Environmental Management grad takes on sustainability role for Canada Summer Games

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Athletics and sustainability. For Jenny MacKnight, these her two passions.

When the recent Niagara College graduate scored a job as a sustainability assistant coordinator for the 2021 Canada Summer Games, it was not only the perfect combination of the two, it was a dream come true.

“As soon as I read the application, I knew it was exactly the type of job I wanted to have,” she said.

MacKnight, who graduated from NC’s Environmental Management and Assessment graduate certificate program in June 2018, currently works as part of a small team that is busy planning and preparing for the 2021 Canada Summer Games which will be held in the Niagara region.

MacKnight is the only sustainability coordinator in the group, and works with the rest of the team out of a downtown St. Catharines office to incorporate sustainability into the business plan for the 2021 Games. While her focus is sustainability, she is also taking on other tasks, such as researching and creating a base for sports in the Niagara region, and creating a master list of sports teams, associations, and contacts in the region.

“I love working with my workmates. They bring such unique things to the table,” she said.

While she currently resides in St. Catharines, she has travelled a long way from her hometown. MacKnight grew up in Regina, Saskatchewan. Since the age of three, she has had a passion for sports, both as a fan and as an athlete, particularly when it comes to hockey.

It was a hockey scholarship that drew MacKnight to Ontario after high school. She attended University of Windsor and played hockey for the University of Windsor Lancers. She was named by the Ontario University Women’s Hockey Player of the Year, announced by Ontario University Athletics (2014) when she was also second overall in Canada.  As part of Team Canada 2015 Universiade, MacKnight represented the team in Spain at the FISU Winter Games where they won a silver medal.

After graduating with a Bachelor of Environmental Studies with a focus on resource management and minor in political science in June 2015, MacKnight returned to Saskatchewan where she worked as a conservation officer for the government of Saskatchewan at Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park.

A year ago, MacKnight returned to Ontario – this time to the Niagara region – specifically to attend Niagara College’s Environmental Management and Assessment program. She was drawn to the postgraduate program after hearing about it from her friends who graduated the previous year. While she didn’t know exactly which career direction her studies would lead her in, she chose NC due to the program’s reputation for offering real-world experience and producing graduates with skills in-demand by employers.

“It’s basically a one-year boot camp,” she said. “You get experiential learning and get back into the workforce with more knowledge and direction.”

One of the highlights for her, as a student, was an opportunity to work an internship with Hornblower Niagara Cruises. From January to April 2018, she worked as Hornblower’s sustainability specialist intern, where she put together a sustainability report for the company. She valued the experience she gained, working with graphic designers to put together an informative and visual report showcasing its environmental and socially conscious initiatives, as well as making internal recommendations to the company.

In early May, after completing her studies at the College, she was hired by the Canada Summer Games.

One of the highlights of her job for the Summer Games so far has been working with the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) at its tournament in St. Catharines. MacKnight filled in wherever she was needed – from event management to transportation. It was her first taste behind the scenes at an official sporting event, which proved to be an eye-opener for MacKnight. As an athlete, she had never given much thought to the sustainability or logistics side of a sporting event. Now, it’s become her new mission.

“As a hockey player in tournaments, I just thought the bus will show up when it shows up,” she said. “But when you’re working transportation you have two buses and 10 teams, and you really have to manage it with a lot of multitasking.”

The experience she gained with FIBA will prove helpful in planning for the Canada Summer Games, which will take place at the Meridian Centre in St. Catharines as well as more than 16 other locations across the region.

Working to build a sustainability and business plan for the games in 2021, MacKnight will be submitting recommendations on how to make the events and venues more sustainable. She has been visiting different potential venues as well as looking into where capital infrastructure will be built to make recommendations and incorporate concepts that will make it more sustainable. For example, one of the initiatives she is working on is to make recommendations for the Royal Canadian Henley rowing centre, in the hopes of establishing a net positive facility, meaning it will produce more energy than it will consume.

MacKnight believes that her background as an athlete makes her stronger in her current role, since she is able to view the events from an athlete’s perspective. She also believes her athletic background equips her with skills that benefit her in the workforce in general.

“I think being part of a team has helped me work in groups and develop skills such as public speaking,” she said.

