[{"id":1592897,"date":"2026-04-08T15:24:47","date_gmt":"2026-04-08T19:24:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/?p=1592897"},"modified":"2026-04-08T15:30:45","modified_gmt":"2026-04-08T19:30:45","slug":"alumni-spotlight-niagara-ems-chief-karen-lutz-graul-inspires-future-healthcare-workers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/2026\/04\/08\/alumni-spotlight-niagara-ems-chief-karen-lutz-graul-inspires-future-healthcare-workers\/","title":{"rendered":"Niagara EMS Chief Karen Lutz-Graul: ‘Leadership is a behaviour, not a title’"},"content":{"rendered":"

When Karen Lutz-Graul\u00a0 speaks about leadership, she isn’t talking about decorated uniforms or the authority of an office — although she has both.<\/p>\n

The Chief of Niagara Emergency Medical Services recently visited the Welland Campus to speak to current students from the Myhal School of Nursing and School of Allied Health as part of a Connected Care conference for current students. It was a return to her alma mater for the NC alumna (Ambulance and Emergency Care 1990) and Luttz-Graul delivered a powerful message that met the moment: leadership belongs to everybody.<\/p>\n

Addressing a diverse group of future nurses, dental assistants, paramedics, and pharmacy technicians, she spoke about what leadership is and what it isn’t – and why it’s more important than ever in today’s healthcare sector.<\/p>\n

“It’s not about the uniform … leadership is a behaviour, not a title. Titles open doors, but they don’t create leaders; your actions do,” she said. “For paramedics – that’s my work – it begins when your boots hit the ground. People look to you instantly for reassurance and direction.”<\/p>\n

Legacy of leadership \u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Lutz-Graul is a cornerstone of the Niagara healthcare community. With over 30 years of experience, she has risen from a frontline paramedic to a decorated leader, receiving the 2023 Women in Business Award and spearheading the Niagara EMS System Transformation Project.<\/p>\n

“Leadership begins the moment someone decides to take responsibility for the moment they are in, and when people across health care choose to lead through everyday behaviours through courage, compassion, and commitment,” she said. “We don’t just improve our teams; we improve the lives of our patients around us and their experience.”<\/p>\n

In today’s rapidly evolving healthcare sector, she noted that leadership is more important than ever.<\/p>\n

“It’s all so high pressure, high stakes. Decisions often need to be made quickly, and those decisions directly impact patients’ lives,” she said. “Effective leadership helps create clarity, supports teamwork and the right choices even when they’re made under stress.”<\/p>\n

She pointed out that leadership in health care is needed at every level.<\/p>\n

“It’s not just managers, not just administrators, nurses, physicians, therapists, paramedics or pharmacists. We all communicate and advocate for our patients, and we have to take the initiative to solve problems,” she said. “Ultimately, our patients rely on our judgment and our presence. They trust health professionals.”<\/p>\n

Five pillars of healthcare behaviour<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Lutz-Graul spoke about five core behaviors essential for anyone entering the healthcare workforce.<\/p>\n

The first was accountability; the importance of owning actions – both good and bad.<\/p>\n

“I’ve never fired anybody for making a mistake,” she said. “I fired people for lying about it.”<\/p>\n

The second, reliability, is about being the person colleagues can trust when the pressure rises.<\/p>\n

Respectfulness was third – treating every patient as a person, not a diagnosis.<\/p>\n

“Know your patients’ names,” she said. “They are not ‘the person with shortness of breath.’ This is Mr. Jones.”<\/p>\n

It’s important to be curious, remain open to learning and ask, “How am I doing? Am I supporting you?”<\/p>\n

The final pillar was humility – to put the team’s success and the patient’s evidence above one’s own ego.<\/p>\n

Pause, assess, act, reflect <\/strong><\/h3>\n

Recognizing that healthcare is a “high-pressure, high-stakes” environment, Lutz-Graul provided students with a practical framework to navigate the chaos of the frontline. She encouraged students to adopt a simple, repeatable model for decision-making.<\/p>\n

Pause: Take a single breath to prevent a rushed mistake.<\/p>\n

Assess: Look at the big picture – the patient, the environment, and the resources.<\/p>\n

Act: Take decisive, informed action. “Not taking action isn’t an option,” she said.<\/p>\n

Reflect: After the moment passes, evaluate what went well and what could be improved.<\/p>\n

Compassion as strength<\/strong><\/h3>\n

In a field often measured by clinical skill and technical accuracy, Lutz-Graul said that compassion is the strongest force a healthcare provider possesses.<\/p>\n

