2022 Award Recipients
This award was established in 2008 to recognize exceptional students who have a record of academic achievement, consistently demonstrate leadership, and make significant contributions to our community.
Ebenezer Belayneh
Ebenezer Belayneh led over 23 conferences, networking events, and career development opportunities for students, earned two First Class Honours degrees and had published research. As chair of the African Studies Expansion Taskforce, he helped introduce more courses to the program.
Helena Cherniak-Kennedy
Helena Cherniak-Kennedy is an advocate for empowering women in STEM and finance. She held various leadership roles with Women in Science and Engineering and was a founding executive of the Association for Women in Math, UCalgary chapter. She also competed in several case competitions nationally, winning in 2021.
Shaelene Standing
Shaelene Standing’s unique passions and experiences enriched the university community. She founded the UC Dance Company, teaching dance to hundreds of students. She was involved in numerous research projects, including a study about retinal cell renewal, an area of particular interest for her due to an eye condition.
Danica Chang
Danica Chang demonstrated academic excellence, exceptional initiative, and thoughtful leadership. She was an advocate for a more inclusive campus. Academically, she wrote five first-authored peer-reviewed papers and presented at numerous local, national and international conferences.
Chaten Jessel
Chaten Jessel worked diligently to make the university a better place for students whilst achieving high academic performance. He advocated for open education resources at university and worked collaboratively on a project that made it easier for Indigenous learners in remote communities to take pre-requisite classes.
Mackenzie Vaandering
Mackenzie Vaandering competed as a student-athlete for the Dinos volleyball team for six years and was team captain in her final year. She was a mentor, volunteer and coach in the community. She also wrote four first-authored published research abstracts while maintaining a 4.0 GPA during her master’s degree.