Reflections Winter 2011

8/7/2019 Reflections Winter 2011

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WINTER 2011 | VOL. 72

reflectionsDURHAM COLLEGE ALUMNI MAGAZINE

LINDSAY CARTER WORKS WITH THESE

MASCOTS EVERY DAY

DURHAM COLLEGE

GOES GLOBALALUMNUS FRANK BRUNO AWARDED

KING CLANCY AWARD

LINDSAY CARTER WORKS WITH THESE

MASCOTS EVERY DAY

DURHAM COLLEGE

GOES GLOBALALUMNUS FRANK BRUNO AWARDED

KING CLANCY AWARD


2/26

MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT,DURHAM COLLEGE

MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT,ALUMNI ASSOCIATION

REFLECTIONS | WINTER 2011

As the 2010-2011

academic year begins to

wind down, I would like to

take this opportunity to

give you an update on

some of the wonderfulthings happening at

Durham College

beginning with an update

on the Building for our

Future expansion happening at our Whitby campus.

Phase 1, focused on renewable energy, opened

in December 2009 and Phase 2 is now well

underway including a retrofit and expansion of our

shop area to accommodate new programs in the

building and construction trades. Phase 2 also

includes the addition of two houses, an older home

with dated technology and wiring and a newly

constructed home with the latest energy efficient

and environmentally friendly technology to give

students a sense of the changes occurring in the

construction and building trades.

Phase 3 will be a new 30,000-square-foot

building that will accommodate an additional 950

students studying in hospitality, tourism and food-

related programs. It will also house a full-service,

green-certified restaurant open to the general

public and a greenhouse so students and

community members can watch the foods of

Durham Region come to life.

The majority of our student services

departments moved into our new 35,000-square-

foot Student Services building in December. One of

the most comprehensive facilities in the province,

this one-of-a-kind building now houses a number of

our essential student services including theFinancial Aid and Awards office, the Office of the

Registrar, Career Services and Student Academic

Learning Services.

Of course buildings arent the only new addition

to Durham College. I am also happy to let you

know that 14 new programs will begin this

September including Accessibility Co-ordination,

Construction Carpentry Sustainable, Digital

Photography, Victimology and Welding Techniques.

Each was developed to meet the needs of the

current economy and employment market with

input from program advisory committees and focus

groups comprised of community leaders, industry

experts and, in many cases, our alumni.

Speaking of alumni, this particular issue of

Reflections showcases several successful

graduates who are making a difference in their

communities, the province and the country

including Andrew Bright and Adam Sellors, 2010

graduates of our Paramedic program who, as

students, won the college division of the 2010

National Paramedic Competition and now work as

primary care paramedics in the Durham and Halton

regions.

There is also Christopher Russell, a 2006 Police

Foundations graduate, who has bravely served his

country overseas and at home and received the

General Campaign Star Medal for service, the

Sacrifice Medal for injuries sustained and the

Canadian Forces National Investigation ServiceCommanding Officers Commendation.

Just as I am extremely proud of all of the hard

work happening here at Durham College, I continue

to be equally as proud of our alumni and everything

you have accomplished.

I truly hope your time at Durham College

provided the strong foundation and training you

needed to move into your career and the next stage

of your life. As you read through this issue of

Reflections, I encourage you to consider submitting

your own success story we would love to hear

from you!

Sincerely,

Don Lovisa

President, Durham College

With spring just weeks

away, I am sure you are

eager to celebrate a new

season and the warmer

temperatures to come.

It is also a great time to

recognize and reflect on

the years of hard work you

dedicated to learning here

at Durham College now

that your studies are complete.

Whether your time as a student ended recently

or years ago, I hope you know that your connection

to the college still exists, only in a different capacity,

as one of our valued alumni.

As alumni, its up to you to carry on the legacy of

the more than 51,000 students who have studied at

Durham College, graduated and gone on to

professional success thanks to the knowledge and

skills they developed during their time with us.

I encourage you to share what you learned

at our state-of-the-art facilities and the positive

student experience you enjoyed thanks to the

dedicated and supportive faculty and staff who

guided you throughout your educational endeavors.

Most importantly, please share how proud you

are to be a Durham College alumnus. After all, you

never know when you might have the opportunity

to provide guidance to a secondary school studentwho is undecided on where to pursue post-

secondary studies or an individual looking to make a

career change.

Perhaps the best way to demonstrate your

commitment to Durham College and all that it

gave to you is to work hard and continue to be

successful in everything that you do. Whether

you entered the workforce immediately or

returned to school to further your skills, your

success will always be linked to you being a

Durham College graduate.

As an alumna of 35 years, it is easy for me to talk

about all of the amazing things that Durham College

has brought and continues to bring to me. Judging

by the stories in this edition of Reflections, its easy

to see that Im not the only one that is singing the

colleges praises.

Sing on alumni!

Cheers,

Lillian Jacoby

Legal Administration, class of 1976

President, Durham College Alumni Association


3/26

4 Marketing a Leafs nation

5 Slaying the competition on Dragons De

6 Theyre winners at saving lives

7 Fingerprint recognition takes overPIN and CHIP technologies

8 Death brings life and an award

9 The Chronicle: best in Ontario

10 Durham College cooks up new program

11 A graduates life of war and peace

12 Students of the world

14 Experiencing the 2010 Paralympics

16 Paralympic champion bleeds greenand gold

18 Start your engines

19 Were Number 1 in the community

20 From classroom to podium

21 Tracking the sun

22 Second Career students finish first

23 A journey of distinction

24 Alumni update

REFLECTIONS

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4/26

SHE WALKS THROUGH THE DOORS OF 50 BAY STREET INToronto, Ont. and the enthusiasm in the building is electric.Everyone at the Air Canada Centre office is animated about thegame tonight. She sits down, smiles and feels right at home.

For most people, walking into work isnt that exciting but forLindsay Carter it is. The intensity of working at one of Torontosbiggest sports centres is unbelievable. Carter, a 2004 graduateof Durham Colleges Public Relations program, is the co-ordinatorof Marketing Services for Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment(MLSE).

After only two years on the job she has already been honouredwith an all-star award at her companys annual get togetherand received a personal thank you from Mike Komisarek, adefensemen for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Komisarek, who is known for his community involvementand outreach to children with cancer, was nominated for theNHL Community Award by MLSE in 2010. Carter and a graphicdesigner worked on his nomination without his knowledgeincluding collecting fan letters, e-mails, notes and cards;setting up a photo shoot with him; and learning about himand his community work. When he found out about thenomination project, he came to the office and personallythanked everyone involved.

Being able to work on Mikes project was a tremendoushonour, said Carter. It opened my eyes and showed me howmuch of a leader in our community he truly is. When he came upto the office to thank us for the work we did I was blown away.

He was just a regular guy who wanted to show his appreciationfor what we did for him.

Carter works in the Creative Services department where fivein-house designers produce creative material and advertisingelements for the entire company including the Toronto MapleLeafs, Raptors, FC and Marlies; Maple Leaf Square; E11evenrestaurant; and MLSE. Working with the various departments tounderstand their marketing objectives, Carter ensures projects areexecuted on time, budget and brand.

