Everyday Heroes for November 2019

Congratulations to our most recent recipient.

Everyone who works at Mohawk College is eligible to be nominated for an Everyday Hero Award. Nominate someone today, visit: https://www.mohawkcollege.ca/employees/employee-recognition/mohawk-everyday-hero

For their focus and dedication to improving financial literary among students, Emily DiNardo and Jennifer Van Oosten are Mohawk College Everyday Heroes. Emily and Jennifer run the Mo' Money program for Mohawk students. Their focus, dedication and amazing enthusiasm has transformed Mo' Money into an amazing partner within the College. They deliver events and workshops throughout the year to ensure students understand what financial literacy is all about, and they help students to better understand budgeting and all things money related. They also work with international students to help them understand taxes and other consideration for working in Canada. The team has also developed partnerships with amazing organizations in our community such as Merrit brewing, who came to speak to students about starting their own businesses. The work this team does is an important element of the college’s strategic plan, and ensures Mohawk students understand the resources and supports available to them.

For always putting the needs others fist, Antonella Badal-Badalian is a Mohawk College Everyday Hero. Antonella is the Fees Specialist in the Enrolment Services and Systems Division. She is responsible for all programming of fees, invoicing for students, and packaging of all communications sent from the Admissions office. Antonella is an absolute pleasure to work with. She is always positive, eager and friendly to all staff and students, and always places the needs of others above her own needs and interests. She is extremely dedicated and committed to the college, and she takes pride in ensuring that the generation of fee statements for all programs and semesters for every intake at the college are done accurately and delivered in a timely fashion. Antonella also plans for and packages more than 400,000 pieces of correspondence each year, often arriving in the morning far before anyone is at the college to get a head start on the day. Antonella is always gracious and appreciative of others. She practices this each and every day and is a positive influence for other staff in the department.

For his continued commitment to students’ wellbeing and success in life, Matthew Schnarr is a Mohawk College Every Day Hero. As coach of the Women’s Volleyball Team, Matthew inspires athletes to try their hardest and work together as a team. He mentors students both on and off the court, and provides guidance and leadership to many students each year. Matt also consistently delivers exceptional recreation programming for Mohawk students, and is always willing to go the extra mile to ensure that students feel supported and appreciated. This year, he orchestrated the first Campus Recreation Recognition Event, honouring athletes who participated in recreation programming and intramurals. He goes above and beyond and always puts students first.

For being the glue that keeps the Accessible Learning Services, Counselling and Wellness teams together, MaryLee Barnes is a Mohawk College Everday Hero. The Counselling and Accessible Learning Services specialist for the in Counselling and Accessible Learning Services.

team, MaryLee’s colleagues describe her as being kind, caring, sensitive, funny and a good listener. She continually supports her team with a variety of requests, and always does it with a positive attitude. Under her detailed care, the Student Wellness budget has continued to find efficiencies that have allowed us to offer programs and supports for students who present with high levels of risk. MaryLee is responsive to the needs of each member of the team. Her passion for her work is apparent, and she never hesitates to share this passion with others by offering a helping hand. MaryLee is an amazing "behind the scenes" champion and hero for students and staff in Counselling and Accessible Learning Services.

For her passion and commitment to student success, Pat Pollington is a Mohawk College Everyday Hero. Pat is well known in student services as one of the most passionate and hard-working staff members who truly believes in student success. She demonstrates her commitment for students each and every day. She often deals with students who are stressed, upset and unsure about what they should do next. She always responds with empathy, insight, and knowledgeable recommendations on the best way forward. Her colleagues appreciate her thorough record keeping, her unbiased approach to the student history, and her approach to a positive outcome. When colleagues are looking for good guidance on a student issue, Pat is one of the first people they go to for advice.

For being there to offer support to students when they need it, Dan Pavic is a Mohawk College Everyday Hero. As Manager of Financial Assistance, Dan is extremely knowledgeable and has a deep understanding the financial issues facing students. His expertise is extremely valuable, and he appreciates the timeliness of supports when unforeseen circumstances occur and has been able to support our students in times of crisis. If Dan does not know the answer to a question, you can count on him finding out. He is unfailingly supportive, kind and empathetic with our students, and displays a razor-sharp clarity about the ways in which Financial Assistance can, or cannot, support students, and even if Financial Assistance cannot help directly, Dan often has sound advice to offer students in addressing their financial concerns.

For always going above and beyond in everything he does, Sean Conners is a Mohawk College Everyday Hero. As part of the Sexualized Violence Student Working Group, Sean single handily led the Community of Consent Week activities at all three campuses, interacting with more 2,000 students. Sean also led the development of student focused educational events aimed at getting students to be part of the solution. Sean is always inclusive of others, thinks strategically with a "big picture" concept and is passionate about what he does. Sean understands how to connect with students in a positive and supportive manner. He is always reaching for new initiatives and concepts and his Male Allyship approach for the campus is something that is really catching on.

For being a wonderful, passionate, and dedicated professor in the Mechanical Engineering Technology program, Sabatino Parisse is Mohawk College Everyday Hero. Every day, Sabatino displays his love and interest for mechanical engineering, going out of his way to support students in and out of the classroom. A great example of this is Sabatino’s involvement in the Astronomy Club at Mohawk College, helping students with club duties, participating in various activities, and actively promoting the club. Despite his busy schedule, Sabatino always makes time to help students in his courses. He also is a strong advocate for encouraging students to participate and engage in the college community.

For always looking for opportunities to give students meaningful experiences and for the impact he has had on students in his program, Dr. Louis D’Orazio is a Mohawk College Everyday Hero. Louie has consistently maintained ties to industry and enriched his classroom with opportunities to solve real-world problems and make a meaningful impact on real businesses in his Lean Manufacturing and Capstone Classes. Louie serves as the faculty mentor for the student chapter of the Foundry Education Foundation (FEF) Canada. Every year, Louie’s efforts with this club lead directly to the award of student FEF scholarships for students in our program that allow them to continue their studies at Mohawk College. Louie always puts students first. He strives to bring new industry relevance and examples into his classroom. He is also an active male ally of the Women in Technology and Trades group on campus, and volunteers his time and energy to student centric events throughout the school year.

For going out of her way to continuously support new and graduating students as coordinator of the Mechanical Engineering Technology program, Elizabeth Martin is a Mohawk College Everyday Hero. Despite being busy with her own projects and work, Elizabeth helps students with extra curricular activities and helps run the WiTT initiative. In the classroom, she dedicates herself to giving students the best learning opportunities. She recognizes the difficulties students face and provides many resources to aid them in their academic journey. Some examples of this are being able to change the language in her eLearn courses, make multiple resources available, and providing videos of herself demonstrating practice questions.