As she revs up for 2021, MacKnight is grateful that her NC education has equipped her with the experience she needs to succeed in her current role – one that is proving to be a perfect fit for her combination of skills and interests.

“It’s all because of the experience I gained in my NC program,” she said. “I wouldn’t have gotten this job without it.”

 

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Niagara College supports Niagara’s bid to host Canada Summer Games

 

Bursaries help grow dreams

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While college simply wasn’t an option for Sulmira Marroquin Menendez for most of her life, she is now a proud graduate who has gone the distance to make her dreams come true.

Her new life in Canada and her Niagara College education have opened doors to new possibilities that she never could have imagined growing up in Guatemala. Even as a child, education took a back seat to the necessity of working for survival. At the age of six, her father died, leaving her and her siblings to live with her grandmother “At that time, her priority was to have us working in order to have something to eat, and we didn’t have the time and money to study full-time,” she recalled.

After completing high school, Menendez moved to a more populated area to find work. There, she met her husband and their first son was born. Violence led her and her husband to flee the country in 2008 with their young son, seeking a safer place to raise their family. They spent a few years in New York, before they arrived in Canada as refugees in 2011 and began a new life in St. Catharines.

To help her adjust to her new life in Canada, she enrolled in Niagara College to study English as a Second Language, and completed the program in spring 2014. “We feel very thankful for all the opportunities that Canada and Niagara College gave to us,” she said. “The impact on the quality of our lives is immeasurable.”

Menendez worked as a custodian and several odd jobs before landing work as a general labourer at a Niagara-on-the-Lake greenhouse. While learning more about hydroponics, she became interested in pursuing her education in the field of horticulture.

“Because I grew up on a farm, I always wanted to study about plants,” she said. In January 2017, Menendez made the decision to go back to school. She returned to Niagara College as a Horticultural Technician student, while continuing to work part-time.

It was a challenging move for the mother of three, who was already dividing her time between household and parenting duties and her job. But Menendez knew that the College’s two-year Horticultural Technician diploma program would equip her with the tools she needed to succeed in her chosen field – and more. “It boosted my self-esteem,” she said. “I have more confidence knowing that I can do my job properly.”

College life also opened the door to unexpected opportunities. Earlier this year, she participated in an International Field Studies trip to the Dominican Republic – one of several short-term study offerings from Niagara College’s signature Be World Ready program, which is supported by travel bursaries funded by donors to the College.

While in Los Cacaos, students engage in activities related to fair-trade coffee production, greenhouse production, and environmentally sustainable growing methods, as well as interact with the community in cultural exchanges.

It proved to be an enriching experience for Menendez, who was interested in travelling to a Spanish-speaking country and putting the skills she learned in the classroom into practice. One of the highlights, for Menendez, was visiting an elementary school where she shared her experiences with the children.

“It was a very emotional morning. It reminded me of my childhood,” she said. “I really hope those kids get an opportunity to grow their potential and become successful in life.”

Seeing the children with very limited resources gave Menendez extra motivation to succeed her chosen career. She began to see that her dedication to her studies was paying off with good marks, and she was thankful for the support she had from faculty and her fellow students,

For Menendez, participating in the trip was only made possible through the generosity of donors, and she is grateful for the valuable opportunity.

“Without the travel bursary I couldn’t afford it. The bursary meant the difference between going or not going,” she said.

Today, Menendez – who is now 31 – marks two dreams fulfilled: becoming a college graduate, and becoming a supervisor. She graduated from the College’s Horticultural Technician program in June 2018 and has become a supervisor in charge of pest control at St. David’s Hydroponics.

“It started out as a dream,” she said, as she reflected on her journey over the past few years, “and has now become a reality.”

 

–  This scholarship write-up appeared as an advertisement in Niagara’s Metroland newspapers on July 28.

 

 

General Motors Canada donations enhance experiential learning at Niagara College

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Three new General Motors vehicles rolled into Niagara College’s Motive Power Lab on June 25, destined for many years as key learning tools in Niagara College’s Motive Power programs.