She oversees all projects on the go and manages the designersdaily workload to ensure each designer has everything they needto accomplish their tasks. Creative materials include season ticketpackages, signage, brochures, ads, coupons, gift cards and muchmore. Her department also puts out anything with the MLSE logo

on it.Recently, the company launched two new brands, Real Sports

Apparel and Real Sports Bar and Grill. Carters team wasresponsible for coming up with the names, look and feel as wellas the signage and items offered in the store. On top of asuccessful launch, the new bar and grill was recently named theNumber 1 sports bar in North America by ESPN.

Media Day is another part of Carters job. Once a year all thesports teams, which MLSE represents, come in for a photo shootwith the photos used throughout the year in the creative materialsdesigned by Carter and her team. Through Media Day, shes metsome of the players. They are great guys, she said.

Before getting her job at MLSE, Carter worked in procurementat IBM and was an account executive at ICON Digital. Whileworking at ICON, Amanda Dwyer, marketing manager of MediaIntegration at MLSE, was one of her clients. After forming a

relationship with Dwyer, Carter heard about a job opening atMLSE and applied. She was seen as the perfect fit. She hasloved her job since Day 1 and her colleagues appreciate havingher there.

Lindsay is one of our all-stars, said Dwyer. In her time withMLSE, she has proven to be an extremely valuable player on ourteam. Her commitment to getting the job done along with herpassion and enthusiasm are second to none.

MARKETING ALEAFS NATIONby Amanda Clarke


Public Relations graduate Lindsay Carter with the Toronto Raptorand Carlton the Bear at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ont.Carter does marketing for both the Toronto Raptors and theToronto Maple Leafs.


5/26

THE ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORstarted in a small store front in Oshawa,Ont., slayed them on Dragons Den inToronto, Ont. and may end up in thevineyards of Greece and Turkey. ForDurham College graduate LoreleiHepburn and her organic lawn care

company, there are no boundaries.Last June, Hepburn appeared on the hit

CBC show Dragons Den where she wonover all five dragons for the Nemaglobe, achemical-free pesticide that revives livenematodes, which then eat lawn grubs.While she has faith in her product, she alsofeels no one can ever be confident in frontof the dragons.

You want to think that you always havea good business idea and I knew my ideaswould catch their attention, said Hepburn.But I never thought I would get approvalfrom all five dragons. It was nerve-racking

when they were all asking you questionsat the same time but once they startasking questions that you know you cananswer, your nerves start to relax. Thenits just like talking to a client. Im justglad I had a jacket on because I wassweating bullets.

With franchises across Ontario andbusiness expanding into the United States,Hepburn doesnt know if shell ever beable to settle down. Recently, the

Environmental Factor began makingplans with vineyards throughout Greeceand Turkey to produce wine that is freeof chemical pesticides. One day shehopes to own a small vineyard like theones she is talking to in the Mediterraneanbut that doesnt mean she sees herself

slowing down.Knowing myself, I would probably endup wanting to manufacture the wine, thenenter competitions and then see how largethe business could grow, said Hepburn. Idont honestly know if I would be able tomellow out. I always like the challengebecause Im dyslexic. My elementaryschool teacher told me that I would neveramount to anything but look at me now.Im glad school has changed since then.

Hepburn founded The EnvironmentalFactor in 1991 while still in her first year ofDurham Colleges Environmental

Technology program. Juggling a buddingcompany with a heavy school workloadwasnt easy for the young entrepreneur,especially while taking care of her youngdaughter. Regardless, Hepburn isnt afraidof a challenge and shes had her share. Inher second year at college, she sustaineda neck injury that nearly removed her fromthe program. Despite all that, Hepburnfought through the pain and stress andreceived her diploma in 1994.

Over the years she has established 14different franchises under the companysbrand and developed a number of differenteco-friendly lawn care products includingTarget Neem, an organic leaf spray thatgives plants an eye-catching shine andLiquiGold, a liquid corn protein that

thickens lawns and roots out weeds. As aresult, some of the highest-ranking officialsin the environmental industry have takennote of her success.

The Environmental Factor represents ahuge, huge step, not just for Canada butfor all of North America, said GideonForman, executive director of the CanadianAssociation of Physicians for theEnvironment. Hopefully the companyscontributions will offer a very goodprecedent for places like New York stateand California.

For now, the Environmental Factor is no

longer a small business on Simcoe Streetin Oshawa. Hepburn is president and chiefexecutive officer of a company thatstretches across Canada and recentlyexpanded into the United States wherestates such as California, Arizona andNevada keep it busy all year round.

In 2001 Hepburn joined the ranks ofDurham Colleges Alumni of Distinctionand in 2010 she won the Ajax-PickeringBoard of Trades Business Person of theYear Award.

SLAYING THE

COMPETITIONON DRAGONSDENby Christopher Cabral


Lorelei Hepburn (right) and Donna McFarlane,president of the Ajax-Pickering Board of Trade.Hepburn received the Ajax-Pickering Board ofTrade Bu siness Pers on of the Year Award.


6/26

STUDENTS FROM DURHAM COLLEGES PARAMEDICprogram came out on top at the 2010 National ParamedicCompetition (NPC) held at Durham College last spring. Andrew

Bright and Adam Sellors finished first in the college division ofthe challenge and Brock Bodashefsky and Rob Morra capturedthird place in the advanced care paramedic division.

The NPC requires students and professionals to competeagainst each other in a series of written and practicalcomponents. After two written exams, the teams work throughfive practical situations drawn from real emergency calls. Theseries of challenges at last years event included caring for anunconscious infant whose mother was both deaf and mute,attending to a police officer and bystander after a violent protestand helping a cardiac arrest patient with limited equipment. TheNPC is a great way for students to use the skills theyve obtainedthroughout their program and apply them to real-life scenarios.

Everything I learned in the program was valuable towardwinning, said Bright. How to deal with multiple casualtyincidents was very important in the competition because inmost of the scenarios you had to deal with more than one patientat a time.

The competitors were evaluated based on basic and advancedlife support standards with teams earning points in categoriessuch as patient assessments, physical exams and appropriatetreatments. Both Bright and Sellors had high hopes for thecompetition but did not expect to do as well as they did.

My partner and I thought we did well but we didnt expect towin. It was a pretty big surprise, said Bright. We had beenpractising hard and it was our goal to win since the beginning of

the year so it felt awesome when we did.The victory is only the beginning of a promising future for

Bright. He is now working full-time in Durham Region as a primarycare paramedic and hopes to gain a wealth of real-life experience.After a few years of work, he plans to go back to school tobecome an advanced care paramedic. Bright is also passing onhis knowledge and experience to other Durham College studentsthrough the Peer Tutoring program in hopes of eventuallybecoming a teacher at the college.

Meanwhile, Sellors works part-time at Halton EMS where hecontinually applies the skills he obtained at Durham College. Heplans to go back to school to receive his degree from theUniversity of Ontario Institute of Technology and within the nextfive years hopes to become an advanced care paramedic andcontinue his career. As far as this year goes, the two graduatesare still focused on bringing another big win home to the college.

