Premier's Awards

Category: Recent Graduate
Nominee: Joy Cardinal Flores, Program Therapist, O’Neill Centre Toronto
Program: Activation Co-ordinator/ Gerontology Program (2021)

Joy Cardinal Flores is a compassionate program therapist who flourishes in a setting where long-term care clients are seen as family members rather than residents living in an institution. Joy found her true calling in college while studying recreational management and gerontology in 2021. Before arriving in Canada as an international student, she was a full-time caregiver for her mother. Since joining the O’Neill Centre, Joy has earned recognition for her outstanding contribution as the winner of the inaugural Person-Centred Language Award presented by the Ontario Centres for Learning & Research Innovation in Long-Term Care (CLRI).

Category: Skilled Trades
Nominee: Community Partnership Coordinator, Carpenters’ Regional Council
Program: Construction Engineering Management Program (1999)

Rokhaya Gueye attended college to follow her dream of becoming a carpenter. On her first large construction job, she was the only Black woman among 350 men. Today, she is a recognized champion for diversity, equity, and inclusivity in her sector, advocating for people of all ages to take up the skilled trades, particularly women and people from diverse communities. Her “can-do” attitude and her ability to connect with people has earned her a role as Community Partnership Coordinator for the Carpenters’ Union and numerous awards in recognition of her outstanding contribution as an inspiring mentor and community advocate.

Category: Community Services
Nominee: Denise B. McLeod, Senior Manager, Indigenous Relations Office (Metrolinx)
Program: Assaulted Women & Children’s Counselor and Advocate Program (2006)

Denise Booth McLeod was raised in a non-Indigenous family and is the daughter of parents who were apprehended in the 60’s Scoop. Her college education was the catalyst for a professional career dedicated to preserving the cultures and traditions of Indigenous peoples and advocating for those who have endured violence, racism and oppression. She is a proud two-spirited Anishnaabe artist, facilitator and educator who believes “making space for one is making space for all.” As Metrolinx’s Senior Manager of the Indigenous Relations Office, Denise works to support racial equity and is developing a Reconciliation Strategy to build a renewed relationship with Indigenous Peoples.

Category: Science, Technology and Engineering
Nominee: Eric Kukucka, Vice President, Clinical Removable & Design Technologies Aspen Dental (The Aspen Group)
Program: Denturism Program (2010)

Eric Kukucka discovered his passion for cutting-edge technology while studying to become a denturist in college. Today, he is one of the world’s foremost experts on the integration of digital methodologies in removable dentures. An active researcher, educator, author, and opinion leader, Eric helps develop protocols, processes, and materials used  across Aspen Dental's 1,100+ locations (the worlds largest branded dental support organization)  and by ambitious clinicians worldwide. To date, his work has affected hundreds of thousands of patients. He collaborates regularly with technicians and doctors to provide patients with better fitting dentures that can be easily replicated and produced within industry-leading timeframes. Over time, he aims to improve the lives of millions of edentulous patients. 

Category: Business
Nominee: Marin Hickox, Vice President, Women & Girls Hockey, Hockey Canada
Program: Sport and Event Marketing Program (Post-Graduate) (2002)

A leader in women’s hockey and sport, Marin Hickox continues to break down barriers to provide more opportunities for girls and women in Canada. After finding her true calling in her post-secondary Sport and Event Marketing program at college, she has held progressively senior roles with TELUS, MLSE, the NHL and Hockey Canada, where she now works tirelessly to grow women’s and girls’ hockey across the country.

Category: Business
Nominee: Melonie de Guzman, PMP, SMM, Owner, Melonie de Guzman Program Management Services Inc.
Program and Grad Year: Sport and Event Marketing, Post-Graduate Certificate (2006)

Melonie de Guzman is a pioneer and advocate for the inclusion of women in technology-focused industries. She has attained a high level in her industry as a certified Project Manager Professional (PMP) and SAFe Agilist as well as a SCRUM Master II, while serving as a mentor and international speaker.

Melonie has made a positive impact in the community as Co-Founder of Women in Technology and her affiliation with several prominent mentorship organizations. She also has received numerous awards over the course of her career.

Category: Creative Arts & Design 
Nominee: Lesley Hampton, Founder, Fashion Designer, and Creative Director, LESLEY HAMPTON
Program and Grad Year: Fashion Techniques and Design (2017)

Lesley Hampton is the owner, Fashion Designer and Creative Director of LESLEY HAMPTON fashion company. She is an Anishinaabe artist, model and speaker that is passionate about increasing Indigenous representation in the world of fashion and changing stereotypical views on beauty standards and body types. That passion led her to be one of six Indigenous Canadian designers to represent Canada at 2023 Milan Fashion Week. 

