A tight-knit and longstanding community of Career Development Practitioner program graduates celebrated the accomplishments of fellow alums at the 12th annual Crystal Awards.
The Career Development Practitioner program (formerly called the Career and Work Counsellor program) has produced the longest-running George Brown College alum group — now 25 years strong! In 2008, that chapter created the Crystal Awards to celebrate graduates' achievements. The awards were paused in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic.
Crystal Award winners
The 2022 Crystal Awards were celebrated at George Brown's Daphne Cockwell Centre for Health Sciences on November 17 and honoured winners in the following four categories:
- Leadership: Janice Babcock, Markham North Centre Manager, Immigrant Services (2009 grad)
- Innovation: David Mendoza, Director, Orbit 5 Career Coaching to International Students (2011 grad)
- Service Excellence: Calvin Bill, Career Advisor, GBC Support Staff Development (2013 grad)
- Rising Star: Sarah Devlin, Career Consultant Ted Rogers School of Management, Toronto Metropolitan University (2021 grad)
"If you told me 10 years ago that I would be a career advisor at a post-secondary institution, I would not have believed it. Over the years, I have discovered that I can use creativity, storytelling and coaching to guide people's career trajectory and love what I do," Service Excellence Award winner and George Brown College Career Advisor Calvin Bill said. "It felt great to be recognized by my industry peers."
Other honours
A special Employer Award went to Centennial College for its continuous support of the Career Development Practitioner program by providing student placements or hiring graduates.
The chapter also paid tribute to longtime professor and former Career Development Practitioner program coordinator Gillian Johnston by renaming the CDP Endowment Award in her honour.
Centre for Immigrant and Community Services Executive Director Alfred Lam gave an inspiring keynote address, and York Region Welcome Centres Employment Services Manager and GBC alumna Donna Hall delivered a spoken word poem. George Brown senior leaders also attended, including Vice-President, People Enablement and Experience Leslie Quinlan, Centre for Community Services and Early Childhood Dean Fay Lim-Lambie, and Director of Advancement and Alumni Engagement Krisztina Arany.
"Congratulations to the 2022 Crystal Award winners for your exceptional work," Arany said. "And congratulations to the graduates who organized this great event. Your support of and commitment to your fellow alums show the important role George Brown College has played in your career success, and for that, we are tremendously proud."
A strong community
The Career Development Practitioner postgraduate program, offered at the School of Social and Community Services, prepares students to guide career exploration, skill acquisition and job search and maintenance.
Program graduates have maintained a supportive community through an alumni chapter for over two decades. Graduate Lisa Langley, Senior Consultant, Talent Management at Toronto Metropolitan University, says taking the program is "one of the best decisions I've ever made."
"The people who are attracted to the program, the professors who lead it, and the alumni who show up and give back made it more than just a credential for me," she said. "It's where I built meaningful relationships that I cherish and developed in-demand capabilities."
Learn how to stay connected to George Brown College with Alumni Relations.