The vehicles, a 2018 Chevrolet Silverado 1500, a 2018 Chevrolet Suburban and a 2018 Cadillac XTS, were generously donated to Niagara College by General Motors Canada to increase the hands-on learning opportunities offered to students. The three vehicles contain some of the most current automotive technologies employed in modern consumer cars, and will allow students to gain real-world experience diagnosing, fixing, and replacing these technologies.

In addition, General Motors donated $50,000 to support the purchase of instructional equipment in the College’s recently opened Green Automotive Technology Lab. The 3,600-square-foot lab boasts electric vehicle charging stations, hybrid and electric motor diagnostic and simulation tools, alternative fuels technology, and vehicles that allow students unfettered access to the technology that will dominate the roads of the future. The Green Automotive Technology Lab will also be a hub for research activities into the future of automotive technology, working in concert with the College’s Research and Innovation division.

(L-R): Technologist Kevin Hachkowski, NC Board Chair John Scott, Carolyne Watts, plant manager at General Motors Canada’s St. Catharines Propulsion Plant, NC president Dan Patterson, Wayne Toth, Program Coordinator for NC’s Motive Power programs, Associate Dean of Trades Jeff Murrell, Gary Athoe, assistant plant manager at General Motors Canada’s St. Catharines Propulsion Plant, Motive Power Technician student Deepak Gupda, NC professor Pete D’Elia, interim dean of Media, Technology and Trades Marc Nantel and Gemma Copeland, personnel director at General Motors Canada’s St. Catharines Propulsion Plant,

Carolyne Watts, plant manager at General Motors Canada’s St. Catharines Propulsion Plant, presented the donation to Niagara College president Dan Patterson at the College’s Rankin Technology Centre this morning.

“General Motors Canada is proud to support Niagara College with this gift,” said Watts. “The new Green Automotive Technology Lab and its innovative curriculum will no doubt further Niagara College’s leadership in automotive education and training, and help support the changing needs of an evolving auto industry.”

General Motors Canada has long been a strong supporter of Niagara College’s Motive Power programs. The company works closely with NC’s school of trades to provide guidance and input on program and curriculum development, and many NC grads go on to become service technicians or service managers in GM dealerships across the country. On Aug. 27, 2015 GM Canada also donated a salvaged 2015 Chevrolet Camaro SS, which students rebuilt over a period of two years, giving them the opportunity to practice hands-on body repair techniques.

GM’s St. Catharines Propulsion Plant also partners with the College on several environmental initiatives, including collaborating for World Environment and Earth Day events, and hosting student field projects from the Ecosystem Restoration post-graduate program since 2011, and student interns from the Environmental Management and Assessment post-graduate program since 2013.

“Niagara College is incredibly thankful to GM Canada for this generous gift, and for their ongoing support of our School of Trades,” said Niagara College president Dan Patterson. “We pride ourselves on offering students a unique formula of hands-on, experiential training with the tools and technologies being used in industry, both now and in the future. This donation will allow our Motive Power students to train on the latest and greatest technologies in the automotive industry. As graduates, they’ll be well-prepared to enter this constantly evolving market.”

NC president Dan Patterson and Carolyne Watts, plant manager at General Motors Canada’s St. Catharines Propulsion Plan, stand with a donated 2018 Chevrolet Silverado

 

Today’s grads, tomorrow’s leaders: NC to celebrate Spring Convocation June 19-22

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More than 3,700 students will cross the platform and enter the next phase of their life at Niagara College’s Spring Convocation Ceremonies, to be held at the Welland Campus June 19-22.

Graduates and their guests will hear from a variety of distinguished business and community leaders who will deliver convocation addresses and receive special honours from the College.

Vicki Heyman

Ceremonies will begin on Tuesday, June 19 at 10 a.m. with the School of Hospitality, Tourism and Sport, as well as the School of Food and Wine Sciences. The convocation speaker for the morning will be Vicki Heyman, co- founder of Uncharted, LLC, a values-driven family office that convenes and connects a diverse group of Americans and Canadians. Heyman will receive an Honorary Bachelor of Applied Studies.