Lesley cites her college education as being instrumental in facilitating her success in the fashion industry. Through her design work, Lesley continues to be a voice for Indigenous representation and body positivity in fashion.

Category: Health Sciences
Nominee: Amy Symington, Nutrition Professor, Researcher & Chef, George Brown College
Program and Grad Year: Culinary Management Nutrition (2010)

Amy Symington merged her love of the culinary arts with pragmatism and found her calling in the application of her culinary education to supporting people with cancer. Her research relating to proper nutrition for cancer patients led her to write two cookbooks ("Community Guide to Cancer Nutrition Companion Cookbook" and "The Long-Table Cookbook") to act as resources for cancer patients, caretakers and survivors.

As a nutrition professor, researcher and chef, she trains and inspires the next generation of chefs to create healthier recipes. Amy is currently pursuing a PhD in Nutritional Sciences.

Category: Community Services
Nominee: Kayla Moryoussef, Death & Grief Worker, Good Death Doula Private Practice 
Program: Community Worker Program (2018)

Kayla Moryoussef has made significant contributions in the area of death and grief counselling. Through her company, Good Death Doula, as well as her work with the Home Hospice Association and Death Cafe, Kayla has positively impacted her community and brought a pragmatic and compassionate perspective to care for persons at the end of their lives.

Category: Recent Graduate
Nominee: Emefa Kuadey, Fashion Engineer and Founder, israella KOBLA
Program: Fashion Techniques and Design (2019)

Emefa Kuadey started her successful fashion design business while still at college. Through her hard work and creative designs, she has achieved significant success and brand recognition, particularly in light of her company's online and in-store partnership with mega retailer the Hudson's Bay.

Emefa is an exemplar in every sense, highlighting the power of college education, showcasing the talent pool available in BIPOC students and as she also mentors those starting off in the fashion industry. 

Category: Community Services
Nominee: Darrell Bowden, Director, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at University of Toronto, Rotman School of Management
Program and Year of Graduation: Career and Work Counsellor, 1995

One of 11 children, Darrell Bowden grew up experiencing first-hand the sense of being an ‘outsider’ because of his Black and Indigenous heritage, and eventually because of his sexual orientation. 

These experiences became the foundation of his multi-faceted career in social justice, equity and inclusion in employment. 

Although from a seventh- generation Canadian family, Bowden was the first to go to college and university. 

Currently, he is the Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at the University of Toronto, Rotman School of Management, where he works to embed equity, diversity and inclusion in systems, practices and policies.

Category: Creative Arts and Design
Nominee: Sage Paul
Artist and Designer – Sage Paul
Program and Year of Graduation: Fashion Techniques and Design, 2006

Co-founder and executive & artistic director of the bi-annual celebratory Indigenous Fashion Arts in Toronto, Sage Paul – a Denesuliné tskwe member of the English River First Nation – works to express and sustain Indigenous culture. She learned to sew and bead as a child, loved fashion and enrolled in a fashion techniques and design program. 

As the co-founder and executive & artistic director of Indigenous Fashion Arts, Paul provides advocacy, training and support. Paul has designed for theatre and dance, given a TEDX talk and speaks on panels. 

Honouring Indigenous culture and values while reviving lost skills and arts is the essence of her work.

Category: Health Sciences
Nominee: Cassandra Koss, Lifestyle Manager, V!VA Mississauga Retirement Community
Program and Year of Graduation: Interprofessional Complex and Long-Term Care, 2021

Cassandra Koss’s career has advanced swiftly from volunteer to summer student to activation staff to manager to her current position as a Resident Engagement Manager with direct reports. 

As a student, she was asked to make “friendly visits” with residents. When she realized how meaningful these interactions were, it was an epiphany. 

As COVID confined residents to their rooms and exacerbated their loneliness, Koss developed an innovative program allowing residents to use iPads so they could engage with each other. 

Koss dreams of opening her own long-term care residence someday and has thoughts about innovations to make residents’ later years more meaningful and enjoyable.

Category: Recent Graduate
Nominee: Aliya Hirji, Project Administrator, Govan Brown & Associates
Program and Year of Graduation: Architectural Technology, 2020; Honors Bachelor of Technology –Construction Management, 2022 

Aliya Akil Hirji has always been fascinated by architecture. She came to Canada from Tanzania, studied architectural technology and went on to construction management. 

She adapted to Canadian life, made the dean’s list and received several merit-based scholarships. A construction company awarded her a scholarship and hired her. She is currently the Project Administrator at Govan Brown & Associates.

