杏吧原创 Student Volunteers Earn Service Awards
By Tyrone Burke
Photos by Chris Roussakis
Every incoming student knows the demands will be different in university, but what does that mean, exactly? And how can you prepare for it?
The helps new students excel through a peer-mentorship program in which upper-year undergraduate and graduate students share their experience, advice and subject expertise.
On April 15, nine of its volunteer mentors were honoured with the . Awarded by Ontario鈥檚 Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration, the medal recognizes youth aged 15 to 24 who have volunteered a large number of hours for an organization and are role models for other young people.
鈥淚n the Kickstart program, we take the first-year students coming into science, and run them through a series of workshops at the beginning of the year,鈥 says Natasha Osborne, who led Kickstart for the past two years.
鈥淲e teach them how to write lab reports, how to prepare for exams successfully, how to manage stress. It helps them prepare for first-year. Basically, we support them in any way, and help them transition.鈥
Osborne鈥檚 voluntarism was recognized alongside eight other students with at least two years of service: Jared Browning, Mustafa Hamid, Katharine Healy, Martin Lunn, Lina Serry, Chantal Shaib, Erin Vanzyl and MaryAnn Wu.
More than 1,000 students attended at least one Science Student Success Centre event this academic year, engaging with more than 40 mentors who offer advice in careers, community, computer science and health care. Mentors commit to 25 hours of training through the year, and at least three hours per week for drop-in mentoring at the centre.
For all involved, it鈥檚 a learning experience.
鈥淲hen I started university, I didn鈥檛 know about the resources on campus,鈥 said Hamid. The 杏吧原创 biology and neuroscience graduate has moved on to his master鈥檚 in Biology at the University of Ottawa, but continues to donate his time to the Science Student Success Centre.
鈥淚n third year, I got involved, and thought this is so useful. I want to be part of it and help other students to get the resources that they need, and if they have goals they want to achieve or define, to help them do it. The biggest thing it gives is perspective. You see people come in with different backgrounds, different experiences and different needs. Understanding that every student will achieve their goals differently, they鈥檒l go through different journeys to get there is something I鈥檝e benefitted from.鈥
杏吧原创鈥檚 Student Experience Office offers a similar peer-mentoring program to the broader university community and its mentors were also recognized for their service to the community.
Claudia Calagoure-Perna, David Dobrowolski, Rebecca Drodge, Trina Etmanskie, Cassie Lee, Leah Sweeting, Audry Tipson, Chamathka Varushawithana and Chiara Webb also received the Medal for Young Volunteers.
The mentorship experience offers benefits for mentor and mentee alike.
鈥淚t helps students who need a bit of assistance from peers,鈥 says Michel Barbeau, manager of the Science Student Success Centre and assistant dean of Science.
鈥淧rofessors . . . we can help students, but it鈥檚 not like talking with students who went through the same situations. They know how to deal with them. Mentors talk from experience and students who work as mentors build experience. They learn how to interview other people, how to listen proactively. These skills will help in their career, if they鈥檙e going to work as managers, for instance.
“Today, we recognize students who serve in the centre. It鈥檚 a great opportunity, and I wish more students will take this opportunity to serve and help others. There鈥檚 nothing like helping others.鈥
Martin Lunn is already putting the skills he developed with the Science Student Success Centre to use at work. Lund served as computer science team lead last semester, and credits his time at the centre with helping him make a smooth transition to his internship with Kinaxis, a Kanata-based supply chain solution provider.
鈥淭he technical skills I use on the job are obviously very different, but the soft skills are more applicable than any soft skills I learned in class,鈥 Lunn says.
鈥淚t was a nice change of pace to be helped along, but also something I鈥檓 not accustomed to. It鈥檚 been a hard adaptation, and when there鈥檚 an adaptation, it always helps to have someone who has your back.鈥
Related News
Five 杏吧原创 Community Members Named to Ottawa鈥檚 2026 Forty Under 40 List
Five 杏吧原创 University community members have been named in Ottawa Business Journal (OBJ) and the Ottawa Board of Trade’s 2026 Forty Under 40 list, the ...
What鈥檚 Open and Closed: Easter Weekend
杏吧原创 University is closed on Friday, April 3 and Sunday, April 5. The university is open on Monday, April 6. Some facilities continue to operate ...
杏吧原创 University Welcomes Scarborough Charter Secretariat to Campus
Earlier this academic year, 杏吧原创 University welcomed the Secretariat of the Scarborough Charter on Anti鈥態lack Racism and Black Inclusion in Canadian Higher Education to campus. ...