At the 3 p.m. ceremony, students from the School of Nursing and Personal Support Worker Studies will hear a convocation address from Daljit Singh Gujral. A first-gene

Daljit Singh Gujral

ration entrepreneur from India, Gujral is president of INSCOL, which operates a nursing institute in Toronto that trains internationally educated nurses who move to Canada. He will receive an Honorary Diploma in Health Studies.

Coletta McGrath

Wednesday, June 20 will begin with a ceremony celebrating graduates from the School of Community Services. Coletta McGrath, executive director of Quest Community Health Centre in St. Catharines, will deliver the convocation address and will receive an Honorary Bachelor of Applied Studies. McGrath is also a founding board member of the St. Catharines Life Lease Corporation, which built two of the first not-for-profit life lease buildings for older adults in Niagara.

Chief Bryan MacCulloch

In the afternoon, Bryan MacCulloch, chief of the Niagara Regional Police Service, will address graduates from the School of Justice and Fitness Studies, the School of Allied Health Studies, and the School of Nursing and Support Worker Studies. Chief MacCulloch will receive an Honorary Diploma in Police Foundations.

Anthony Spiteri

Ceremonies will continue on the morning of Thursday, June 21 with Anthony J. Spiteri, who will deliver the convocation address to the School of Business and Management Studies and will receive a Distinguished Alumni Award. Spiteri, who grew up in Niagara, graduated from Niagara College’s Business Administration program with honours in 1989 before becoming a leader in the consumer packaged goods industry. He is currently the vice president of marketing, research and development with Pinty’s Delicious Foods Inc., executive chairman of Erie Treat Motorsports, and chairman of Eataly Food Incorporated.

Thursday morning’s ceremonies will also honour the recipient of the 2018 Governor General’s Academic Medal, presented to Business Administration – Accounting graduate Jesse Reynders, who graduates with a 98.23% grade-point average.

Niagara morning show host Tim Denis will address graduates from the School of Academic and Liberal Studies, the School of English Language Studies, and the School of Media Studies at the afternoon ceremony. Denis, who recently celebrated 40 years in radio, has been a host at Newstalk 610 CKTB for more than 23 years, and has made waves in Niagara and beyond with his work as a singer, actor, director and songwriter. He will receive an Honorary Diploma in Broadcasting: Radio, Television and Film.

Spring Convocation Ceremonies will conclude on Friday, June 22. Graduates from the School of Environmental and Horticultural Studies, the School of Technology Studies, and the School of Trades will hear from Sarah Watts-Rynard, executive director of the Canadian Apprenticeship Forum. An advocate of the skilled trades, Watts-Rynard works to encourage a better understanding of the high-level of competency and skill required by these careers. She will receive an Honorary Diploma in Skilled Trades.

Friday will also mark a milestone for the School of Environmental and Horticultural Studies, with its first cohort of graduates from the College’s Commercial Beekeeping program. The graduate certificate program, the first of its kind in Eastern Canada, was launched in 2017 to meet a significant demand for qualified, professional beekeepers across the country.

 SCHEDULE OF PROCEEDINGS

Tuesday, June 19

10 a.m.

Hospitality, Tourism and Sport; Food and Wine Sciences

Speaker: Vicki Heyman

3 p.m.

Nursing and Personal Support Worker Studies

Speaker: Daljit Singh Gujral

 

Wednesday, June 20

10 a.m.

Community Services

Speaker: Coletta McGrath

3 p.m.

Justice and Fitness Studies; Allied Health Studies; Nursing and Support Worker Studies

Speaker: Bryan MacCulloch

 

Thursday, June 21

10 a.m.

Business and Management Studies

Speaker: Anthony J. Spiteri

3 p.m.

Academic and Liberal Studies; English Language Studies; Media Studies

Speaker: Tim Denis

 

Friday, June 22

10 a.m.

Environmental and Horticultural Studies; Technology Studies; Trades

Speaker: Sarah Watts-Rynard

Development and Alumni Relations welcomes Jana Boniferro as alumni engagement officer

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A message from Wendy Dueck, director of Development and Alumni Relations:

I am pleased to announce the appointment of Jana Boniferro as alumni engagement officer in the Development and Alumni Relations department. Jana joined the NC family on May 23.