My partner and I are planning on competing in the competitionagain this year, as well as when we are advanced careparamedics, he said. We want to win at every level.

THEYREWINNERSAT SAVING

LIVESby Kaitlyn Da Silva


PHOTO

COURTESYOFDURHAMCOLLEGE

Durham College Paramedic students Adam S ellors, left,and Andrew Bright, right, celebrate with professor KevinGriffin after winning the college division of the 2010National Paramedic Competition.

Everything I learned in the programwas valuable toward winning


7/26

ENTERTAINMENT MOGUL TYLER PERRYhad his credit card stolen and racked upwith almost $30,000 in charges with thethief going on a shopping spree andpurchasing several airline and movietickets, clothing from online retailers andmore than $500 at Toys R Us.

Dwight Cole, a Durham CollegeEngineering Technology graduate, says hehas a solution for this kind of identity theftand its at your fingertips. Coles company,ValidCard Canada, now offers the nextgeneration of payment card.

Instead of using PIN and CHIPtechnology, his card uses a combination offingerprint biometrics and a one-timepassword. When a cardholder swipes hisor her finger over the SmartFinger screenembedded in the ValidCard, a new

password is generated and displayed onthe card for immediate use.

The SmartFinger uses sign wavereaders, which read the ridges and valleyson the finger. It is temperature, pressureand angle-swipe sensitive and is 99.999per cent accurate through five lines ofreliability to ensure the person swipingthe card is the owner of the card.

It would take 200 man years to crackone ValidCard password, said Cole.The password changes after every

transaction because you have to scan yourfingerprint every time and it wouldnt beworth the effort of someone trying tocrack it.

The ValidCard also allows cardholders

to trigger a duress feature in the eventthat sometime tries to force them togenerate a transaction. The feature willsend an alert to the institution and thenlock the cardholders account. The cardalso has Radio Frequency Identificationcapabilities, which means it can be usedfor physical security such as opening adoor. The duress feature is also applicablein this scenario.

The applications are endless, saidCole. The Canadian governmentannounced in this years throne speech,that it is ready to entertain the use of

biometrics for the identification ofCanadian residents. This gives us a verylarge market to address with a veryunique solution.

The possibilities proved to be endless forCole and his fellow graduates. Being partof the first class to graduate withComputer Assisted Design (CAD) trainingmade them a high commodity in theengineering world. Before graduation,Cole already had a job offer andimmediately following graduation he

jumped into the fast-growing world oftechnical engineering.

With no initial thoughts of entering theinformation technology (IT) field he workedin engineering for the first five years. Then,

noticing the enormous demand for ITworkers, Cole began planning his owncompany and today is in the process offinalizing his dream with ValidCard Canada.

Another product being offered byValidCard Canada is Private Cloud, whichoffers remote storage and a secure portal.Cole would like to introduce thistechnology to Durham College, the schoolthat helped provide him with theknowledge he has today.

If Durham College utilized PrivateCloud, it would allow students to backuptheir laptops and collect their backup files

from at home, or anywhere in the worldthat has an Internet connection.

This is just one application that Durhamcould benefit from that would providemore peace of mind to students who areoperating more and more on laptops andworking remotely, said Cole. Throughthe cloud and the replacement of studentcards with ValidCards, students couldsecure their personal identity.


FINGERPRINTRECOGNITIONTAKES OVER

PIN AND CHIPTECHNOLOGIESby Michelle Chappell

Dwight Cole, a Durham College graduate, is workingto replace PIN and CHIP technology with fingerprintidentification.


8/26

WHEN YOU FIND A STORY ASinteresting as his, you have to stepback and let it tell itself. After surfingthe web on different library and museumwebsites, Don Campbell, a graduate ofDurham Colleges Journalism program,stumbled across information about anexhibit at the Oshawa CommunityMuseum that he found interesting.

In the end, the article he wrote aboutthe Victorian Celebration of Death exhibit,titled Making a Lasting Memory, won

second place at the 2010 OntarioCommunity Newspaper Awards in theFeature Story Writing category.

I went on a lot of websites, to thelibrary, to the museum, etc. and an exhibitat the museum stuck out, said Campbell.So I went down there and talked tothe curator. Luckily, I got a personal touras well as the opportunity to ask a lotof questions.

His feature story told of the fascinatingyet somewhat macabre traditionscommonly performed in the early 19thcentury. The article was accompanied by aphotograph of a very young girl taken aftershe had passed away, something that wasseen as a preservation of memory andcelebration of life in Victorian times. This,along with other elaborate ceremonies andpractices, held great significance to peoplebecause early death was such a commonthing before modern-day medicine.

In his article, Campbell acknowledgedthe discomfort yet intrigue individuals feelwhen observing death and rituals.Although these celebrations areconsidered over the top today, there is nodoubt they spark the interests andemotions of readers.

His writing success was a terrific aid inhelping him land his current position as areporter for the Uxbridge Times Journal

where he writes an array of hard newsstories. The hard work he put in while atDurham College also helped. WhenCampbell was a Journalism student heworked part-time while freelancing for theScugog Standard where he gained a lot ofphotography experience.

You have to be willing to have your egobruised from time to time, said Campbell.You have to accept loss and failure and beable to get over it. Persistence is almost asequally important as hard work.

Campbell is unsure of his exact plans forthe future but definitely sees himselfcontinuing his passion hard news stories as well as blogs.

DEATH BRINGS LIFEAND AN AWARDby Breanne Graham


PHOTOCOU

RTESYOFKARENLEBLANC

Journalism graduateDon Campbell is now aprofessional print andonline writer.


9/26

IT COULD BE COVERING A DURHAMLords game or fundraising event for a

charity in the community. Whatever thestory, Durham Colleges newspaper, TheChronicle, exceeds standards in everyissue with content that is always fresh,exciting and relevant to its readership.No doubt this is why it won the 2010Ontario Community NewspapersAssociation (OCNA) award for the BestCollege/University Newspaper in theprovince.

Im very happy that a professionaljournalism organization recognized thegreat work that our Journalism andAdvertising students do in producing the

Chronicle, said Gerald Rose, editor-in-chief of the Chronicle. Im proud of ourstudents. I know how much hard workthey put in and how dedicated they are tomaking an award-winning newspaper.

OCNA, a non-profit industry associationfounded in 1950 and based in

Burlington, Ont., hosts the annualawards each year to recognize the

accomplishments of communitynewspapers across Ontario. This isntthe first year the Chronicle has wonthe award for Best College/UniversityNewspaper.

The Chronicle regularly places inthe top three college and universitynewspapers across the province,said Rose. We have won first placeseveral times in the past.

The Chronicles mission is to serveas a formal training mechanism forstudents in the Journalism andAdvertising programs and be a

campus news medium that coversevents happening at Durham Collegeand the University of OntarioInstitute of Technology.

Certainly its year-to-year wins in avariety of categories not only serve aslearning mechanisms but also reinforce to

students that success is always withinreach. The Chronicle re-entered thecompetition this year with the winners tobe announced in spring 2011.

