2020 Dennis Mock leadership award nominees
The Dennis Mock Student Leadership Awards recognize graduating students who have made outstanding voluntary extracurricular contributions to their school or academic program department, their faculty, or to Ryerson University as a whole. This prestigious award acknowledges student participation at Ryerson University.
In naming the awards after Dennis Mock, Ryerson recognizes his commitment to higher education. His leadership and dedication, demonstrated during his 28 years at the university, are qualities embodied in students chosen to receive this award - students committed to ‘making a difference.’
University-wide recipient
Francesca Aviv, School of Social Work
During her four years at Ryerson, Francesca Aviv has brought together staff and students from across the campus, building community within the university. Understanding and facilitating diversity has been a key tenet of her involvement in university life, bringing different cultural and social organizations together on campus to learn from each other’s backgrounds and find connections between them. Aviv is also passionate about social justice work and has also supported a variety of groups on campus to destigmatize mental health and promote environmentalism. She brought together student clubs in support of SMASH, Students for Mental Awareness Support & Health and also played a key role in organizing RU Veg, an event that made connections between what we eat, the environment, and health.
Faculty-wide recipients
Patricia (Trish) Langley-Frempong, Midwifery Education Program
Trish Langley-Frempong has demonstrated excellent student leadership in many areas of her program and the field. She is consistently described by her generosity, kindness, and mentorship to her peers at Ryerson. She volunteered with the Canadian Association of Midwives in 2018-2019. Locally, she was a panelist at the Racialized Maternal Health Conference and supported the inclusion work of the Toronto Birth Centre. She was also the Ryerson representative in the Midwifery Education Program Consortium management committee between Ryerson, MacMaster & Laurentian Universities for four years despite heavy demands of a 24-hour clinical placement. Langley-Frempong gave voice to women of colour through her leadership and actively championed diversity and access within midwifery for BIPOC and LGBTQ+ communities. In her clinical practice, she worked to make midwifery services accessible to more women and has helped to sew trust among a more diverse and racialized client base. While she will be missed as a student, her leadership will continue to have an impact in the midwifery profession.
Program-wide recipients
Recognizing leadership within each of the following schools
Aisha Choudhary, School of Occupational and Public Health
Aisha Choudary is known for her leadership with the School of Occupational Health and Public Safety Course Union, having played a leadership role for over three years and eventually becoming president. Choudhary was involved with organizing orientation events to help incoming students settle into university life. She organized mentor events with alumni and professors to help fellow students engage in research as well as resume workshops to support students in their job search and launching their careers. Choudhary has continually contributed to program events, including the school’s annual student awards celebration and social events aimed to help students de-stress, network, and make the most of their time at Ryerson. Choudhary is an excellent ambassador for the School of Public Health and a true champion of higher education.
Parmeet Kahlon, Daphne Cockwell School of Nursing
Parmeet Kahlon has demonstrated many years of leadership with the Canadian Nursing Students Association, Ryerson Chapter (CNSA). During her time at CNSA, she ran the first nursing students blood drive with Canadian Blood Services and organized a national conference travel award to encourage engagement and learning among nurses on a national level. Kahlon also organized ‘Partners for Life,’ a stem cell matching program with the OneMatch Stem Cell Network. In 2019, she founded and still leads the Multi-Organ Transplant Insight, Outreach & Networking Society Ryerson, an organ advocacy organization recognized by the Ryerson Lab as a Future Making Project. Inspired by her work with organ transplant donors and recipients and concern over long wait times to get a match, Kahlon founded MOTIONS - an organization to encourage people to sign up to become organ donors. Her passion for her work, her patients, and her fellow students are remarkable and her leadership on campus and in the world of nursing will make a positive impact on many lives for years to come.