Jana has a Business Communications degree from Brock University and over 10 years of experience in both the not-for-profit and corporate community. For the past five years she worked in the Advancement department at Brock University, most recently as senior major gifts officer focusing on the Goodman School of Business expansion; prior to that she worked on the fundraising efforts for the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts. Both roles required her to create meaningful engagement and trusting relationships with key alumni – experience which will be instrumental in helping build a robust alumni community for Niagara College.

The primary focus of Jana’s role is fostering relationships and strengthening alumni affiliation that results in alumni having a lifelong relationship with the College. This includes presenting opportunities for meaningful continual engagement, such as sharing their talents and experience with students, and the ability to continue to learn from and with exceptional faculty members and talented peers.

Recognizing the existing effort and attention given within each College department to enrich the experience of students, both prior and beyond graduation, in the coming months Jana will be reaching out to the NC community to identify opportunities to engage, and strengthen the College’s relationships, with alumni.

In the interim, if you would like to reach out to Jana to discuss alumni engagement opportunities, she can be reached at extension 7427 or [email protected].

Please join me in giving Jana a warm NC welcome!

CFUW House Tour May 6 supports student scholarships

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Spend a memorable afternoon celebrating local architecture in the historic Port Dalhousie area and help support students along the way.

The Canadian Federation of University Women is hosting its 44th Annual House Tour on Sunday, May 6, from noon until 5 p.m. Tour five homes of character and enjoy a refreshment stop at St. John’s Anglican Church, one of the oldest parishes in Ontario with roots dating back to the 1830s.

Tickets are $25 and are available online at www.cfuwstcatharines.org, at 16 ticket outlets in Niagara (click here to see all ticket outlet locations) or at the houses on tour day.

Proceeds from ticket sales go to CFUW St Catharines’ Registered Charity for Scholarships, some of which support Niagara College students, and to local charities that help women and children in need.

For more information about CFUW St Catharines 44th Annual House Tour visit www.cfuwstcatharines.org ; call 289-696-1400 or email [email protected]

Niagara College Seafood Gala raises over $200,000 to support student success

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A message from Development and Alumni Relations:

The Niagara College 29th annual Seafood Gala was held at the Fallsview Casino Resort on Friday, April 6, with 645 guests in attendance. The evening began with a thrilling performance by Greg Frewin who ‘magically’ made NC president Dan Patterson appear in a box for a grand entrance.

Thanks to our generous sponsors and supporters, the event raised more than $200,000 to support learning resources, equipment, scholarships and bursaries. This greatly enhances the College’s ability to offer financial aid to students and to provide a high quality, technology-rich learning environment to ensure they graduate work ready.

A highlight of the evening was an announcement by Patterson of a $1-million gift from the Marotta Family. This generous donation is supporting the development of a new innovation complex at the Niagara-on-the-Lake Campus, which the College is proud to name: the Marotta Family Innovation Complex. This new facility will enhance the College’s ability to support innovation in Niagara’s agricultural business sector.

President Patterson also announced an additional $20,000 gift from Two Sisters Vineyards, owned by the Marotta family, to establish a Bursary Fund for students in the College’s Culinary Innovation snf Food Technology, Culinary Management, and Winery and Viticulture Technician programs.

We are very grateful to our presenting sponsor Fallsview Casino Resort, our Admiral sponsors Rankin Construction Inc. and TD Insurance Moloche Monnex, as well as our many College and Niagara community supporters who contribute to our students’ success by participating in this major fundraising event. Over its 29 year history, the gala has raised more than $2.8 million.

Please mark your calendar for the 30th Annual Seafood Gala on Friday, April 5, 2019. We hope to see you there!

For event details and photos visit ncseafoodgala.wordpress.com/

Marotta family donates to Niagara College’s new agri-food innovation complex

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Benny and Louise Marotta, are accompanied by daughters Angela and Melissa, son-in-law Giuseppe Paolicelli, and grandchildren.

Niagara College announced on April 6 that the family of Benny and Louise Marotta are donating $1 million to support the College’s Achieving Dreams Campaign.

The donation of $1 million – which will support the development of, and equipment and furnishings for, Niagara College’s new innovation complex located at the Niagara-on-the-Lake Campus – was announced to an audience of more than 600 business, education and community leaders at Niagara College’s Seafood Gala.