THE CHRONICLE:BEST IN ONTARIOby Liana Krmpotic


PHOTOCOURTESYOFLIANAKRMPOTIC

Editor-in-chief Gerald Rose is glad that

his students hard work was recognizedby the Ontario Community NewspapersAssociation.


10/26

IF YOU CANT TAKE THE HEAT, GET OUTof the kitchen. This metaphor is one DaveHawey has probably heard multiple timesbut now he can handle the heat and hes

in charge of the kitchen belonging toDurham Colleges Culinary Skills andHospitality Management Hotel,Restaurant and Tourism programs.

The new one-year culinary and two-yearhospitality programs, which began inSeptember 2010, were developed inresponse to huge demand. In this regionthere are many opportunities at the high

school level to learn culinary skills but afterthat you have to leave the region tocontinue learning, said Hawey. So the

reaction from students, parents andteachers was incredible. In the next fiveyears it is predicted that there will be ahuge shortfall in the hospitality field, ashortfall that could continue for yearsto come.

The Culinary Skills program focuses onusing healthy cooking methods whileworking with the community to ensurestudents use fresh, local produce. The 38students enrolled in the programs firstyear are spending time cooking, servingand running their own restaurant.

Hawey previously taught at FlemingCollege for 15 years in its culinaryprogram. While he enjoyed his job therethe idea of opening a program and buildingit from the ground up drew him to DurhamCollege.

We want to make sure that we aredelivering the best possible products toour students, said Hawey. Whatever wedo, however we deliver it, making sure our

students are prepared for the workplace.

With a great reaction from students,parents and teachers he has a lot of

aspirations for the programs. In the nextfew years Hawey is expecting an intake ofmore than 200 students.

If our students are happy they aregoing to spread the word, said Hawey. Healso anticipates that the program clusterwill include a cook apprenticeship and aculinary management program.

While students are currently using thekitchen at Maxwell Heights High School inOshawa, Ont. for their lab, the college willbe constructing a 30,000-square-footbuilding for students studying inhospitality, tourism and food programs aspart of its Whitby campus expansion. Thebuilding will be able to accommodate anadditional 950 students and house afull-service, green-certified restaurant thatis open to the general public and agreenhouse.

Thats our dream, and we think it canbe realized by 2012, said Hawey.

DURHAMCOLLEGECOOKS UPNEW PROGRAMby Alexis Wiekamp


Students Amber Blundon (Hospitality

Management Hotel, Restaurant andTourism) Julie Dion, (Culinary Skills) andDanielle Reesor (Hospitality Management

Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism) preparedessert for the Culinary Classic Golf

tournament at Angus Glen Golf Club andConference Centre in Markham, Ont.


11/26

COMING FROM A FAMILYwith a military background and apassion for policing, ChristopherRussell now enjoys the best of

both worlds.

After graduating from the PoliceFoundations program at DurhamCollege in 2006, Russell joinedthe Canadian Forces MilitaryPolice as a corporal andpatrolman at the CanadianForces Base in Petawawa, Ont.

In September 2008 he wasdeployed to Kandahar, Afghanistanwhere he handled, processed and guardeddetainees; escorted injured Afghans bymedical airlift; and conducted forensic

identifications before being secondedto the Canadian Forces NationalInvestigation Service (CFNIS) for highlysensitive investigations.

I truly cannot imagine what I wouldbe doing in life if I had not taken PoliceFoundations, said Russell. Policing iswhat I have always wanted to do andDurham College provided me withteachers that had first-hand experiencein the field, helping me to be where Iam today.

As a result of his work and service inAfghanistan, Russell was awarded theGeneral Campaign Star Medal for service,the Sacrifice Medal for injuries sustained

from an explosion and the CFNISCommanding Officers Commendation.

The explosion happened last March, just14 days before Russell's tour ofAfghanistan was to end. He was part of ajoint Canada-United States mission todisrupt Taliban operations and five peoplewere injured including Russell, whose lefteardrum was severely damaged, affectinghis hearing and balance. He was taken byhelicopter to the base hospital in Kandahar.

Russell has also shared hisspecialized services in Canadaas a community volunteer withmore than 280 on-call hours

and 20 hours with on-sceneservice for Victim Services ofDurham Region.

In June 2010, he receivedthe Durham College Alumnusof Distinction Award, whichrecognizes the extraordinarycontributions Durham Collegegraduates make to societywhile achieving career

success. Being one of the youngest toreceive this award truly reflects thededication and determination Russellputs into his work.

I was shocked to receive the awardsuch a short time after graduating, saidRussell. In fact, I didnt think I had achance. It was an honour to receive itand made me really proud of myaccomplishments.

Russell is now stationed at the CanadianForces Base in Petawawa as a corporal andpatrolman where he continues his ongoingdedication to protecting the freedom andsafety of others.


PHOTOCOURTESYOFCHRISTOPHERRUSSELL

A GRADUATES

LIFE OF WARAND PEACEby Andrea McGill

Police Foundations alumnusChristopher Russell receiveda Durham College Alumni ofDistinction Award duringthe colleges 2010 springconvocation ceremonies.


12/26

ITS 8:10 A.M. ON A MONDAY MORNING IN THE SOUTH WING

of Durham Colleges Gordon Willey building. The class iscrammed full of onlookers, both students and faculty alike,chatting idly as a small group of people fiddle with the mess oftangled cords and a laptop at the front of the room.

Suddenly a few loud buzzes and some ear-splitting feedback areheard over the speaker system and the projection screen shows aclose-up of a man waving to the camera. A hush falls over thecrowd as the mans muffled voice breaks through the airwaves.This is what the group has been waiting for.

While the use of computer equipment is an everydayoccurrence, and doesnt usually silence an audience, this isdifferent. The voice being heard in the Oshawa, Ont. classroomisnt coming from the podium at the front of the room; its coming

from more than 12,000 kilometres away, in Maharashtra, India.This video conference believed to be the first of its kind inOntario links students at the Mahindra United World College ofIndia (MUWCI) with their counterparts at Durham College,enabling them to interact as if they were all sitting at the samerow of desks. The historic event the creation of the schools firstglobal classroom represents the culmination of a semestersworth of work for students in the colleges A Short History of theWorld course.

Both the class and idea for the global classroom are the

brainchild of Lon Appleby, a professor with Durham CollegesSchool of Interdisciplinary Studies & Employment Services (ISES)With the assistance of Cyrus Vakil, director of Studies at MUWCI,Appleby established the global classroom to give his students anadditional perspective on the course material.

What we have now, in this global class, is an attempt to takeeducation to a new dimension, said Appleby. We can bring theworld and young minds together. Thats the idea, to link the worldand use the great creative intelligence that defines us as humanbeings to start to solve some of societys problems.

Once the audio and video equipment was up and running theclass, as well as special guests Don Lovisa, president of DurhamCollege; Mary Blanchard, dean of the School of ISES; and

Charlotte Hale, associate dean of the School of Media, Art &Design, were treated to a viewing of Manufactured Landscapesa documentary detailing the environmental destruction caused industry. A class of 15 students at MUWCI watched thedocumentary simultaneously. Immediately following thedocumentary a virtual discussion with its director, JenniferBaichwal, and photographer, Edward Burtynsky, took place withBaichwal and Burtynsky joining in from their respective homes inToronto and Alliston, Ont.

