For the first time in over three years, the Department of Athletics and Recreation held an in-person Student Leadership Awards breakfast to celebrate the hard work the student staff in athletics that has worked tirelessly over the past year to deliver high quality programs. Over the past year, Athletics has seen more traffic through its facilities than ever before and the delivery of athletics programs and services would not be possible without the hard working student leaders.

"We are so incredibly grateful for all of our student leaders across all areas of our department," said recreation manager, Adam Steeves. "Without our students there are no programs. They are the backbone of our operations, and it is always great to be able to gather together in one room to celebrate and honour our student leaders."
 

The following were the Student Leadership Awards presented at the breakfast:

Judson Whiteside Award Winners

Andrew Advincula
As already mentioned, Andrew has made a long lasting contribution to the intramural volleyball program here on campus. Having directly interacted with over 140 volleyball officials during his time here, his leadership was invaluable. Additionally, though, Andrew took on the role of Intramural Program Assistant in the Spring of 2022 as we returned to the first full semester post-COVID restrictions. In this role, he assisted with a transition to a brand new software system as well as providing mentorship to all casual staff. Most importantly though, Andrew assumed the full responsibilities of the Intramural program for approximately 8 weeks while Bryan was on leave; leading to supporting the full operation of intramurals by assigning officials, managing teams and facility schedules, scheduling sport season and playoffs among other tasks for over 300 teams. Without Andrew, these almost 3500 intramural participants, the largest in a Spring semester ever, would not have had the great experience that they did. His commitment, dedication and influence towards the intramural program, and the greater whole of recreation here at Waterloo, has been and will be remembered by all who interacted with him.

Evelyn Jiang
Evelyn has been a staple in our department, she has dedicated her time to many different areas including the Conditioning team as a Personal Trainer, with the Marketing team as a Events and Promotions volunteer and with the Move Your Mind program as both a coop student and volunteer. However, she is likely most well known for her work with the Varsity Strength and Conditioning Student coach program where she has volunteered more than 3000 hours. In asking all the department staff who have worked with her she is most well known for her thoughtfulness, professionalism and commitment. Her impact has been significant and will continue to make a difference in the future. She truly exemplifies what is means to be a Warrior and we have no doubt that she will continue these traits moving forward. Evelyn, we will be forever grateful for your time with us. Collectively, we wish you all the best in your next adventure and please know, we will miss your dad jokes the most. 

Event Staff Leadership Award - Jacob Nesbitt

Jacob will be remembered for his incredible leadership and work ethic. During his time, he navigated the Pandemic as a member of the PAC Staff and Arena Staff before transitioning into the Student Leader Event Staff role in Summer 2022 and the Student Leader in the Arena. 

Facilities Staff Leadership Award - Emma Juracic

Emma started working on the Facilities team in the Spring of 2017. From the start, she has demonstrated herself to be a leader with her work ethic and the way she is able to articulate her communication with peers, customers, and supervisors.

Game Day Staff Leadership Award - Rebecca Colantonio and Alexi Orchard

Rebecca and Alexi were incredible leaders as the Basketball and Volleyball Coordinators this past season. Both were very organized and exceptional at ensuring all their game day staff were scheduled and prepared to provide an exceptional game day experience for our student-athletes, coaches, opposing teams, and fans. 
 
Marketing Leadership Award - Bryan Symons

Bryan started with the marketing team back in the winter of 2022 and has excelled in his roles as our sports marketing co-op and community ticketing coordinator. Bryan's ability to lead our student volunteers while engaging with fans at games to create memorable moments was truly appreciated. 

Wellness Promotion Leadership Award - Gurmehar Sachdeva

Through his role as a Social Media Content Creator, Gurmehar has helped Warrior Recreation tell our story, engage with students, and build our community. He has gotten to know, and helped promote, many of our clubs and programs, and has helped us share the impact that participation can have on our students' experiences and well-being. 

Outstanding Move Your Mind Volunteer -  Amy Zheng

Amy has been a Move Your Mind Volunteer since Fall 2020. Often attending fitness classes with her participants, she has supported students' physical and mental health and helped them feel comfortable and welcome in our spaces while building meaningful and long-lasting relationships. 

Camp Leadership Award and we are proud to present the award to Mikayla Hobson

Mikayla took on the position of Assistant Camp Coordinator this past summer and excelled in the position. Mikayla brought a positive attitude every day in the summer and was willing to stay late, come early, and help counsellors in all situations throughout our busiest summer camp season ever. 

Climbing Wall Leadership Award - Jenny Fu

Jenny has been a friendly and welcoming face at the climbing wall since the day it opened. She has been an outstanding leader in her SPC role and is always quick to respond to staff questions and needs as she truly cares about the team. 