Humna Khurshid, School of Urban and Regional Planning
Humna Khurshid is known as a very involved and enthusiastic student leader who is devoted to serving the people around her so that they are able to become the best version of themselves. She is committed to achieving this through and by ensuring that regardless of time, place, situation, that her presence leaves a positive and lasting impact. She’s organized many events as the vice president of social affairs for the Ryerson Association of Planning Students. Team building events, spirit events, and networking events are the hallmark of her time with this organization. Khurshid made her biggest impact on the Waterloo - Ryerson University undergraduate planning conference growing attendance, sponsorship and partnerships with other organizations. Always thinking of the community she also engaged her fellow students to raise awareness and funds to help alleviate the challenges of the homeless community near Ryerson University.
Valerie Moran, School of Social Work
Valerie Moran is known for her work as co-chair and communications executive with the Social Work Students’ Union . She has been involved with all aspects of the student union and has been instrumental in strengthening and amplifying the voice of social work students. She has organized leadership seminars as well as built a sense of community online through social media and social events on campus. In addition to helping students come together, Moran initiated the planning of free professional development opportunities for students, including crisis prevention and intervention training and collaborated in the creation of a trauma-informed care workshop. She secured a student engagement grant that was used to renovate and re-envision the undergraduate social work student lounge at Ryerson. Additionally, Moran was instrumental in commissioning a Queer-identified social work student to create a social justice themed mural that is now on display in the student lounge. Moran’s leadership has left a mark at the School of Social Work that will be felt for many years to come.
Karli Nummikoski, School of Nutrition
Karli Nummikoski is known for her leadership on the Ryerson women’s hockey team and in the field of nutrition. In the athletic world, she’s known for her supportive nature and mentorship having served as assistant captain of the Rams women's hockey team for the past two years. Her leadership in hockey extends to the ‘Rams Care’ program dedicating herself to raise money for mental health programs. Nummikoski also volunteers with Big Sisters-Little Sisters as a mentor to a young female hockey player as well as Hockey 4 Youth, an organization that helps teach hockey to new Canadians. With a nutrition focus, Nummikoski has volunteered at the St. Michael’s Clinical Nutrition and Risk Modification Centre, Pioneer Ridge Long Term Care Residence as a meal companion and Access Alliance to support children in underserved communities. Nummikoski is committed to improving lives through everything she does, especially in the area of hockey and in the field of nutrition.
Yeates School of Graduate Studies
University-wide recipient
Michaela Kucab, Nutrition Communication
Michaela Kucab is known for her enthusiasm and leadership in nutrition science. During her time at Ryerson Nutrition Discovery Labs from 2015 to 2020—as both volunteer and employee—she was described as a role model recruiting, leading, and training other students in all aspects of research. Her responsibilities at the lab included pediatric research, outreach to elementary and secondary schools and online presentations. Kucab worked with Obesity Canada Students Network to promote both healthy eating and free yoga classes as a means to reduce stress during exam times. She worked with Ryerson Athletics to promote evidence-based nutrition research as a tool to help athletes optimize their athletic performance. Always bringing people together, Kucab mobilized volunteers at a Cooking for Everyone camp to expand nutritional awareness in the community. She also created and co-facilitated a new educational module on Canada’s food guide for dietetic preceptors. Kucab is an eager leader who is always looking for opportunities to engage the community around her.
Faculty-wide recipient
Melissa Russell, Early Childhood Studies
Melissa Russell is known for her work as a leader in residence life on campus, with her course union, athletics, and volunteering in the community. Russell got involved everywhere she saw a need, including coordinating and advocating for child care for students, volunteering with Bell Let’s Talk Day, Toronto Meals on Wheels and the Haven Soup Kitchen, to name only a few. Russell has also been actively involved in organizing and promoting local events related to the Special Olympics and mental health. Russell also served as a leader and mentor with the Ontario Association of College and University Housing Officers. Russell has made a positive impact everywhere she goes at Ryerson, always looking for ways to look out for others, making spaces more inclusive and bringing people together. Russell’s leadership within the Ryerson community has been demonstrated through her commitment to making Ryerson a more inclusive and inviting space for everyone.