STUDENTS OF THE WORLDby Joshua Zarobiak


PHOTOSCOURTESYOFLONAPPLEBY

Durham College professor Lon Appleby (front row, centre) poses with students from his A Short History of the World class


13/26

The pace of the discussion picked up once the studentson both sides of the globe got over their initial stage fright. Talkingpoints included specific filming techniques used in the movie anda rather heated debate about who is ultimately responsible for thedestruction of the environment. While both groups of students didnot always see eye to eye, especially regarding the topic of globalresponsibility, it was obvious that Durham Colleges first-everglobal class was a hit.

The class was a success, despite some early technicalproblems. The ability to discuss globalization and itsenvironmental impact was a big motivator for the students, saidVakil, who added that he was happy to be a part of the experienceand that the opportunity to make history, coupled with the benefitof talking to Manufactured Landscapes co-creators Baichwal andBurtynsky, was definitely something he would take part in again.

Students on this side of the Pacific also saw the globalclassroom as a success. Although the discussion was cut off atthe two-hour mark due to time constraints, Applebys studentsremained abuzz long after the video feed to Maharashtra wasdisconnected. Many students lingered in the halls for up to anhour afterwards to continue the conversation.

Ive never had an experience like this, said Josh Glover, aGeneral Arts and Science student who experienced the globalclassroom first-hand. I thought it was very appropriate and wentwith the unorthodox style of the class.

Applebys style, one that encourages students to leaddiscussions, alters course topics as global events unfold andoffers a class reading list comprised of non-fiction novels asopposed to textbooks focused on human history, has proven tobe popular.

Enrolment in his A Short History of the World class has grownthreefold over the last year and students college-wide areinterested in taking part in the general education course.

In order to cope with increased demand, Appleby plans onhosting multiple global classes per semester, each with a differentguest institution and topic. Appleby maintains that pioneering theglobal classroom initiative has been easy as it is fully supported byDurham College as evidenced by the attendance of Lovisa,Blanchard and Hale and thoroughly enjoyed by the students.

This global class has a lot of potential and nobody else is doingit, said Appleby. The idea of the global classroom is abouthistory as much as its about the future.


Durham Colleges global classroom featured participantsfrom around the globe. Clockwise from upper left arestudents from Durham Colleges A Short History of theWorld class; Ed Burtynsky, a Canadian photographer;students from Cyrus Vakils class at Mahindra UnitedWorld College of India in Maharashtra, India; andJennifer Baichwal, a Canadian director who directedWinning Landscapes, an award-winning documentary.


14/26


WHEN SHE WAS A COMPETITIVE ATHLETE, JESSICA SALTnever dreamed she would make it to the Olympics but as anathletic therapist she did. She was chosen from thousands ofonline applicants to be one of seven athletic therapists for the

2010 Paralympics.During her stay in Vancouver, Salt went through three days of

training, one week of athlete training and one week of actualParalympics training where she learned ways to deal withdifferent disabilities. For instance some athletes wore acatheter so if they got injured the therapists needed to knowwhat to do. Salt worked with the other therapists and sevenphysicians to ensure that if there was an emergency they couldhandle it.

We werent assigned a specific team, we worked with allthe athletes, said Salt. Each team brought its own trainer,therapist and physician so we worked closely with the medicalpersonnel from each team.

Though Salt had never worked with athletes with disabilities

prior to the Paralympics she found theexperience gratifying. While there sheworked primarily with sledge hockeyplayers, dealing with injuries rangingfrom small lacerations to head trauma.

Sledge hockey is very unique, saidSalt. Its a sport that I had neverworked with before so getting used tohow to remove the athlete from thesled if there was an injury wasdifficult.

The players upper bodies werevulnerable to injury because they were

above the shield of the sled andunprotected. The sticks they use insledge hockey are also dangerous.Although one end is like a normalhockey stick, the other has spikes thatare used to propel the players downthe ice. According to Salt there were

however some players who used the sticks as weapons, whichcaused most of the lacerations.

Though she has never played sledge hockey, Salt was acompetitive cross-country skier and basketball player when she

was in high school. She decided that being involved in high-levecompetitive sports would be too difficult but knew she wantedto be involved with sports in some way, which led to herstudying athletic therapy.

At first I thought maybe I wanted to do physiotherapy ormedical school or something like that," said Salt. But this isreally the environment that I want to be working in. I thoughtthat if I wasnt going to be an athlete doing these sports then Iwanted to be able to work with athletes. Athletic therapy was amuch better fit for me.

As an athletic therapist, Salt helps athletes recover fromsports-related injuries, working with them one-on-one to ensuretheir safe and quick recovery.

After graduating from the University of Waterloo, in Waterloo,

Ont. she worked there on contract withathletes involved in soccer, rugby andbaseball. Following that, she was hired atTrinity College School in Port Hope, Ont.where she worked with high schoolstudents for four years. Before coming toDurham College she also honed her skillsworking with Rugby Ontario includingtravelling with the team to the nationalchampionships. She has also worked atother national championships for sportssuch as wrestling, soccer and hockey.

Salt likes working with the athletes.

For me, this is the perfect environment,said Salt. I get to enjoy watching sportsand help the athletes when theyre injured.Working with collegiate varsity levelathletes is also really exciting because theplayers are very, very motivated. They wantto get better.

EXPERIENCING

THE 2010 PARALYMPICSby Sage Livingstone

PHOTOCOU

RTESYOFCHANTALDASILVA

Durham College athletic therapistJessica Salt was part of the medicalstaff at the 2010 Paralympics.


15/26


durhamcollege.ca/grad | 905.721.3000Note: at the time of publication these programs were still accepting applications for September 2011, Durham College will consider applications until a program is full.

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graduate who deserves recognition,

please consider nominating them

for this award.

Deadline for nominationsis Friday, April 15, 2011.

Visit www.durhamcollege.ca/alumni

for details.


16/26

RUNNING LIKE THE WIND IS NOoverstatement for Durham Colleges 1983male athlete of the year Frank Bruno. Hehas made his way around the world tocompete in the Paralympics and theWorld Paralympic Championships, wherehe set five world records in theNetherlands in 1990.

As a result of these performances, hewas named the Ontario Disabled Athlete

of the Year in 1990 and inducted into theCanadian Disability Hall of Fame (formerlythe Terry Fox Hall of Fame) in 1998. Mostrecently, he was awarded the King ClancyAward from the Canadian Foundation forPhysically Disabled Persons for hiscontributions to people with disabilitiesas well as his accomplishments in 2010.

At Durham College, Bruno was atalented student-athlete who played on themens basketball team and was activelyinvolved with intramural sports,

volunteering regularly as a referee duringhis lunch breaks.

Following his graduation in 1983, Brunogot a job at a hospital supply company inMississauga, Ont. and three years later,in June 1986, he fell 20 feet from an order-picking machine. He fractured both sidesof his skull and was in a coma for threeweeks. Doctors believed that he had aless than two per cent chance of surviving.

