Five members of the Niagara College team were honoured this past fall for their exceptional service and accomplishments with Awards of Excellence.
Presented at the College’s annual Niagara Day event, the highly coveted awards celebrate the achievements of faculty, support staff and administrative employees. In 2021, NC introduced a new team award to recognize groups of employees for their outstanding collaborative work. All award winners receive a dedicated parking spot on campus.
InsideNC caught up with the 2022 recipients to learn more about their contributions to the College.
Administration Award: Maxine Semple, Manager, Cultural and Global Engagement
Maxine Semple is Manager, Cultural and Global Engagement within NC’s International division. She is known for a student-focused mindset, exceptional problem-solving skills, and an empathic approach to students and employees alike.
Maxine began working at the College as a student in 2010, becoming a part-time employee in 2012 and transitioning to a managerial role in 2017. She is a founder of NC’s signature Be World Ready program, which has become known around the world for its ability to connect students and staff to diverse and rich cultural learning experiences, academic exchanges, and partnership activities that grow intercultural competencies.
At the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, Maxine developed, managed, and ran NC’s quarantine program that quickly and safely returned students home to Canada. The program evolved into a refined system supporting the welcoming arrival of international students amidst a myriad of government mandates and requirements.
What does it mean to you to be recognized by your colleagues and the College with this award?
Being recognized by my colleagues with this award meant a substantial amount to my confidence as a continuing aspiring leader. For me, coming up in this role and with my work at NC I would (and still do) spend time wondering if I’m doing things right, if the difference I hope I’m making is happening, and that my approach to inspiring others to find passion and joy in their work is landing. The recognition and love that I felt after receiving this award by so many has helped me better subdue imposter syndrome – that’s a real thing by the way.
Learning about the number of colleagues who contributed to the nomination was the most heartening thing that has happened in my career. I have the deepest gratitude for those who contributed to my nomination, especially to the individual who took the time to gather and lead the submission – it is beyond touching that a person of their caliber and who is an iconic mentor to me would go to such effort.
As a founder of NC’s signature Be World Ready program, how does it feel knowing that you have played a key role in growing the intercultural competencies of so many NC students and employees?
Genuinely, it means the world to me…and to the world! The development of intercultural competencies in our students and staff is one of the most important missions we have at NC. While we graduate incredible students all the time with tremendous vocational skills, now more than ever it is necessary to nurture the growth of global competencies. Not only are intercultural competencies critical to our students employment prospects, but also to their future of leading us all toward a more positive and hopeful global landscape. As Canada’s leading global college, supporting the development of these intercultural competencies in our employees and supporting opportunities to further acquire them is instrumental in our ability to hold this title.
What do you consider to be the most rewarding aspect of your work?
My position is such a fortunate one in that I get to see real changes in our students and staff who participate in Be World Ready opportunities instantly. The amount of testimonials that come to us sharing how life-changing their experience was, how it’s made them want to do something more and better for this world, how eye-opening and impactful only a few days abroad had been for their vocation and professional development…it doesn’t get much more rewarding than that.
Do you have a quote that you live by?
Not a quote, but maybe a motto. Say yes to every opportunity that is presented to you. If the opportunity is terrifying, then scream ‘yes!’ The lessons that these opportunities will gift you will be priceless to your future-self.
Support Staff Award: Maria Cassford, Administrative Assistant to the Associate Dean, School of Hospitality and Tourism
Maria Cassford is a positive, warm, and caring professional, who is known for efficiency and effectiveness and a genuine, upbeat attitude and demeanor. A go-to person, Maria provides advice and direction and has trained countless new faculty, support staff and administrators in the School of Hospitality and Tourism.
Focused on student success, she dedicates significant effort to ensuring that students and faculty alike have the resources and information they need, and consistently checks in to provide further assistance, a friendly smile, and a heartfelt inquiry to provide support when needed.
Seeking a deeper understanding of the classroom environment she works so hard to support, Maria took on a part-time teaching role that has only added to the already enormous amount of respect afforded to her by her co-workers.
Hospitality is a field but also a philosophy – one that signifies creating a welcoming environment and delivering quality customer service while connecting with guests – be they students, colleagues or visitors to the College. Maria embodies that philosophy.
How long have you worked at the College?
I’ve worked at the College for 28 wonderful years. I began my college career at the Maid of the Mist Campus in 1994 as an evening Clerk in the Continuing Education department. My next job was as the Food & Beverage Secretary for the Hospitality & Tourism division. When the Culinary, Hospitality & Tourism programs moved to the Glendale Campus (now the Daniel J. Patterson Campus in Niagara-on-the-Lake), I stayed behind and was the Administrative Assistant at the Tourism Industry Development Centre. I moved to the Daniel J. Patterson Campus in 2009 to my current position.
