Mohawk College Alumni ETouch Magazine - Winter 2013

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Winter ‘13

For Alumni & Friends of Mohawk College

Media Alumni Panel

alumni.mohawkcollege.ca

this

e touch Publisher Mohawk College Alumni Association Editor Wendy Makey

e touch

Winter ‘13

For Alumni & Friends of Mohawk College

Design and Production Sofa Communicatons Photography Ida Adamowicz, Carmine DeLuca, Lexie Clark and Jay Robb Contributors Danika Faucon, Wendy Makey, Sean Coffey, Kristy Ryerson, Meaghan Drury, Jay Robb, Steve Kosh, Lars Strand, Courtney Warren, Monique Rimmer, Christine Hopman, Adam Pipe and Dave Pond Editorial Advisory Board Wayne Joudrie — President, Mohawk College Foundation, Wendy Makey — Director, Alumni Relations, Lidia Siino — Past Director, Alumni Association Council, Meaghan Drury — Communications & Data Officer, Kristy Ryerson — Alumni Assistant, Kelly Dunham — Alumni Services Coordinator Content Coordinator Kelly Dunham E-Touch is published annually by the Office of Alumni Relations of the Mohawk College Foundation. This magazine is circulated to alumni and friends of Mohawk College.

Ideas and opinions published or expressed in E-Touch do not necessarily reflect those of Mohawk College, The Alumni Association, or the Editor.

Mohawk College Foundation, Office of Alumni Relations Alumni House, 135 Fennell Ave. West, Hamilton, ON L9C 1E9 To update your Alumni Record, please contact: Phone: 905.575.2258 Fax: 905.575.2443 alumni@mohawkcollege.ca or the address above.

Media Alumni Panel

alumni.mohawkcollege.ca

feature on the Cover...

On October 12, 2012 the Mohawk College Alumni Association partnered with the School of Media and Communications and hosted the Media Alumni Panel Photo courtesy of Ida Adamowicz

in every issue 3

Supporting Skill Development for Future Success

6

Alumni News

16 Calendar of Events

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welcoming words

living labs:

Supporting Skill Development for Future Success Wendy Makey – Director, Alumni Relations feel comfortable - not uncomfortable. We do this by providing a fun, collaborative and supportive learning environment led by an extremely knowledgeable and engaging facilitator.

Which fork do you use first? Which plate do you place your roll on? What is the appropriate technique to eat soup? How do you pass the salt and pepper? What side do you put your name tag on? How do you properly shake hands? Just ask Mohawk students or Alumni who attended the Etiquette Dinners or Career Networking evenings sponsored by the Mohawk College Alumni Association in the fall and winter.

These living lab opportunities enable students to learn the art of navigating the dining table and the knack of networking. Table manners play an important part in making a favorable impression. They are visible signals of the state of our manners and therefore are essential to professional success. The intention of the Alumni sponsored etiquette dinners is to make students

Share with us –

Our career networking events provide students and Alumni the opportunity, to thrive in a “hands-on learning environment,” to discover and understand the importance of networking. Then learn how to introduce themselves with confidence, share their “Mohawk Miracle Moment” and successfully steer their way through a reception.

The Alumni Association is committed to supporting Mohawk students and graduates in developing the soft skills necessary to make themselves future ready and successful in their careers.

become an Alumni Blogger Do you have a great memory from

alumni

your Mohawk days?

Had excellent work or volunteer experiences since leaving school?

connection

blog

Have you attended one of our many

C

Alumni events?

Bloggers can write a one-time entry on a variety of topics or submit on a more regular basis.

Interested? Submit a 50 word or less synopsis of what you would like to write about to meaghan.drury@mohawkcollege.ca

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alumni news

slate of officers 2011-2013

Sandra Ireland Chair Nursing, 1990

Samara Young Vice-Chair Police Foundations, 2004

Dana Jacobs Director Business Marketing, 2006

Erin Kimbell Director Business Marketing Coop, 2007

Ernie Vidovic Director Electronics Engineering Technology Telecommunications, 1990

Gary Nelson Director Business Administration, 1985

Jody Matheson Director Advertising, 1994

Darren Hardenbrook Director Transportation Engineering Technology, 1995

Marcine Blake Director Recreation Leadership, 1988

Sera Nicosia Director Nursing, 1981

Andy Hall President, MSA

Carmine DeLuca President, MCACES

The Alumni Association thanks these individuals for their valued contributions to Alumni activities, committees and meetings on behalf of the Alumni of Mohawk College. We appreciate your dedication.

