March 26was a day to remember for four Carleton students when the lucky recipients walked awayfrom the school’sfirst ever leadership-appreciation event with awards in hand.
The award winners were among a total of nine nominees chosen to attend the ceremony for aiding their community on and off campus. Joe Lipsett, co-ordinator of the Leadership Ceremony, hosted the event to reward the students for their efforts.
“The main goal of the ceremony was to make sure students that were doing outstanding things were being recognized,” Lipsett said. “The awards were designed for those trying to do things that affected more than just themselves, such as their peers, the faculty and the community at large.”
Amanda Emmanuel, a fourth-year interactive multimedia and design student, was named undergraduate leader in leadership development at the ceremonial event. Emmanuel’s efforts to help her fellow design students succeed in their program won her the leadership development award.
Emmanuel createdan online blog on interactive multimedia and design which she said would “establish a name for the program and the students that are in it.”
Emmanuel’s blog, launched last August, became so popular that by October it had not only been beneficial to various Carleton students but had received international recognition. The award winner came up with the idea for the online blog when she discovered in her workplace over the summer that students with skills like hers could be used on the field.
“People don’t understand what it is that we do. We go for whatever job comes up and have our potential limited,” Emmanuel said. “If we can reach our full potential, students can offer so much.”
The leadership ceremony, held in the Atrium, was a full-house on the night of March 26, with each of the roughly 60 seats filled. Cameron McKenzie, a fourth-year social work undergraduate and vice-president of CUSA, said many students and staff checked out the event, including Peter Ricketts, Carleton’s vice-president (academic). McKenzie was the recipient for the diversity appreciation award for his many extra-curricular contributions to the on and off campus community.
The other two award recipients were Crystal Kuhn, a fourth-year women’s studies major, who claimed the social responsibility award, and Luke Rusell, a fourth-year biomedical and electrical engineering major, who received the award for collaboration.Mckenzie said he believed the event to be off to a great start.
“I encourage more students to get up there, get involved and apply for the award,” McKenzie said.
Emmanuel, on the other hand, said she was somewhat disappointed by the lack of publicity of the event.Lipsett said he hopes to solve this issue for next year’s ceremony by expanding the event and offering additional awards.