The Gala also celebrated the successful completion of the College’s Achieving Dreams campaign. The campaign, which began in April 2015, far surpassed its original goal of $7 million. Including the Marotta family gift, a total of $11,450,791 has been raised to support three areas of student success:

  • $6,319,028 for campus redevelopment
  • $3,472,692 to support scholarships, bursaries, study-work abroad and student leadership development opportunities
  • $1,659,071 million to fund instructional equipment and learning resources

In recognition of the Marotta family’s generous gift, Niagara College will name the new complex the Marotta Family Innovation Complex. The new 49,000 square foot four-storey complex is scheduled for completion in Fall 2018 and will significantly enhance the College’s ability to support the growing competitiveness of Niagara’s agri-business sector. The complex will include agri-food research and innovation laboratories, incubation space for business, specialized training facilities for student engagement and entrepreneurship, and will house a student fitness centre and gymnasium on the lower level.

“As a family we have always looked ahead towards progress, keeping traditions alive and making communities stronger.  We are proud to be supporting Niagara College.  Our goal is to help ensure this vibrant student community is always looking forward and that they will achieve successes in all aspects of their life,” said the Marotta family.  “These students represent the future of our local agri-business industry and the wine and culinary community of Niagara on the Lake and will continue to bring it recognition on the national and world-wide stage.”

The Marotta family has been active in land and community development within southern Ontario.  They have a history of supporting various charitable organizations close to their hearts such as Mackenzie Health, Humber River Hospital, Sick Children’s Hospital, Vaughan Hospice, Art Gallery of Ontario, Caledon Food Bank and others.

Louise and Benny’s daughters, Angela and Melissa, are the proprietors of award winning winery Two Sisters Vineyards in Niagara-on-the-Lake.

Two Sisters Vineyards has also committed $20,000 to Niagara College to establish the Two Sisters Vineyard Bursary Fund. Two awards of $2,000 each will be awarded annually to students in Niagara College’s Culinary Innovation and Food Technology, Culinary Management, and Winery and Viticulture Technician programs.

“All of us at Niagara College are extremely grateful to the Marotta family for their generosity,” said Niagara College President Dan Patterson. “This gift, supporting the Marotta Family Innovation Complex, will provide our students with innovative learning spaces, and facilitate cutting-edge research projects that will move Niagara’s growing agri-food industry forward.  It is an important investment in innovation and economic development in the Niagara region. The additional support through the Two Sisters Vineyards Bursary will help many capable and aspiring

Achieving Dreams campaign raises over $11 million to support student success

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Niagara College has 11 million reasons to thank those who have generously supported students through the recently completed Achieving Dreams fundraising campaign.

At a special event on March 26 thanking those who have made significant contributions to the campaign, it was announced that Achieving Dreams far surpassed its goal of $7 million, raising a total of $11,450,791.

The Achieving Dreams campaign was launched in April 2015, with a goal of supporting student success through campus redevelopment projects; equipment and learning resources; and scholarships, bursaries, study-work abroad and student leadership development opportunities.

Thanks to donors’ generous support, 788 new student scholarships and bursaries were created, and $1.6 million of new instructional equipment was purchased to help provide students with the up-to-date equipment and support they need to excel in their studies.

Donations have also helped fund 203,000 square feet of new and renovated learning spaces, providing new and expanded facilities to enhance the student experience and expand the College’s research and innovation capabilities, such as a 49,000 square foot Innovation Complex to support Niagara’s agricultural-business sector, and the Walker Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Centre, where teams of students and faculty work with local manufacturing companies on applied research projects to help these companies enhance and grow their businesses.

“Niagara College is extremely grateful to the many individuals and organizations who have so generously supported our students through the Achieving Dreams campaign,” said Niagara College President Dan Patterson. “Whether it’s learning equipment, innovative learning environments or financial aid that helps students pursue their dreams, your contributions have made, and will continue to make, a lasting impact on the life and success of our students.”

At the celebration on March 26, donors to the campaign saw the effect their contributions have had first-hand, as three Niagara College alumni shared their own personal stories of success.