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orientation 2012 future focus Last year when I stepped into Mohawk for the first time, I was lost. I was lost and I had no idea what I was doing in this place. That feeling didn’t last long. Through the many orientation and frosh week events I quickly found both my way and my place within the walls and halls of Mohawk College. It amazed me that a place with so many people could have such a community and family feel to it.

This year, whether it was a massive line of food trucks stretching the length of the Fennell pickup /drop off and area, huge inflatable obstacle courses, silk acrobatic acts, amazing concerts, the 2012 orientation efforts put forward by the Social Orientation Committee (lead by Debra Pearson in Student Engagement, along with the joint effort from MSA, SAC, Residence, Athletics and Alumni Association) were bigger this year than ever before. As we did last year, there were tours, contests, and other events to help new students find their classes, find their way around campus, acquire the supplies they needed and most importantly to provide the opportunity to get to know us and each other.

alumni news

I personally had a lot of fun this year getting to meet new students (and old ones who were returning) , showing them the new buildings, new facilities and new programs. With a facility as large as our Fennell Campus and the number of people who fill its halls it can be quite intimidating and it can be easy to feel lost. With the efforts Mohawk College makes as a community to welcome its new and returning students, it is harder than ever before for any student to feel unwanted or unwelcome.

I give my hats off to the students, faculty and alumni who have helped to make this 2012 Orientation one of Mohawk’s best ever. As I have been trading stories with my counterparts on Boards at other colleges across the country, all of our hard working Ambassadors made it easy for me to brag about Mohawk’s results.

Adam Pipe 2012 Student Governor Mohawk College

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Recognizing those individuals whose career achievements and community involvement provide a tremendous source of inspiration for future generations to follow.

Mohawk College Alumni of Distinction Awards Overview: For over 15 years, the Mohawk College Alumni Association has celebrated its outstanding graduates with our prestigious Alumni of Distinction Awards. The program recognizes those individuals whose career achievements, community involvement and societal contributions provide a tremendous source of inspiration for future generations to follow.

We encourage you to nominate any Mohawk graduates, who you feel are deserving of this significant honour.

Our Graduates...

The Nomination Process: You will be asked to provide the following: • A short bio • Highlights of the nominee’s career achievements, community involvement and societal contributions • How the nominee’s Mohawk education contributed to his/her success • The nominee’s resume and business card • Three letters of support One recipient is chosen annually from each of the following categories: • Technology • Business • Creative Arts and Design • Community Services • Health Sciences • Recent Graduate • Entrepreneur • Mohawk College Employee There is no charge associated with nominating an individual, nor are there any limits on the number of individuals you can nominate. The deadline for nominations is March 31st to be considered for the current year’s awards. The award recipients will be honoured at an awards ceremony and dinner in October.

To nominate a Mohawk College graduate kindly complete our online application: mohawkcollege.ca/alumni-of-distinction

Learn More:

For more information about the Alumni of Distinction Awards, contact Wendy Makey, Director, Alumni Relations at 905-575-2080 or wendy.makey@mohawkcollege.ca.

To read the short bios of our previous award recipients, visit the Alumni website: mohawkcollege.ca/alumni/alumniEvents/alumniOfDistinction/PastRecipients

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alumni news

brushing up on your social dining etiquette skills I think all students will want to attend the Mohawk College Alumni Association Etiquette Dinner to enjoy a fantastic meal while brushing-up on their social dining etiquette skills. Proper dinner etiquette is essential when dining with future employers and coworkers. Having attended this function, I am better prepared to create a professional impression, and have confidence that I will create the right impression to employers so I am able to obtain and maintain the job of my choice.

It was a very educational night and opened my eyes to the little things that make a difference in the way I am perceived. The room was filled with like-minded individuals (students and alumni) who strive to act accordingly whether in or out of an educational facility.

On top of being educated about dinner etiquette in a fun way, we were able to ask questions about what we should do in various scenarios with future co-workers so each encounter is a positive experience.

The facilitator, Fatima was awesome and very educational with a good sense of humor. She was very engaging with the crowd which led to us asking more questions. Each table had Mohawk alumni enjoying the dinner with us, acting as a host and mentor. This was really neat because it gave us the opportunity to network and act professional in front of peers. You never know who will be your future employer.

I enjoyed a fantastic dinner, interesting conversation and opened my eyes to a lot of the little details of social etiquette. I thought it was very informative and would love to do it again and encourage every student to attend at least once. It could make or break an offer of employment in your career.