Hirji has high expectations for herself and dismisses stereotypes about women’s roles. She looks forward to encouraging women to consider the construction industry and to becoming a mentor. Raised to show gratitude and to give back, she volunteers at organizations such as the Jaffari Community Centre and Out of the Cold Foundation.

Category: Technology
Nominee: Eugene Filice, Vice President, Construction at Great Gulf
Program and Year of Graduation: Construction Engineering Technician, 1994

When Eugene Filice told his father and grandfather, he wanted to study construction technology, they said “NO! It’s too dirty, too risky” — despite the fact they were both construction workers. However, he was determined to make this his career.

He is currently the Vice President of Construction at Great Gulf – a major residential construction company – where he emphasizes teamwork and shared responsibility. He says technology has transformed the residential construction industry from backbreaking, dangerous work to a safer, more automated workplace. 

Filice has contributed to advancing the construction industry on three major deeply interconnected fronts: technology, health and safety, and education.

Category: Business
Nominee: David Offierski, Vice-President, Customer Experience Strategy & Design, Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG)
Program/Grad Year: Graduate 2007, Marketing Manager, Financial Services

David Offierski is passionate about technology and its role in our personal and professional lives and he’s made a career out of helping businesses transform their digital profile to deliver exceptional customer service. As Vice-President of OLG’s Customer Experience Strategy and Design, Offierski and his team are transforming OLG’s digital presence and creating new online gaming entertainment. In five years with Konrad Group he helped grow the company from revenues of $2 million to $40 million. Offierski started Clip Mobile, Canada’s first location-based mobile coupon app, in 2009. He also owns Grand Trunk Trading Company, selling restored vintage maps online.

Category: Creative Arts and Design
Nominee: Diana Coatsworth, Owner, Diana Coatsworth Design
Program/Grad Year: Graduate 2015, Fashion Techniques and Design

In March 2020, at the start of the global pandemic, Toronto fashion designer Diana Coatsworth mobilized an army of 3,700 volunteers to sew desperately needed PPE for healthcare workers.  Over the coming months, The Sewing Army sewed more than 120,000 masks, surgical caps and isolation gowns. Coatsworth’s own fashion business, Diana Coatsworth Design, was also dramatically impacted by the pandemic.  With no demand for her signature custom event wear and upscale casual, she switched to creating one-of-a-kind casual wear from pre-loved and eco-conscious fabrics. Prior to designing, Coatsworth was a professional actor, singer, dancer and choreographer for over 25 years.

Category: Health Sciences
Nominee: Paul Sharma, Mass Vaccination Program Co-Lead, Region of Peel
Program/Grad Year: Graduate 1999, Dental Hygiene

As Co-Lead for Peel Region’s Mass Vaccination Program, Paul Sharma was charged with the responsibility of vaccinating 1.5 million people during the global pandemic. Deployed from his position as Director of Chronic Disease and Injury Prevention, Sharma oversaw the hiring of almost 2,000 personnel and the establishment of multiple clinics. A hotspot in the province, Peel’s clinics delivered 170,000 vaccines in seven days under Sharma’s watch. Sharma, who started his career as a dental hygienist, is a passionate advocate for what he calls “putting the mouth back in the body,” making oral health part of the mainstream health care system.

Category: Recent Graduate
Nominee: Dymika Harte, Founder and Creative Designer, UNSGND
Program/Grad Year: Graduate 2018, Graphic Design

Just three years out of college, Dymika Harte is already a successful entrepreneur. She runs UNSGND, an all-female creative agency that provides branding, design and printing for small businesses, especially those that are female-driven. UNSGND recently partnered with Wilfred Laurier University to provide branding and mentoring to women entrepreneurs. Harte’s also the co-founder of Clutch App, an Uber-like application for driving schools and students to book driving lessons and classes, scheduled to launch in 2021. Passionate about mentoring others, Harte created a Youth Business Fund for new entrepreneurs and produced a workshop to help young people called Be the Brand.

Category: Technology
Nominee: Leandro Almanzor Dumlao, CEO and President, Perceptible Group Inc.
Program/Grad Year: Graduate 2000, Visual Arts Fundamentals

Digital marketing specialist Leandro Dumlao is CEO and President of Perceptible Group Inc., providing innovative strategies for Fortune 500 companies and startups alike. An entrepreneur at heart, Dumlao is co-founder of the popular Canada’s Podcast, featuring interviews with Canadian entrepreneurs. Prior to Perceptible, Dumlao worked with Intuit, where his performance leading global teams and driving triple digit growth earned him the company’s Game Changer Award four times in 6.5 years. Dumlao believes his college education has gave him a competitive advantage throughout his career. A lifelong boxer, Dumlao gave a TEDX talk on the parallels between boxing and leadership.