“People may not remember exactly what you did or what you said, but they remember how you made them feel,” she said, quoting Maya Angelou.<\/p>\n

Lutz-Graul shared personal stories where she learned the importance of compassion firsthand. She recalled a nurse who stood by her side when she was an 11-year-old patient, and – later in life- the pharmacy assistants who helped her navigate having both parents in palliative care simultaneously.<\/p>\n

Call to action<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Lutz-Graul challenged the students – the next generation of Niagara’s healthcare workforce – to make a promise to themselves.<\/p>\n

“One day, not far from now, someone will walk in the room where you’re standing … they’re going to know whether you made them feel safe,” she said. “They’re going to know whether you made them feel heard and whether they matter.”<\/p>\n

Whether in an ambulance, a dental clinic, or a hospital, she told students that leadership is not something to wait for; it is a choice made in ordinary moments that leads to extraordinary care.<\/p>\n

“Leadership rarely happens on a stage that happens in ambulances and bedside hallways … it happens when someone chooses to listen carefully, support a colleague or team member, and step forward when a situation needs it,” she said. “These moments may feel small, but they shape trust, teamwork, and patient care.<\/p>\n

“Leadership begins the moment someone depends on you. And that moment starts now.”<\/p>\n

Connected Care conference<\/h3>\n

Lutz-Graul’s keynote address to students was part of NC’s “Connected Care: The Landscape of Preparing Today’s Learners for Tomorrow’s Healthcare System” conference, which was held on March 30 at the Welland Campus Applied Health Institute. Organized by the College’s Myhal School of Nursing in partnership with its Centre for Research in Education, the event marked the first time a collection of Niagara’s high-profile health leaders gathered specifically to speak to more than 200 students from a variety of health-related programs – from nursing and personal support worker, to paramedicine, dental, pharmacy and more.<\/p>\n