Daniela Cortes Aristizabal graduated in 2015 from the College’s Business–Sales & Marketing program, and will graduate for a second time in 2019 from NC’s Mechanical Engineering program, joining her father and her sister, who are both graduates of the same program. Aristizabal benefitted from the state-of-the-art equipment and innovative learning opportunities provided through the Walker Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Centre. The Centre was funded in part by a generous gift from Walker Industries and the Walker Family.

“Thanks to this on-campus, state-of-the-art facility, students like me have a place to apply the skills we learn in the classroom at a real job, with a variety of industry clients,” said Aristizabal. “It’s rewarding to know that I’m helping contribute to Niagara’s economy by helping businesses innovate.”

Gurjeet Dhaliwal grew up in India and immigrated to Canada at the age of 20 in search of a better life. Arriving in Canada without any support or income, Dhaliwal had a master’s degree in Math and Economics but could only make a living by working a series of odd jobs. She entered Niagara College’s Dental Hygienist program and is now a proud graduate. Thanks to donors, she was able to learn on the latest high-tech equipment that allowed her to seamlessly transition into the workplace.

“At Niagara College’s dental clinic I trained on leading-edge equipment.  From computer software programs, to digital x-rays, to instruments like the ultrasonic cleaner – the equipment we learned to use as students prepared us well for the realities of working in clinical environments,” said Dhaliwal. “Now that I am in the workforce, the skills I acquired at Niagara College are ones I use every day.”

Connor McCulloch is also a proud Niagara College graduate and is living his dream as an advanced care paramedic. Receiving a scholarship helped to alleviate some of the financial pressures that came with being a student, and allowed him to focus on his studies.

“All the time I spent focusing on my studies paid off. I graduated with a professionalism award from my program, which reassured me that I was on the right track with my career choice,” said McCulloch. “Perhaps most importantly, being able to fully immerse myself in the program changed the way I thought about being paramedic. By the time I graduated, it was a true passion for me.”

   

NC grad returns: Letterkenny producer Mark Montefiore offers students inspiration, advice

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Students and faculty from BRTF and Acting programs gather to hear from Mark Montefiore on March 16.

Time flies when you’re making dreams come true.

Standing before an audience of Broadcasting and Acting students at the Welland Campus on March 16, multiple-award-winning film and television producer Mark Montefiore could hardly believe it had been more than 15 years since he was in their place as a student at Niagara College.

Since he graduated from NC’s Broadcasting – Radio, Television and Film program in 2003 as an aspiring producer ready to take on the world,  the former St. Catharines resident has kept busy since then doing just that – and it’s paid off. Named The Hollywood Reporter’s Next Generation Under 36 (2015), and Playback’s Top 10 to Watch (2012), Montefiore’s name draws crowds as the executive producer of Craft TV / Comedy Network multiple-award-winning series Letterkenny whose ‘skids, hicks and hockey player” characters ‘pitter pattered’ their way into becoming a cultural phenomenon.

As president of New Metric Media, Montefiore also produces What Would Sal Do on the Superchannel and drama Bad Blood. He has also produced his way into several film credits. His feature film Cas & Dylan – starring Richard Dreyfuss and Tatiana Maslany –won a Circuit Audience Choice Award at the Toronto Film Festival; and he produced award-winning films Easting Buccaneers and The Armoire.

Messages from Letterkenny to NC

Montefiore kicked off his presentation with video clips of personal messages to NC students from the cast of Letterkenny — including the famous Jared Kesso (creator, lead actor), Nick Bales, and Trevor Wilson.

“Hey students, if you’re writing for YouTube, make it short – two minutes tops,” said Kesso. “And if it’s not getting immediate reaction, like 1,000 views in a month, then take it down. Try something new.”

“You’re in a … great program,” said Bales. “Talent is great but hard work wins every time. Work at it.”

Making the NC connection

Montefiore told the students that Niagara College will prepare them well to enter the industry.

“Other schools don’t have what you have here and I certainly used that to my advantage,” he said. “You have your hands in everything, you’re forced to wear multiple hats … it’s a small team.”

