Candy has been one of the University's most active and effective ambassadors as a Student Liaison tour guide leader, Information Centre support staff, residence “Room Host,” residence yearbook editor and Horizons Conference project co-ordinator.

Many of Candy's work and volunteer efforts have benefited her fellow students directly. She has been a Peer Helper Program student coordinator, a peer tutor, a residence community advisor, a conversational partner for Speakeasy, a disabilities awareness volunteer and a notetaking co-ordinator.

As the administrative coordinator of the Student Walk Home Attendant Team (SWHAT), she managed that important group through a period of ambitious expansion.

Sarah Roger

Sarah Roger has used her organizational skills, motivation, irrepressible attitude, academic excellence and love of inner-tube water polo to become a true student leader. Roger has held high-responsibility positions both within the University's administrative structure and within the realms of student life and community involvement.

She has represented arts & science students on Undergraduate Council and been the student representative on the Council's Undergraduate Awards Committee. She was a member of the Refining Directions Committee and the executive of the Society of Arts & Science Students.

Incite Magazine has benefited from her leadership as executive editor, as have her fellow students through her roles a teaching assistant and student mentor. Roger also devotes time to the Children's Aid Society and Habitat for Humanity.