Esports Leadership Award -  Anna Tian

Anna has been an integral piece of Warriors Esports and has served the community proudly. She spearheaded a complete re-org, which created dozens of new positions that have opened many doors for her fellow students. Congratulations Anna and thank you for your commitment to growth, inclusivity, competition, and community engagement.

Fitness and Instructional Leadership Award - Jen Wilkinson and Raven Sim

Jen Wilkinson
Jen has been a fitness instructor with Warrior Recreation for just over a year and has extensive experience teaching a variety of fitness class styles. Jen has quickly become a fan favourite with our students as she brings passion, creativity, and care into every fitness class, and even brings the occasional treat to share with her participants! Congrats Jen!
 
Raven Sim
Raven began instructing dance classes with Warrior Recreation in September 2022. Since then, Raven has proven to be a dependable, passionate, and caring instructor and has taught numerous styles of dance classes including ballet, jazz & musical theatre, and lyrical & contemporary. Congrats Raven!
 
Intramural Sport Leadership Award - Andrew Advincula

Andrew has been involved in the intramural program since he first stepped on campus back in Fall of 2017. Andrew has officiated in hundreds of intramural volleyball games while taking on numerous leadership positions where he has provided mentorship and support to new officials as well as ensuring that participants had an exceptional experience. 

Strength and Conditioning Leadership Award - Aidan Metcalfe and Evelyn Jiang

Aidan Metcalfe
Aidan started with us as the Conditioning Assistant during the pandemic. Since then, he has completed 3 total co-op terms with us and has remained as a Personal Training in between. His adaptability was evident as he helped navigate many changing policies and procedures due to the pandemic. He also had a hand in helping us to open our new facility. Aidan's leadership skills and overall kindness were evident in the the relationships he built within the Conditioning team and with our members and clients. 

Evelyn Jiang
Evelyn Jiang has been with us since spring 2019. She has held many roles within our department and has stood out as a leader of the conditioning team. Her attention to detail has been appreciated throughout her tenure here as she is always looking for ways to improve our space and ensure it is welcoming for our members. She volunteers at every opportunity and is an extremely knowledgeable trainer. 
 
Aquatic Leadership Award - Molly Chen.

Molly is an exceptional member of the aquatics team and she seldom enters a room without having a positive impact on those in it. Molly's incredibly welcoming attitude creates an atmosphere that everyone can thrive in. She is a great leader and makes the Warrior's community a better place to be! 

Sport Club Leadership Award -Guen O'Hara from Ringette and Sydney Denstedt-Barr 

Guen O'Hara
Guen was one of Ringette's assistant captains for this past season and was known to play a strong and fierce game while also finding the back of the net a few times. Her positivity and energetic personality were inspiring to other team members as she always provided insightful feedback and encouragement to all. 

Sydney Denstedt-Barr
Sydney has shown amazing leadership as president of the Artistic swimming club. Whether it was organizing uniforms and finances or being a mentor and friend for other club members, the club wouldn't be running at the capacity it is without them and they have worked hard in making it accessible for everyone! 

Training Leadership Award - Esteban Salazar

'Big shoes to Fill', 'Gone above and Beyond', and 'GOAT' are phrases that would be used when referring to Esteban and the impact he has made in his role. Esteban always sees opportunities for improvement and creates plans and actions to ensure positive changes, all while encouraging those he works with to advance in their student careers. 

Outstanding Graduating Student Leaders

Facilities:

Zachary Abraham

Charlotte Hall

Ashkan Hashemi

Isabel Lynch

Aidan Nolan

Faye O'Brien

Immanuel Onyemah

Jonathan Van Schubert

Daniel Kacper Wojnowski

Rushon Dagelman

Noah Lebar

Tanya Miranda

Marketing and Communications:

Courtney Caird

Carson Webb

Recreation:

Sabrina LoPresti

Owen Burnell

Jayna Fuller

Sarah Glynn

Beth Howlett

Josue Kurke  (needs an accent on the e in Josue)

Kenzie Neil

Lea Rousseau (needs an accent on the e in Lea)

Julia Baribeau

Justine Bissonnette

Jessica Chanyi

Terese Dimeck

Alexander Haack

Jessica Hu

Jan Lau

Kyra McEllistrum

Hannah Rivers

Kayden Toffolo

Sydney Denstedt-Barr

Annelies Erickson

Elbert Lai

Zoe Gale-Moore

Meghan Hanton-Fong

Hannah Lee

Guen O'Hara

Emma-Grace Sabo

Vanessa Wilson

Bryan Au

Maxwell Yan

Anne Lytle

Andrew Advincula

Alex Bajenaru

Victoria Ross

Bharat Shamsukha

Meagan Yerxa

Liam Calder

Jaxson Ellerker-Rigonan

Evelyn Jiang

Aidan Metcalfe

Rochelle Supinski