He recounted how when he came to NC, he wanted to be an actor or a personality, but as a student this quickly changed. He didn’t know what producing was but first became interested in it after volunteering to produce for a TV class project. It was 5:30 p.m. and he was eager to leave campus for a date. As they went around the room to assign roles, it was a job that none of the other students wanted to do.

“I’m sitting here looking at my watch going, ‘I’ve got to get out of here.’ It was like, ‘who’s going to do sound,’ a couple of hands go up. ‘Who wants to direct,’ – everybody’s hands go up. ‘Who wants to do camera,’ – a couple of hands go up. ‘Who wants to produce,’ – nobody,” he said.

“I look at my watch and I’m like, ‘I’ve got to get out of here. I’ve got to go. I’ll do it,’ … and then I did it, and I discovered that I loved it,” he recalled.

As for his date, “I don’t remember who she was anymore,” he said with a chuckle.

He told the students how as a NC grad, he was able to succeed in the Toronto film and television industry as he worked his way up from being a volunteer with Craft Services – doing anything needed to assisting to finding lost cats – to taking on larger jobs and moving into different areas, into the administrative side, the set, the offices, coordinating production management, until larger opportunities came his way.

Recounting how it was his friend from NC, writer Dane Clark, was who first sent him a link to the web series Letterkenny Problems, which inspired him to pursue the idea of producing it as a television show. He encouraged the students to get to know one another and keep in touch.

“You’re in a great spot right here, there’s a lot of talented people in this room. They’re going to off and do great things,” he said.

Advice to students

In addition to responding to questions from students and faculty, Montefiore offered top tips for entering and succeeding in the industry.

“Sell yourself, because it’s really about you. It’s not about your project,” he said. “People will want to work with you when you’re the engaging charming self you are – work on that and you will find people who will want to work with you.”

He stressed the importance of socializing and meeting people at industry events, to be thankful and gracious – “no one owes you anything” – and to surround themselves with great people “so you are the least experienced and dumbest one in the room.”

He encouraged students to stand out from the crowd. “Be remarkable or no one will remember you or your project,” he said. “Do something a little different.”

He told students about the rejection they will encounter in the industry and how to have a solutions-based mindset.

While he said there’s no “right” or “wrong way” to get into the business, he encouraged them to find a way to get their foot in the door. “Once you’re in, move around, and then you will start to find your way.”

An inside look

He told students what it’s like to be a producer.

“Literally every single hour, within that hour it’s SO tremendously different. I could have maybe 10 or 12 calls in an hour between co-producers for Bad Blood, casting directors, bankers, financiers, broadcasters, publicists, all for a million different reasons – not even the same project,” he said.   I get bored very easily, and I love producing because when I get bored of working at the office I go to sets. When I get bored of sets I go to the office. When I get bored of that I go figure something else out.”

What’s it like to be on the set of Letterkenny?

“It’s a lot of laughs. Letterkenny is a unique experience because it’s so different than a lot of shows that I’ve been a part of,” he said. “There’s so many takes we just can’t use because the camera is shaking, because the camera operator is laughing his head off … it’s a good problem to have.”

What faculty, students are saying

BRTF faculy Alysha Henderson who organized the event, recalled how, as a student, Montefiore displayed that he had what it takes to succeed in the industry.

“His eagerness made him stand out as a student, he was always very engaged, very creative and interested in so many different things,” she said.

She noted that becoming a producer can be difficult because there is to direct path to the profession.

“To achieve what he has achieved is so significant, especially since he’s just started and he’s not even 40 yet,” she said. “I’m looking forward to seeing what he does in the next 15 years.”

Students who attended the presentation were thankful for the opportunity to hear from Montefiore.

“I thought it was awesome. It was nice to hear from a grad from NC who has had so much success,” said Acting student Brevin Graziania. “I’m from Welland and sometimes you think you might have a hard time if you are not from Toronto. He was very inspiring.”

For first year BRTF student Sawyer Edworthy the presentation was not only inspirational, it gave him an opportunity to gain experience. It was his first time in the film studio as he volunteered to set up the lights and backdrop for the event, working with second years in the program.

“He was very inspiring and is what I strive to be. I hope to do something similar,” said Edworthy. “Maybe, I’ll be up there in 15 years.”