Danika Faucon 3rd Year Student SAC Chair / MSA VP of Athletics

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alumni news

intern insights and media alumni panel By: Lars Strand

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alumni news

O

ver 200 internship hours Lars Strand are required to graduate from Mohawk College’s Television Broadcasting program. These hours are mostly accumulated in a student’s final semester during a seven-week time slot. I was fortunate enough to finish my placement early, in the summer before my final year at Mohawk. Racking up over 800+ internship hours as the Office Manager of a downtown Toronto Lifestyle/Reality Television Production Company I was able to be ahead of schedule for graduation. The experience of being an intern early helped me to gain confidence in my field of study, gave me consistency to work hard everyday regardless of being unpaid and the competency to work in the world of

independent Television and Film production.

At the annual Mohawk Media Alumni Panel, where Mohawk grads come back and talk to an audience of students and guests. I was given the opportunity to briefly talk about my experience as a summer intern.

I was at my summer placement unpaid from nine to five, Monday to Friday. It was my responsibility to open the doors in the morning and lock them at night. I was the liaison for any phone calls coming in, meetings taking place and any form of mail being sent to the office. In many ways I was the, the first point of contact for any form of communication so it was my role to be knowledgeable of the productions going on. I was required to talk professionally and confidently to any producer, director or

Left to Right: Richard M Armstrong, Melissa Mercer, Linda Rourke, Catherine Senior, Mitch Thompson, Kevin Wallis, Bryan Williams, Stephanie Sabourin, and Olivia Depetris.

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alumni news editor coming into the building. The confidence I learned at my internship has stuck with me and given me a much more solid foundation when marketing myself.

During my speech at the Media Panel, I talked about the importance of consistency. Everyday the staff at my placement expected to be able to walk up to an unlocked front door and come inside. My ability to have that door unlocked at 9am every morning was crucial in me developing the consistency that it takes to be successful in the Television and Film industry, when time is literally money.

When being late is the Kai Lui - created the cartoon last thing you want to sketches for each panel member be known for, being consistent does not go unnoticed and simply unlocking doors everyday led to many opportunities for personal development and growth for me within the company.

The final trait that I touched on at the Mohawk Media Alumni Panel was competency. Talking everyday, working and assisting television and film producers quickly raised my competency. I began learning the lingo of the TV and Film industry and what did and didn’t work in regards to creating, pitching and financing independent productions.

Being at my placement for an entire summer gave me the opportunity to get to know the staff closely. Everyday someone in the office would be teaching me something new, telling me about their crazy production stories and mentoring me in my career goals and objectives. Working hand in hand with experienced producers increased my competency drastically, I was able to get deep insight into the true inner workings of a production company, both the struggles and successes.

The Annual Media Alumni Panel is always an amazing opportunity to hear success stories first hand from industry professionals who have been in the same shoes as the current Mohawk student’s sitting in the audience. Finding my internship early and having the opportunity to spend an entire summer with a production company was a rewarding experience. Not only did I gain and develop the traits of confidence, consistency and competency but I also got to

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know some amazing people and have a truly memorable summer experience before going into my final year at Mohawk College. The Television Broadcasting program at Mohawk is undergoing several changes with new teacher’s coming in, older courses being phased out and the introduction of e-Learn focused course material, but the program will continue to serve it’s students teaching them real world skills that will directly help them succeed.

My time in the program has been personally enriching, teaching me the skills I needed to get an internship and succeed in developing networking connections and real world experience. I would recommend that all students in their first or second year in the Television Broadcasting program try to find an early internship placement.

alumni news

mountaineer

alumni weekend

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On Saturday, December 1, 2012 varsity alumni returned to the Fennell gym for our annual Alumni Games. This year Women’s Volleyball, Men’s Basketball and Women’s Basketball all participated in scrimmages. After each alumni game there was a Meet and Greet in the Mezz for all to have time to relax and catch up with their teammates.

It was really great seeing old teammates and playing with them again. The volleyball was still competitive and super-fun to play, but the best part was chatting with the girls and catching up on life. It was also really nice meeting other alumni and networking with them. We had 11 ladies out and one coach, which was nice, but we’d love to see more out next year!

Individuals interested in joining the Facebook group can search “Mohawk Lady Mountaineers Volleyball”. Courtney Warren

”

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Friday, May 31st, 2013 Flamborough Hills Golf & Country Club

$160/person ~ $640/foursome 7:00am Registration 8:00am Shot-gun start

- Early Bird Special Register by May 10th and save $10/person Register today!

905-575-2258 or alumni.mohawkcollege.ca

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alumni news

photos with santa On Saturday, December 8th, 2012 MCACES, MSA and the Alumni Association hosted the 4th Annual Photos with Santa in The Arnie. This year was an overwhelming success as we had over 200 families join us throughout the day. There was something for everyone! Thank you to our volunteers and staff that helped make this day a wonderful experience.

“

Thank you so much for the lovely day on Saturday!