Not only did Bruno survive, he physicallyrecovered and was able to walk again.

Everything took a while to figure outafter my injury because I was knockedunconscious, said Bruno. I could notmove. I didnt know what was wrongwith me. If I had known how bad I was atthe time, I probably wouldnt have triedso hard to get back. However, my familyhelped me a lot. They were there for meevery step of the way.

After several weeks of physiotherapyBruno was able to walk on his own butlearning to walk again wasnt enough. Hewanted to rebuild his stamina and co-ordination in order to run again. In 1988,he began training for events and Sport forthe Disabled, now ParaSport Ontario,placed him in Cerebral Palsy CategoryEight (CP8). Even though he didnt havecerebral palsy, his injuries caused thesame neurological symptoms.

At the first provincial events he enteredin 1988, he placed second in the 100- and200-metre CP8 races and at the provincialchampionships in Ottawa, Ont. thefollowing year he placed first in thosesame races and won the shot put and longjump events, setting Canadian records andearning a spot on the provincial team.

After winning the same events at the1989 national championships in Richmond,B.C., Bruno landed a spot on the Canadian

PARALYMPIC CHAMPION BLEEDSGREEN AND GOLDby Laryssa Hulcio



17/26


team and competed in the WorldChampionship Games for the Disabledheld in Assen, Netherlands. He enteredfive sprint races and the long jump andshot put competitions and walked awaywith five gold and two silver medals inaddition to setting three world records andsix national records.

Our family was always behind himevery step of the way, said Marisa

Calabro, Brunos sister. We were sothrilled when he told us that he broke notone but three world records. Frankpractised night and day with his coachFaye Blackwood to get where he is now.He has come such a long way. When weannounced to our family and friends on theday of my brothers wedding that Frankwon five world championship gold medalsand set three world records he washonoured with a standing ovation. It wassuch a memorable moment. We are all so

proud of Franks achievements.

At the 1992 Paralympics in Barcelona,Spain, Bruno finished first in the 100-, 200-and 400-metre races, setting two newworld records and one Canadian record.Out of all the running events, the 200-metre race was his favourite. Unlike mostathletes, he had a unique start to each raceand did not use a starting block.

Everyone uses starting blocks in a race,

but I just cant do it. I dont have the co-ordination, said Bruno. When I waspracticing at York University and used astarting block, I fell and took out five guys.After that I decided to start my racesstanding. Unfortunately, I would losespeed at the beginning of the race, but Iwas always able to gain it back.

Today, Bruno remains involved in thesports world. He has coached hisnephews baseball team in Maple, Ont. forthe last five years and also helps organize

the flag football team he used to play for inGeorgetown, Ont. In addition, he findstime to support many of Durham Collegessports teams when he has the chance.

Frank was always one to becompetitive, said Ken Babcock, athleticdirector for Durham College. One year hetravelled all the way to Ottawa to cheer onthe mens basketball team at the provincialchampionships and decided that he would

take part in the halftime race contest towin a free T-shirt. And so he did. Heproceeded to rub out Algonquin Collegesmascot halfway through the race and thenedged out a nine-year-old fan at the wire tocapture the free T-shirt. There was a bigcelebration and then he gave the T-shirt tothe young fan. It wasnt about the T-shirt, itwas about the competition. Frank is one ofour most passionate and loyal varsitysupporters and continues to bleed greenand gold.

PHOTOSCOURTESYOFFRANKBRUNO

(Left) Durham C ollege graduateFrank Bruno competes in the 200metre race at the 1992 SummerParalympics in Barcelona, Spain.

(Right) Frank Bruno remainsinvolved in the sports worldand supports many of DurhamColleges varsity sport teamswhen he has the chance.


18/26

GENERAL MOTORS OF CANADA LIMITED(GM Canada) is revving up several ofDurhams automotive technology programswith a donation of more than 90 engines.Valued at more than $200,000 thedonation is comprised of 62 six-litre V8engines and 29 V6 engines.

Many of the programs based at thecolleges Whitby campus are the mainbeneficiaries of the gift including the

Mechanical Engineering Technician Non-Destructive Evaluation; Renewable EnergyTechnician; Power Engineering Technician;and Motive Power Technician Service andManagement programs as well as theAutomotive Service Technicianapprenticeship program.

If we didnt get these donations, wewould be in a tough spot, said SteveQuantrill, program co-ordinator for theMotive Power program. Some of thesepieces are so expensive and to get them inthe bulk we get them in, its the lifeblood ofthis program. All donations are greatly

appreciated, theyre amazing. GM Canadaactually donated engines about six or sevenyears ago and we still use those as well.

The engines will create manyopportunities for students ranging fromdisassembly and reassembly to the study ofwhy and how internal engine componentsoperate. Working with real engines enablesstudents to fully understand the importanceof each individual component. A stockpile ofengines ensures that students have fresh

components to work with since the sameengines cant be reassembled constantlydue to wear and tear.

Non-automotive programs also usethe engines for things like non-destructivetesting. These tests allow studentsto evaluate the structural integrity ofinternal components without physicallytaking equipment apart. Quantrill believesthese actions allow students to come outahead of competing schools in terms oftechnology awareness.

A donation of this calibre has atremendous impact and not only on theautomotive, energy and power engineeringprograms, said Quantrill. Other programslike plumbing are benefiting from thedonation as well. By studying how enginesoperate, students can better understand themotorized equipment they will eventuallyencounter on the job. So the donationbenefits many students.

And it came out of the blue. GM phonedand asked do you want 50 brand new

motors and I said that sounds good, saidNorm Fenton, dean of the Durham CollegeSchool of Skilled Trades, Apprenticeship &Renewable Technology. Then they calledback the next day and said how many doyou want? All we had to do was arrange fortransportation.

START YOURENGINES

by Cole McLean


Durham Colleges automotive shop, located at its Whitby campus, is the new

home of several engines donated by General Motors of Canada Limited.


19/26

IF YOU ASK ANY DURHAM LORD VARSITY ATHLETE WHAT THEmost important muscle in the body is they will tell you its theheart, a philosophy that extends far beyond the court, field orrink. Every year, Durham College athletes donate their time tohelp in the community and spread a positive message abouthealth and an active lifestyle.

As a result, the Canadian Colleges Athletic Association (CCAA)recently presented Durham College with its Community ServiceAward, marking the first time an Ontario college received theaward. The significance was clear for Ken Babcock, DurhamColleges athletic director.

We are very excited about the award because it is a directreflection on our students and the direction we have taken with ourschool, said Babcock. Giving back to the community is a life skill.There are all types of life skills in athletics: perseverance,

leadership, dedication and commitment. It is proven that studentathletes want to be future leaders in society and we share a largepart of that process.

Durham College athletes love to offer help to their communityso receiving acknowledgement means a lot to them. Even morerewarding is the opportunity to help others in their commitmentand effort toward their education. Therefore, they also participate inthe School is Cool program, the main focus of which is to promotestaying in school, being active and helping out in the community.

