In the summer of 2011, Jaquelyn Monis Rodriguez (Year 4 IndE + PEY) had travelled from Venezuela to Toronto for her final year of high school and was attending the Da Vinci Engineering Enrichment Program (DEEP) Summer Academy. There, she heard a representative from the Institute for Leadership Education in Engineering (ILead; then called Leaders of Tomorrow) delivered a workshop on the topic of leadership — an experience that inspired her to adopt leadership roles when she joined U of T Engineering as an undergraduate student.
Five years later, Jaquelyn has been named one of 15 U of T Engineering students to receive a 2016 Gordon Cressy Student Leadership Award at a ceremony held at Convocation Hall on April 20.
“It’s very prestigious recognition,” she said. “I’m honoured that [U of T] acknowledges my development and growth as a leader, as well as the impact and influence that I’ve had in the U of T community.”
Named after the former U of T Vice-President of Development and University Relations, the Gordon Cressy award recognizes graduating students who have demonstrated leadership qualities by contributing to the improvement of the world around them and inspiring others to do the same.
This story was originally posted on U of T Engineering News. Read the entire story here!
And, a special shout-out to ILead alumni who received an award:
- Ming Yi Bian (Year 4 ElecE + PEY)
- Ernesto Diaz Lozano Patiño (Year 4 CivE + PEY)
- Rahul Goel (Year 4 EngSci + PEY)
- Jaquelyn Monis Rodriguez (Year 4 IndE + PEY)
- Charles (Tae Joon) Park (Year 4 EngSci + PEY)
- Ribhu Rampersad (Year 4 ChemE + PEY)
- Michael Sabatini (Year 4 MSE + PEY)
-Kevin Soobrian