What does it mean to you to be recognized by your colleagues and the College with this award?
I’m honoured, happy, and humbled for being recognized for this outstanding award. I’ll be honest; first, I thought, “What me, I’m getting an award for doing my job.” There are many fantastic support staff that I connect with daily that deserve this award. I’ve been very fortunate in my college career to work with hardworking, service-focused, and knowledge-sharing individuals, where I feed off their enthusiasm.
You are known as a positive person with a collegial spirit – a “go-to person” within the School of Hospitality and Tourism. What approach do you taken when working with others?
The seed to my approach was planted many years ago. I come from a Ukrainian background and being generous with my time, being the giver and being hospitable, are who I am and how I work with my teammates. I understand that no two days are the same and being flexible is important. Promptly replying to inquiries, listening, finding solutions, and when possible, making people’s day – I feel is the key to supporting my dynamite team.
What’s the most rewarding part about working at Niagara College?
I’ve learned so much while working at NC and I’m still learning! The College has provided me with the opportunity to learn about different cultures, to push myself and move out of my comfort zone and, most importantly, it’s made me a better person. The most rewarding part of my job is working and collaborating with people and creating the best student experience possible. I truly believe that the students are at the core of everything we do.
Faculty Award: Jamie Oresar, Professor, School of Academic and Liberal Studies
A Professor in the College’s School of Academic and Liberal Studies, Jamie Oresar is a creative, innovative and dedicated educator with a commitment to student success and lifelong learning.
Jamie is known for a kind and approachable nature and ability to connect with students to support them on their academic journey. A course lead and curriculum developer, she creates invitational, active classrooms, incorporating experiential learning pedagogies into curriculum design.
With interests in globalization, sustainable development, and gender studies, Jamie is a subject matter expert in equity, diversity, social inclusion, and decolonization, having co-authored two textbooks on EDID that have been adopted by 26 universities and colleges across Canada.
Through her work, she secured over $100,000 in funding through eCampus Ontario for a project to create virtual reality simulations to help students learn to foster authentic inclusion for accessibility.
Jamie has also supported colleagues through ongoing mentorship of new and part-time faculty, has worked with a variety of local partners to deliver workshops, courses, and projects, and has participated in NC international projects including Young Africa Works in Kenya and Skills to Access a Green Economy in Jamaica.
What do you teach at the College?
I am a Sociology Professor in Liberal Arts and Sciences and teach mostly courses rooted in equity, diversity, inclusion and decolonization. I am also the Curriculum Coordinator for our area and have developed electives around mental health, globalization, activism, and gender.
I have been teaching at the college for 13 years. I started out in Academic Studies teaching Communications part-time and moved over to Liberal Studies shortly before getting a full-time position in Sociology.
What does it mean to you to be recognized by your colleagues and the College with this award?
Being this year’s recipient of the Faculty Award of Excellence has been extremely overwhelming. I tend to like to fly under the radar so to speak, so it is really humbling to be nominated by the very people who have mentored, uplifted, and supported me along the way and who I continue to learn so much from. I truly attribute my success to the incredible people I get to work with in Liberal Studies, across the college, and in the classroom.
What’s your secret to connecting with students and supporting them to be successful on their academic journey? How do your students inspire you?
I don’t know if it’s a secret exactly, but I like to meet students where they are at, recognizing that they all have a unique story to tell and we all have something to learn from each and every one of them. I approach the classroom as a place where a lot of the time, I’m learning more from students than they are from me and I am always inspired by their courage to share as we sometimes explore sensitive topics related to equity in the classroom.
What do you consider to be the most rewarding aspect of your work?
Besides being in the classroom with students, one of the most recent rewarding aspects of my work is having the opportunity to participate in global engagement projects in Jamaica and Kenya. Being able to examine equity issues in a global context has been such an enriching learning experience.
Do you have a quote that you live by?
“Seek first to understand than to be understood” – Stephen Covey
This quote has always stuck with me, and I come back to it in almost all of the roles I play – as a teacher, a partner, a parent, and a traveller.
Team Award: COVID Safety Response Team
Katie McQuestion, Emergency Management Coordinator, and Darren Williams, Health and Safety Specialist
Working together as NC’s COVID Safety Response Team, Katie McQuestion, Emergency Management Coordinator, and Darren Williams, Health and Safety Specialist, have been the College’s primary leads in the pandemic response effort.
