Three new members of the Niagara College team have been inducted into the pantheon of employees honoured with NC’s highly coveted Awards of Excellence.
Presented at the College’s annual Niagara Day event, the awards not only celebrate achievements of faculty, support staff and administrative employees, but honour recipients with a highly coveted prize: a dedicated parking spot on campus.
Here’s what this year’s batch of recipients had to say about their achievements.
Faculty Award: Laura Hotham, professor, School of Liberal Studies
Laura Hotham has served as a faculty member and program coordinator and has taught into a wide array of programs at Niagara College. Known for a positive attitude and student-focused approach, she can always be counted on to lend support to orientations, open houses and other student events.
As a colleague, Laura focuses on solutions and makes a substantial contribution to the workplace by demonstrating initiative, exceptional organization skills, and the ability to work well under pressure. As a professor, Laura views each student as an individual and takes the time to understand and empathize with their unique situation, and works with students to help them achieve and demonstrate course outcomes.
Within the Academic & Liberal Studies division, Laura has proven to be detail-oriented in planning, scheduling, and meeting deadlines in response to student needs, referral source requests, or hectic scheduling pressures. Adept at multitasking, she also volunteers at Niagara Victims Support Services and has co-authored a textbook in use at the postsecondary level.
A former paramedic, this faculty member’s educational path has enabled her to fulfill her interest in the health and welfare of others. Whether she is in Guatemala helping to build a school, in Nicaragua wearing her paramedic cap, leading talks on mental health for the DSBN and municipal fire departments or choosing a co-op placement at a Niagara eating disorder clinic, she is often considering the well-being of others.
InsideNC asks:
How does it feel to be recognized by your peers at NC through the awards of excellence?
Hotham: I am very honoured to be recognized and to receive this award. I recognize that there are a lot of wonderful faculty members throughout the college, that deserve to receive this award, so it was truly an honour, and very unexpected to be the recipient this year.
Describe your experience working at NC over the years – do you have a most memorable ‘NC moment’?
Hotham: I love working at Niagara College! Every day I enjoy coming to work, and teaching students. I would have to say that my most memorable ‘NC moment’ was working with a particular student who had experienced a significant traumatic event during the summer, between the first and second year of her program. The trauma had left her with some physical and mental issues that caused her to struggle with her workload when she returned. I had the opportunity to work with this student throughout the year, helping her get the support and help she needed through various resources at the college. I had tears in my eyes when I had the honour to hood her, at her graduation. It was so great to see her work through the obstacles that had been placed before her, and reach her goal.
What’s the most rewarding part of working at NC?
Hotham: The most rewarding part of working at NC is helping students reach their goals. Whether reaching their goals means that they have realized which career they would like to pursue, which program they want to apply to, or graduating from their program. It is a great feeling to know that you have made a positive impact in someone’s life.
Support Staff Award: Lynn Calder
Lynn is a warm, dependable, and reliable professional who epitomizes excellence in customer service. A true team player, she works in cooperation with almost every department at Niagara College, from the Academic & Learner Services divisions, through FMS and ITS.
Having worked in several roles at NC, Lynn is a considerate and personable mentor, never failing to provide training and technical assistance to colleagues across the College who need help navigating software and policy. She has the ability to efficiently break down problems into layers and manage the high, demanding volume of work in the department. Her honest, cooperative and integrity-based approach to problem solving is respected and appreciated. Often dealing with complex situations involving interplay between many different departments, Lynn’s ability to remain calm and focused on achieving optimal student outcomes under the pressures of tight deadlines is a reflection of her commitment to Niagara College’s mission and values.
A lifelong learner, she has worked as an academic administrative assistant, taught part-time in the Office Administration program, and has spent the largest portion of her NC career in the Scheduling department, supporting student success through effective and efficient schedules. She is also commencing her second term as the Support Staff representative to the Board of Governors.
InsideNC asks:
How does it feel to be recognized by your peers at NC through the awards of excellence?
Every year at Niagara Day I sit in the audience, wondering who the recipient will be. As the presenter reads the description, I always think that they are describing every single person who I work or have worked with. It is always such a great mystery because it could be anyone. To be recognized this year was overwhelming; honestly, I didn’t think that I deserved it. As the recipient, I am sincerely humbled and honoured.
