Two EngSci students are among this year’s recipients of the prestigious University of Toronto Student Leadership Award (UTSLA). The awards recognize graduating students who have shown outstanding leadership, made sustained or high-impact volunteer contributions, and provided exemplary volunteer service to the University of Toronto.
Katie Allison (Year 4) created improvements to student resources and club operations that will have an impact for years to come. She served in several leadership roles in the Engineering Society (EngSoc), including as Design Team Association Director, At-Large Representative on the Board of Directors, and Vice-Chair Operations for Orientation. Working with the Faculty, she prepared advanced safety training and a shared workspace in the Myhal Centre for the Engineering Society’s design teams. It will be used to create innovative projects and teach students valuable skills. She also started a discussion group to address student safety through better prevention of and response to incidents of sexual violence.
Allison also served as Director of Operations for EngSci’s annual Engineering Science Education Conference (ESEC). She recruited and trained dozens of volunteers and organized logistics for this important event serving 500 first and second year EngSci students. She also served as volunteer first responder and was previously recognized with a Certificate of Meritorious Service for her work in the line of duty as part of U of T’s Emergency First Responders (UTEFR).
As chair of IEEE’s U of T chapter, Kevin Zhang (Year 4) believed strongly that financial barriers should not prevent students from accessing skill improvement workshops and career development opportunities. He helped quadruple support from industry partners and the university, allowing hundreds of students to attend over a dozen technical and professional development events for free.
Zhang also led the Developer Student Club (DSC), which provided free workshops to students about cloud technologies. He spoke at the DSC leads conference in San Fransisco to share this U of T success story with hundreds of student leaders.
Zhang also served as EngSoc’s Gradball Director and EngSci Club’s Dinner Dance Director, bringing his creative talents and organizational skills to these popular annual social events for hundreds of engineering students.
The UTSLA continues U of T’s long-standing tradition of recognizing outstanding student leadership, service, and commitment to the university. This tradition began with the Gordon Cressy Student Leadership Award, which was established in 1994 by the UTAA in honour of Mr. Gordon Cressy, former Vice-President, Development and University Relations.
The awards will be presented to the winners later in the spring.
For a full list of all recipients and to learn more about the awards, visit the UTSLA webpage.