Everyday Heroes for December 2020

For going and above to make sure the college community is kept up-to-date on the latest developments in the college’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Derek Shaw is a Mohawk College Everyday Hero. Derek is a Web Developer with the Marketing team who has been working closely with the Communications team since the COVID-19 pandemic began in March. He was instrumental in setting up the college's COVID-19 website and has provided ongoing support for it ever since, including posting important updates on short notice and often responding within minutes of receiving a request. This has been important to the college’s communication efforts as the updates are often linked in other communications. Derek's timeliness in posting this information has been greatly appreciated.

For always being there to support his colleagues in the Office Administration program, Adam Luyk is a Mohawk College Everyday Hero. Adam is a local hero in the McKeil School of Business. He possesses personal qualities of kindness, helpfulness, and positivity. No task is too daunting or too small for Adam to handle with his superior skill level in LMS, computer troubleshooting, and staff training. Below are some testimonials from colleagues in the Office Administration program:

“Every semester Adam patiently helps us to set up our eLearn accounts to help us ensure that our students experience a seamless introduction to eLearn at Mohawk. Behind the scenes, he works out the kinks to our links to external learning sites. His patience is boundless, and his nonjudgmental approach is greatly appreciated.”

“Adam is always willing to help with any issue that arises regarding software or eLearn. I wanted to take a paper-based theory test to an eLearn quizzes and had started creating the quiz. I had completed four questions in one hour.”

“When I spoke to Adam about a question I had about the process, he offered to finish the test for me. He had the entire theory test in the eLearn quiz format in less than an hour. What an impressive support he is to us. He is amazing with eLearn and is so knowledgeable about all kinds of IT issues. There is not one eLearn or computer-related problem I had that Adam could not fix.”

“Adam is amazing. He’s always helpful, always patient, and knows his stuff inside and out. I have worked with many IT personnel and no one compares to him. He is so patient and accommodating. Adam is an invaluable resource. He always has the answers to any questions we might have with e-Learn and computers in general. I could not work efficiently and effectively without him! Adam is an everyday hero who hides his super cape well!”

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 always going above and beyond for co-workers Mary Murphy is a Mohawk College Everyday Hero. An employee of the college for 34 years, Mary’s dedication to her duties as well as to students is been nothing short of incredible. She always goes above and beyond for her co-workers, both inside and outside of her department, and faculty admire her dedication to doing everything in her power, even on her own time, to ensure they have the needed materials or solutions for their students. Mary's career has been dedicated to the betterment of the Mohawk College community, one co-worker, faculty and student at a time and we are proud to have her on the team.

For everything she does to support new International students, Thea Laidman is a Mohawk College Everyday Hero. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic Thea has worked round the clock to develop solutions and strategies to help International students who want to study at Mohawk. As Director of International Recruitment, Thea is committed to ensuring every student receives the answers and attention they need to make the life-changing decision to study at the college. She is compassionate and caring, and committed to excellence in everything she does. Thea has spearheaded innovative and exciting new ways for the college to reach potential International students including organizing a Virtual Campus Day, which drew more than 800 attendees. She also developed a Wednesday Webinar series, which offers live support and presentations, and the Future Student App, which addresses the most common questions students ask. Thea embodies Mohawk’s value of being student-focused. Shortly after the pandemic began, Thea worked with her colleague Elyse Pipitone, to launch the Helping Hampers program to provide food and other supports for International students in need. While COVID-19 has presented Mohawk’s International team with many challenges, Thea inspires her team to go the extra mile, all with a positive, winning attitude.

For always taking initiative and putting her expertise to work to develop creative solutions to issues and barriers facing college partners in Indigenous communities, Marina Capone is a Mohawk College Everyday Hero. Marina has worked with Indigenous education to include Indigenous-focused goals on her Performance Work Plan as a way to facilitate information sharing and navigate internal processes for her colleagues and Indigenous partners. Despite the challenges of the past eight months, Marina continues to go above and beyond with her dedication to her role. No question is too small or too insignificant. Marina makes the Liberal Studies department a more enjoyable place to work by recognizing special days and milestones, and by encouraging wellness through "body breaks" such as stretching, outdoor walks, and health and wellness challenges for her colleagues. Thank you, Marina for all your continued hard work.