Describe your experience working at NC over the years – do you have a most memorable ‘NC moment’?
In January 2001, I was in my second term as a student in the Office Administration-Executive (co-op) program. I had decided to return to school at the age of 35. When I decided to come back to school it was a big family decision. I had three children – my youngest started JK and I started college. When I left high school there was no such thing as a computer lab. When I came to NC, the Office Admin. Program was all on a computer. I was lost, I didn’t know how to type and I felt as though I had bitten off more than I could chew. I made it through term one, feeling as though I had barely survived. After a hectic Christmas break, the beginning of term two found me exhausted, and I had decided to withdraw from school. I approached my professor, Caroline Parks, on what I thought would be my last day, wanting to let her know that I loved the program, but that I was tired, overwhelmed, and felt out of my element. Caroline was calm and reassuring and told me just what I needed to hear. That I could do this, that I wasn’t alone, and that others had done it before me. She gave me hope and strength to continue in the program.
What’s the most rewarding part of working at NC?
My favourite time at NC is the start of term. I love walking students to their classrooms. Along the walk I always ask them their name and program and tell them that though this feels like a big place, in a week they’ll know their way around. I always tell them where I work, and if they need anything that I will help point them in the right direction. The very best part is when I see them in the hall a week or two later and they have a big smile on their face. I ask them by name how things are going. It is very important to me that the students feel cared for, because I know from personal experience that a small gesture can be a life-changing experience.
Administrative Staff Award: Shawna Luey
Shawna has enjoyed a decade-long career at Niagara College and has worked on a variety of special projects and served on college-wide committees. As a supervisor, she is compassionate and open, leading a large team with heart and energy, and is known for a willingness to jump in and assist on the front line in any scenario to provide extra assistance or a personal connection. Reliability, resourcefulness, and relentless optimism are hallmarks of her management style, regularly creating opportunities for staff to cross-train or move into new roles that best utilize and grow skills and competencies.
A Niagara College grad, Shawna is committed to the collaborative approach that defines the Niagara College culture, and participated on the college’s lean review committee of student services. She brought her unique perspective and student advocacy to the process, rooted in a genuine desire to improve the student experience at NC.
Outside of Niagara College, she has a strong reputation as an international education professional, having taught and presented at numerous conferences, colleges, and universities in Canada and abroad, and was recently nominated to the Canadian Bureau of International Education’s Immigration Advisory Committee. She was one of the first 20 people in Canada to be certified as a Regulated International Student Immigration Advisor by successfully challenging the first offering of the certification exam. Shawna embraces every interaction with a ‘can-do’ attitude that becomes infectious to those around her, as does her pride in Niagara College and our students.
InsideNC asks:
How does it feel to be recognized by your peers at NC through the awards of excellence?
Luey: Incredible, heartwarming, and reassuring! As a manager of a large team that is highly productive, I am so pleased to know that individually and collectively, my crew feels healthy and supported. I feel it is an award for all of us in International Student Services and I hope that they can all take pride in it too. Outside of my department, I have been overwhelmed with kind congratulations. NC is really a great place to be!
Describe your experience working at NC over the years – do you have a most memorable ‘NC moment’?
Luey: I can sincerely state that I have been blessed in every stage of my career with NC. As a student with caring and passionate faculty, and as a support staff team member with collaborative and dedicated peers. As an administrator I have had awesome role models on the College Management Team, especially my director and VP. I think this recognition is proof of that. Aside from this unforgettable moment, I will never forget the day that Claudia Dettenmaier thanked me directly in her convocation address when receiving her Governor General’s Award. You do 100 little things each day in this role and you sometimes have no idea how large the impact of each one can be.
What’s the most rewarding part of working at NC?
Luey: It’s the whole package really. It’s the people, all of them. It’s what we can provide through our great facilities and programming. It’s the NC DNA that makes us unique. Specifically though I find the most reward in the times when I know we have changed a life, a path, or just someone’s day for the better. That happens a lot in international and it feels great.