The annual campaign is initiated by the colleges Athleticsdepartment. From the first day of classes, Babcock ensures hisathletes give back to the community and support healthy andactive living.

Mens basketball player Courtney Small is one suchathlete."Working in the community is important to me becausewhen I get the chance to work with kids they rememberexperiences like that for years to come, said Small. If its apositive memory, I'm happy to be a part of that. My mom alwaystold me you must be the change you wish to see in the world andthis is how I try to live my life. Perhaps his mothers words weremeant for all of us.

WERENUMBER 1IN THECOMMUNITYby Justyn Frizzell


PHOTOCOURTESYOFDURHAMCOLLEGEATHLETICSDEPARTMENT

Blair Webster, executive director of the OntarioColleges Athletic Association, accepts the CanadianColleges Athletic Association Community Ser viceAward on behalf of Durham College.

My mom always told me you must be thechange you wish to see in the world.


20/26

FOR MANY, RETURNING TO THEIRpost-secondary school 33 years aftergraduation does not seem realistic butDurham College Alumnus of DistinctionAward winner Ron Motum believed thatcoming out of retirement and becoming ateacher was for the best.

Motum graduated from the ChemicalTechnology program in 1974 and at thetime was one of six students in hisprogram and one of just 23 in all ofthe colleges technology programs. Theclasses were small, the school weekswere about 35 hours long including labsand everyone knew each other and helpedone another out, even if they were fromanother program.

I had a great student experience atDurham, said Motum. The school was alot smaller than it is now. We basically livedhere. We began a fencing club and eventhough we were not very good I stillenjoyed it. We would go to local highschool gyms to practice because Durhamdid not have a gym back then.

After graduation, Motum began workingin the real world and found it muchdifferent. He enjoyed it but missed the

colleges family-type atmosphere. Heworked in different jobs in the area andretired as a technical support supervisorfrom the Region of Durhams Worksdepartment in 2007. He is still part of avariety of different environmentalinitiatives including the American WaterWorks Association and the Ontario WaterWorks Association.

Motum has two children, a son in hissecond year of university and a daughter inGrade 11. Worried that they would graduateuniversity in debt, he decided to come outof retirement and become a freelanceconsultant. As such, he instructed in waterand wastewater operations and eventuallyreceived the opportunity to go back to

Durham College to train Durham Regionsregional staff.

While at the college, Motum was giventhe opportunity to fill a professorsmaternity leave and he has been a part-time faculty member ever since.

Being a professor today is far differentthan being a student in the 1970s. With theschools growth and its relationship withthe University of Ontario Institute ofTechnology, the school Motum graduatedfrom is not the same.

While walking through the halls, Isometimes feel like a salmon trying toswim upstream. Pushing against thestudents to get to where I am going isdifferent compared to when I went toschool here, he said.

Although a lot has changed sinceMotum graduated, he still feels theChemical Technology program has a familyfeel. While teaching, Motum likes to givehis students a taste of field experiencesthrough his own career stories in areassuch as water and sewage treatment.

One of his greatest experiences as aprofessor came while teaching a subjectmany students were struggling with. Thestudents and Motum decided to sit down

and come up with a way of presenting thematerials with charts and diagrams.Showing the end result to the entire classand seeing that most of them got it by thelooks on their faces was most satisfying.

Motum hopes to retire again in thenext five years and sees himself at hiscottage in Sundridge, Ont. more often aswell travelling across Canada. However,until he knows his children are financiallysecure for school, he plans on remaining atthe college.

FROM CLASSROOM TO PODIUMby Kristina Filippi


PHOTOCOURTESYOFKRISTINAFILIPPI

Chemical Technology graduateRon Motum is now a Chemistryprofessor at Durham College.


21/26

MORE AND MORE HOMEOWNERS AREusing solar panels to create energy. Fixedpanels are great but they have a majordrawback as the sun moves across thesky they stay put and areunable to maximize the amount of

energy collected.As a solution, Durham College Professor

Brent Brooks worked on a solar powerproject in conjunction with GreenworksSolar Power (Greenworks), a companysolely focused on creating two-axis solartracking systems, to build a solar panel thattracks the sun.

To me its a win-win situation all theway around because it means our studentsget placement and employmentopportunities after graduation, saidBrooks, a professor in the School ofScience & Engineering Technology. I can

also take what Im doing and bring it intothe classroom and show it to the studentsas an example.

The tracking system is designed toposition the panels at an angle that allowsthem to gather the most energy. As thesun moves the panels follow it, shiftingevery 10 minutes. The prototype, a 20-footlong tracker with 12-foot wide panels, is

only about one-fifth the size of the actualsystem. The real one will be 96 feet longwith 20-foot wide panels. At such a largesize, the tracking system is ideal forconsumers with lots of space like farmers.

The project was completed under the

umbrella of the Colleges Ontario Networkfor Industry Innovation (CONII). UnderCONII as long as students are involvedwith course- appropriate projects, thegovernment will contribute up to $30,000toward research costs and the company,in this case Greenworks, contributes theequivalent amount in cash or in-kind.

Greenworks took advantage of thisprogram and approached the DurhamCollege Office of Research Services andInnovation in the spring of 2010 abouthelping with the electrical, computerprogramming and design of the prototype.

Two third-year Electrical EngineeringTechnology students, Brad Davies andKelly Brooks, worked alongside Brooks tohelp test the prototypes electrical controlsystem and programmable logic controller.

This project was a great experience forthe future, said Kelly. It allowed us totake our theory outside the classroom andapply it to a real-world situation. Not only

did that help reinforce our learning, it alsoallowed us to understand something in away we previously did not because wesaw it work. It was a great project to beinvolved in and a fun and interesting wayto learn.

Even before the project was finished inDecember 2010, Greenworks had begun tosell the tracking system to consumers whoare now able to build up energy from thesun and sell it, benefitting the owners ofthe tracking system and the environment.

It was an exciting project for the Officeof Research Services and Innovation as thetesting and prototype developmentoccurred in our Integrated ManufacturingCentre, said June MacDonald-Jenkins, aproject manager with the colleges Officeof Research Services and Innovation.This not only gives the students and

faculty working on the project a chance tosee it develop but students and facultyfrom all programs. It really is appliedresearch at its best.

TRACKINGTHE SUNby Alanna Sloan


Professor Brent Brooks adjusts atracker that houses solar panels.


22/26

WHEN BAD, UNEXPECTED THINGS HAPPEN IN LIFE, SOMEpeople just give up. But Darren Pascoe and Shawn Payetterefused to watch their lives pass them by and do nothing aboutit. After being laid off from the automotive industry the twomen decided to change their lives and explore different careerfields through the Second Career program at Durham College.

In 2008, they enrolled in the colleges Water Quality Technicianprogram and in their second year won the Walkerton Clean WaterCentre Award, each earning $1,750 in recognition of their work.Specifically, the pair was judged on an essay they wrote abouttheir experiences in the program.

Pascoe and Payette both know that it takes a lot of courage togo back to school after already having a career. It takes a greatdeal of commitment to keep up with personal obligations like bills,a mortgage and a family while fulfilling school obligations likeassignments, tests and labs. With that commitment comes an

indomitable desire to succeed. Not only did they take a risk andtry something new, they succeeded and have an award to showfor it.