This team has demonstrated an unwavering attention to detail in their approach to managing a new set of accountabilities to guide pandemic-related decision-making at NC, while keeping up with their regular duties. Their many accomplishments include the development of pandemic-related policies and procedures, contact tracing protocols and systems, health and safety assessments for all campus spaces, guidance on PPE, cleaning protocols, access control, rapid testing, and more.
The College’s success in keeping its campuses safe is directly linked to the extraordinary collaboration, commitment, energy, and expertise of this ‘dynamic duo,’ who continue to develop and implement policies and protocols that incorporate the lessons learned during the pandemic.
In their respective roles, Katie and Darren are known for their tremendous work – but as a team, they have been at their finest. They have built each other up and brought out the best in one another in the course of their joint work.
What does it mean to you both to be recognized by your colleagues and the College with this award?
DW: It was a proud moment for us both. The pandemic was a challenge for every member of the college community and receiving the teamwork award really demonstrated how when we all work together, even when challenged, there’s nothing we can’t achieve.
KM: I am honoured to have been recognized. It was a very nice surprise and something that I’m very proud to share with Darren. It was a team effort and that team extended far beyond the two of us. It included every member of the college community, but particularly the Incident Management Team, Executive Team and the College Operations Group, who all provided input, advice and leadership through the pandemic.
You were recognized for being NC’s primary leads in the pandemic response effort. During the onset of the pandemic, how did it feel to provide critical guidance during such a challenging time?
DW and KM: At the time we were so focused on staying on top of ever changing public health measures, implementing preventative measures and building new policies, plans and procedures, that we really didn’t have time to think about our roles.
We just knew that there was work to do and that we were qualified (or as qualified as anyone really could be at the time) and well placed to do it. I think that Executive Team deserves a huge shout-out for inviting us to the table, then continuing to have us back, even after we repeatedly gave advice and recommendations that was challenging to hear at times.
How does it feel knowing that your work touches every single member of the College community?
DW: To focus on just the work that we did, wouldn’t be fair to all the other teams whose fingerprints were all over our successful navigation through the COVID-19 pandemic. They say that ‘Teamwork makes the dream work,’ and if it wasn’t for the leadership of the Executive Team, the tireless efforts of our Facilities, Campus Safety, ITS, Commercial Cleaners, Marketing, Communications and Human Resources teams, all Deans and Associate Deans, and so many others that adapted on the fly, we wouldn’t have gotten through the pandemic as successfully as we did.
KM: I think that our work touched every member of the college community because they all took ownership of it during the pandemic. People might not always have been happy with the restrictions and mandates (I think people might be surprised to learn that we weren’t always happy with the restrictions and mandates either!), but they did their part and followed them.
I think especially at the beginning of the pandemic, we saw a real sense of community within the College as people worked together to protect the health and safety of everyone on campus, and everyone in our wider communities. I was so impressed and touched by the donation of PPE that NC made to the Niagara Health Foundation in the spring of 2020. I was tasked with collecting all of the PPE and equipment, documenting it and preparing it for the donation. We had gloves, masks and goggles being donated from every department across the College (not to mention the sanitizer being made at the Teaching Distillery and the face shields being developed by Research and Innovation at the time). Everyone seemed to be so pleased to donate it, all to help protect our frontline healthcare workers. It was an amazing thing to be a part of and an example of people coming together for the benefit of all.
I think it’s also really important to not only acknowledge the work of our various teams and departments, but also our on-campus service providers. They continued to show up day after day to make sure that our campuses were clean and safe for our staff and students.
What’s the best part about working as a collaborative team? How have you supported each other in your work?
DW: Honestly, working together we became more than just colleagues, we became friends. From meeting on Microsoft Teams, to an after work visit to Mr. Mikes when permitted, I don’t think I would’ve survived the pandemic without Katie. We went from pandemic partners to lifelong friends!
KM: Is it too dramatic to say that Darren helped to keep me sane during COVID? In all seriousness, I live alone with my dog and there were some days through the lockdowns and stay at home orders that Darren was the only other real live person that I would talk to! I am so grateful to have had him to bounce ideas off of, to vent about ever changing government guidance and to share presenting duties with at the various meetings and forums we were asked to speak at. I think that we’ve built a really solid relationship and I hope that we can continue to collaborate on other safety matters in the future (and over the occasional drink outside of regular work hours).
A note from Katie and Darren:
This winter, Katie and Darren would like to remind members of the NC community to stay up-to-date on their COVID vaccinations and flu shots, stay home when feeling unwell and consider masking when going into indoor settings.