We really enjoyed ourselves. What a great event! Will definitely be coming next year. Thanks to everyone for their hard work. It is really appreciated!

”

Monique Rimmer, Alumna

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I work in Student Engagement and I had my kids here Saturday for picture with Santa. Thought you should know so, you could pass it on to those concerned...

My kids loved it! Thank you to Santa for coaxing my 3 year old onto his lap... he was great! Thank you to all the staff and volunteers. It was well organized, it was fun and I’m still hearing about what a great day it was (I’m sure I will be for a while). I’m sad that I am not here again next year to take advantage of this fantastic event. Please send my thanks to all involved!

Christine Hopman, student

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alumni news

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alumni news

Mohawk College Alumni Association Donates $100,000 to Fennell Renewal Project By: Jay Robb The Mohawk College Alumni Association was recognized on Monday, November 14, 2012 for supporting the college’s Fennell Campus Renewal Project. The Association’s $100,000 donation was celebrated with the dedication of the Mohawk College Alumni Association Entrance Plaza at the Mohawk Learning Exchange.

The largest campus renewal project in Mohawk’s history is creating more places and better spaces for students to learn, collaborate and create.

“Once again, the Mohawk College Alumni Association has stepped up in a big way for Mohawk students,” said President Rob MacIsaac.

“The Mohawk College Alumni Association is proud to help our alma mater continue the important work of transforming lives and building community,” said Alumni Council Chair Sandra Ireland, who received a Mohawk Alumni of Distinction Award in 2004 for her career achievements and community contributions.

The Mohawk College Alumni Association, which serves more than 90,000 alumni, has contributed nearly $700,000 over the past 15 years to student bursaries and major construction and renovation projects.

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Our Alumni Convocation Speaker Dave Pond Proud grad Dave Pond gave the Alumni Convocation Address at the Fall 2012 ceremony. Dave, a 1984 graduate of the Business Administration Program, has always had a mind for business. Before coming to Mohawk, Dave was the first president of the Simcoe Leo Club, a youth oriented group and ran his own DJ business, while in high school.

Since graduating from Mohawk Dave’s entrepreneurial instincts have only expanded. He now has four successful businesses, Edge Imaging, Long Point Eco-Adventures, Blue Elephant Craft Brew House and Burning Kiln Winery.

During his convocation address, Dave’s words of inspiration were “to move your career forward it really comes down to building solid meaningful relationships. People interaction is key to business and life relationships…. it’s not rocket science… it’s actually what you learned in Kindergarten!

Simple rules: • Say what you mean; • Do what you say; • Send thank you cards • Give credit where credit is due.

Mohawk College has provided you all with an excellent foundation – I know because I have been actively using it for a few (28) years! Use this foundation to build a positive/rewarding future.”

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calendar of events March

May

23

Alumni Family Event – Pancakes and Sugar Bush Tour – Breakfast is served at 10:00am | Richardson’s Farm & Market – 131 River Road, Dunnville, ON | Adult $10 and Child $5 – register online alumni.mohawkcollege.ca

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Mohawk-McMaster Institute for Applied Health Science (IAHS) Open House – 10am to 1pm

April

4

Continuing Education Students Etiquette Dinner – (in partnership with MCACES) - $10 per person 6pm to 9pm – Carmen’s / Register online alumni.mohawkcollege.ca – Business Attire required – Cash Bar

6

Fennell Campus Open House – 9am to 1pm

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STARRT Campus Open House – 6pm to 9pm

Mohawk - Planting our Roots – FREE EVENT – 10am to 1pm | Confederation Park – open to all student, Alumni and Staff – RSVP online alumni.mohawkcollege.ca

4

TBD Calgary Regional Event – visit our website for details

TBD Edmonton Regional Event – visit our website for details

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9th Annual Mohawk College Alumni Golf Classic – Flamborough Hills Golf and Country Club, 8am Shotgun Start - $160 per person/$640 per team – Register online at alumni.mohawkcollege.ca – EARLY BIRD SPECIAL – take $10 off if you register and pay in full by May 10th, 2013

June

13

27

TBD

Therapuetic Recreation Reunion – during the TRO Conference in Kingston, ON - visit our website for more details

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Nursing Grads Afternoon Tea – 3:30pm to 5pm –– RSVP to alumni@mohawkcollege.ca

Mohawk-Laurier Centre in Brantford Open House – 10am to 1pm

Young Alumni Event – join the Mohawk Young Alumni Connection | Create Your Own Professional Brand Conference - $25 per person | 9am to 3pm @ Mohawk College Fennell Campus | Register online alumni.mohawkcollege.ca – visit our website for more details

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Spring 2013 Convocation Ceremonies

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www.alumni.mohawkcollege.ca

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