With this second chance through funding from thegovernment, I feel lucky to be retrained, said Pascoe. I hope tosecure a full-time job in the water or wastewater industry,hopefully in Durham Region.

Payette is equally enthusiastic about his future thanks in largepart to Durham College and the Second Career initiative, aprovincial government program that enables laid-off Ontarians toreturn to school and train for new careers.

Durham College is a great school with knowledgeableprofessors, said Payette. It has been an enjoyable experienceand I have received a great education and met a lot of greatpeople during this journey.

SECOND CAREER STUDENTS

FINISH FIRSTby Shannon De Mello


Darren Pascoe (left) and Shawn Payette (middle), Second Careerstudents in Durham Colleges Water Quality Technician program, shakehands with Susan Todd, dean of the School of Science & EngineeringTechnology, as they receive the Walkerton Clean Water Centre Awardfor an essay they wrote about their program.


23/26

Michael Whittaker is perhaps one of thegreatest examples of how far a DurhamCollege education can take you. Havinggraduated from the Public Relations (PR)program in 1977, he is now president anda partner of Trucorp Investments in Truro,N.S., which includes a 140-employee,federally-inspected meat plant and one ofAtlantic Canadas largest pizza chains. Itwasnt an easy road for Whittaker, buthes enjoyed every minute of it.

Now living in New Brunswick, Whittakerhadnt seen his alma mater for 34 years.However, this summer brought him backto Oshawa, Ont. not only for his PR and

Journalism class reunion, but to receive a2010 Durham College Alumnus ofDistinction Award.

While life at Durham College haschanged a lot since he attended, he wasthrilled to be back. Keep in mind therewere two buildings at Durham when Iattended and no residence, said Whittaker.The people at the college were fantastic,taking me on a tour of the campus and

making me feel like I never left. TheAlumnus of Distinction Award was a greathonour that I will cherish forever.

People often wonder what the decidingfactor is for someone when they choosetheir career and turn out to be extremelysuccessful. For Whittaker, it was whilewatching the 1960s television program,Bewitched. Seeing the main malecharacter Darren work in the advertisingindustry inspired Whittaker and eventuallyled him to the world of PR.

He strongly believes that in order to besuccessful in PR you need to have anhonest, truthful and respectful relationship

with the people that your campaign istargeting. It is an honourable and excitingfield, said Whittaker.

Success is not easy to achieve asWhittaker knows. There will always be upsand downs but he believes its important totake chances. The best advice he everreceived was from his mentor andbusiness partner Bill Hay who essentiallytold him that although taking risks is scary,

its integral to doing something amazing.

Risks aside, did Durham College play asignificant role in Whittakers impressivecareer? According to him, it did. Thanks tothe colleges wide variety of classes, hehas skills that range from photography andjournalism to layout and design. Beingnamed one of Atlantic Businessmagazines Top 50 CEOs of 2004, he hasproven that a Durham College educationcan take graduates anywhere they want togo, as long as they are willing to put in alittle hard work.

As Hay once reminded Whittaker, youcant hit a home run if you dont take aswing at the ball. A strike isnt a failure.

A JOURNEYOF DISTINCTIONby Judy Lazaro


Michael Whittaker graduated fromthe Public Relations program in 1977.He is now the president of TrucorpInvestments and a recent recipient ofa Durham College Alumnus ofDistinction Award.

PHOTOCOURTESYOFDURHAMCOLLEGE

The good people at the college

were fantastic in taking me ona tour and making me feel likeI never left.


24/26


1970

ADRIAN DE LAAT (Business Administration

Data Processing) lives in Newcastle, Ont.

with his wife Brenda. de Laat has a daughter

named Angela and is retired from GeneralMotors/EDS.

1973

BOB PETERS (Business Marketing)

resides in Fenelon Falls, Ont. with his wife

Sylvia. A certified health and safety consultant,

Peters is employed as an internal industrial

safety consultant at Ontario Power

Generations Darlington, Ont. site.

1982RYAN ALLISON (Interior Design) resides in

Thunder Bay, Ont. and works for Hogarth

Riverview Manor as a health care aide.

1985

PETER SELL (Aviation Transport and

Industrial Engineering Technology) resides in

Calgary, Alta. with his daughters Kiersten and

Elyse and is a captain for West Jet Airlines.

1989

ROSEMARIE DINNELLY (nee Reddington)

(Registered Nursing) resides in Port Perry, Ont.

Donnelly works for Lakeridge Health

Corporation at the R. S. McLaughlin Durham

Regional Cancer Centre.

1996

JENNIFER SZUMOWSKI (Early Childhood

Education) lives in Cobourg, Ont. with her

two children, 22-year-old Megan and

19-year-old Daniel.

2001

DANIEL PERSAUD (Information Systems)

resides in Scarborough, Ont. with his fiance

Trisha Ramlogan. Persaud is a technical

support consultant with Rogers

Communications Inc.

2002

ANDREA SMITH (Sports Administration)

lives in Neustadt, Ont. Smith works for Stone

Tree Golf and Fitness Club in marketing and

office administration in Owen Sound, Ont.

2003

STACY LEAMING-CONROY (Food and

Drug Technology) lives in Courtice, Ont. with

her husband Philip who is also a Durham

College graduate. Leaming was married in

Cuba in May 2010 and works for Durham

College as an administrative assistant.

SHEILA HASH (Web Developer) lives in

Oshawa, Ont. and is the owner and chief

executive officer of Mediavandals, her own

web development company.

2004

BRANDON HEARD (Graphic Design) lives in

Oshawa and works as an art director for

Mediavandals, a graphic design firm.

LAURA NEWHOUSES (Court and TribunalAgent) lives in Oshawa with her 10-year-old

daughter Emily. Newhouses works as a legal

assistant for Aird and Berlis LLP in Toronto, Ont.

2005

GEOFFREY JOHNSON (Sport Business

Management) resides in Guelph, Ont. with his

wife Christina and 17-month-old son Aidan.

Johnson is a program co-ordinator withSquash Ontario which is located in Toronto.

Johnson also graduated from the Sports Ad-

ministration program in 2004.

LAURIE SAWYER (nee Oderkirk) (Food and

Drug Technology) lives in Fergus, Ont. with her

husband Charles. Sawyer is a quality

assurance manager with Golden Valley Farms

in Arthur, Ont.

2007

SHANNON HAYMAN (nee Simpson)

(Court and Tribunal Agent) lives in Toronto

with her husband Kyle. Hayman works for

Tarion Warranty Corporation as a large area

telescope co-ordinator.

2010

AMANDA DORIS (Office Administration

Executive Option) lives in Ajax, Ont. and

works for the Ministry of Finance in Oshawa

as a revenue control officer. She also

graduated from the Business Administration Accounting program.

BRITTANY FILLETI (Office Administration

Legal) lives in Oshawa and is employed with

Miller Thomson LLP in Toronto as a legal

assistant floater.

ALUMNI UPDATE


25/26


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26/26

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Reflections Winter 2011