View Niagara healthcare leaders inspire next generation of care<\/a><\/p>\n

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 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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Walker estate gifts $3M to boost Niagara College health-care training"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em>The St. Catharines Standard <\/em>published a feature on the Norris Walker estate’s $3 million legacy gift to NC in support of its new health education building.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"103\" data-end=\"355\">The article highlighted the Walker family’s legacy, philanthropic contributions to NC and the Niagara region, and the spaces at NC that will be named in their honour. In combination with the Walker estate’s $4 million donation in June 2025, the $7 million legacy gift is the largest in NC history.<\/p>\n<p>Read the April 7 article <a href=\"https:\/\/www.stcatharinesstandard.ca\/news\/niagara-region\/niagara-college-norris-walker-3-million-welland-campus\/article_89933b7b-39ab-5dba-a540-9f75a01426f4.html\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The St. Catharines Standard published a feature on the Norris Walker estate’s $3 million legacy gift to NC in support of its new health education building. The article highlighted the Walker family’s legacy, philanthropic contributions to NC and the Niagara region, and the spaces at NC that will be named in their honour. In combination […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":288,"featured_media":172234,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1592835","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-media-coverage"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Norris Walker estate gifts $3M to boost Niagara College health-care training | InsideNC<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/2026\/04\/08\/norris-walker-estate-gifts-3m-to-boost-niagara-college-health-care-training\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Norris Walker estate gifts $3M to boost Niagara College health-care training | InsideNC\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The St. Catharines Standard published a feature on the Norris Walker estate’s $3 million legacy gift to NC in support of its new health education building. 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In combination […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/2026\/04\/08\/norris-walker-estate-gifts-3m-to-boost-niagara-college-health-care-training\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"InsideNC\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/niagaracollege\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-04-08T18:32:03+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2018\/09\/StCatharinesStandard_logo-NEW.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"295\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"48\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"manderson\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@niagaracollege\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" 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graphic of the St. Catharines Standard logo features a heavy black serif font\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/2026\/04\/08\/norris-walker-estate-gifts-3m-to-boost-niagara-college-health-care-training\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Norris Walker estate gifts $3M to boost Niagara College health-care training\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/\",\"name\":\"InsideNC\",\"description\":\"Staff news from Niagara 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The article highlighted the Walker family’s legacy, philanthropic contributions to NC and the Niagara region, and the spaces at NC that will be named in their honour. In combination […]","og_url":"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/2026\/04\/08\/norris-walker-estate-gifts-3m-to-boost-niagara-college-health-care-training\/","og_site_name":"InsideNC","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/niagaracollege","article_published_time":"2026-04-08T18:32:03+00:00","og_image":[{"width":295,"height":48,"url":"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2018\/09\/StCatharinesStandard_logo-NEW.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"manderson","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@niagaracollege","twitter_site":"@niagaracollege","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/2026\/04\/08\/norris-walker-estate-gifts-3m-to-boost-niagara-college-health-care-training\/","url":"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/2026\/04\/08\/norris-walker-estate-gifts-3m-to-boost-niagara-college-health-care-training\/","name":"Norris 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healthcare leaders inspire next generation of care"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The future of healthcare took centre stage at Niagara College’s Welland Campus as a distinguished roster of local leaders gathered to prepare the next generation of professionals for the field.<\/p>\n<p>The one-day event, “Connected Care: The Landscape of Preparing Today’s Learners for Tomorrow’s Healthcare System,” was organized by NC’s Myhal School of Nursing and the Centre for Research in Education. The summit drew more than 200 students to the Applied Health Institute auditorium from diverse programs, including nursing, personal support work, paramedicine, dental health, and pharmacy.<\/p>\n<p>Dr, Sinead McElhone, NC Dean of Health Sciences, emphasized the vital necessity of interprofessional unity in a modern clinical setting.<\/p>\n<p>“Patients don’t experience care in silos and neither can we,” said McElhone. “Collaboration is what makes care safer, stronger, and more human.”<\/p>\n<p>She reminded the audience that leadership is a daily practice rooted in empathy and humility rather than a mere title on an organizational chart.<\/p>\n<p>“Leadership happens when you ask questions, support your colleagues, speak up for patients, and look for ways to improve care,” she said. “No matter your role or stage of training, you have the ability and the responsibility to lead.”<\/p>\n<p>McElhone urged students to remain curious and see themselves as active contributors to systemic transformation through research and evidence. She encouraged them to seize every opportunity to refine their expertise.<\/p>\n<p>“While your individual professions matter deeply, your ability to work across professions will matter even more,” said McElhone.<\/p>\n<p>Lead organizer Dr. Holldrid Odreman, Program Coordinator for NC’s Honours Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BScN) program, described the event as a resounding success.<\/p>\n<p>“This conference represents a significant milestone for Niagara College. For the first time, we have assembled a collection of high-profile industry giants specifically to help prepare our students for the rapidly shifting realities of healthcare,” said Odreman.<\/p>\n<p>He expressed gratitude to the guest speakers for contributing their time and expertise.<\/p>\n<p>“Thank you for your insights, your inspiration, for helping us advance our collective thinking on preparing today’s learners for tomorrow’s health care system,” he said.<\/p>\n<p>Odreman also credited the conference planning committee, VP Academic Dr. Fay Lim-Lambie, and Dean McElhone for their advocacy, alongside the many faculty, staff, and student volunteers who made the day possible. “It was a team effort to put this together.”<\/p>\n\n\t\t<style type=\"text\/css\">\n\t\t\t#gallery-1 {\n\t\t\t\tmargin: auto;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-1 .gallery-item {\n\t\t\t\tfloat: left;\n\t\t\t\tmargin-top: 10px;\n\t\t\t\ttext-align: center;\n\t\t\t\twidth: 33%;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-1 img {\n\t\t\t\tborder: 2px solid #cfcfcf;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-1 .gallery-caption {\n\t\t\t\tmargin-left: 0;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\/* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes\/media.php *\/\n\t\t<\/style>\n\t\t<div data-carousel-extra='{\"blog_id\":53,\"permalink\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.niagaracollege.ca\\\/insidenc\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/08\\\/niagara-healthcare-leaders-inspire-next-generation-of-care\\\/\"}' id='gallery-1' class='gallery galleryid-1592816 gallery-columns-3 gallery-size-large'><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/2026\/04\/08\/niagara-healthcare-leaders-inspire-next-generation-of-care\/20260330_speaker_series_conferencencc_8192\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"1592826\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8192.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1920,1280\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{"aperture":"2.8","credit":"NIAGARA COLLEGE","camera":"NIKON Z 8","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1774876555","copyright":"2025","focal_length":"180","iso":"8000","shutter_speed":"0.004","title":"","orientation":"0","keywords":[]}\" data-image-title=\"20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8192\" data-image-description=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8192-300x200.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8192-1024x683.jpg\" width=\"660\" height=\"440\" src=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8192-1024x683.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-1592826\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8192-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8192-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8192-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8192-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8192-800x533.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8192-1000x667.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8192-540x360.jpg 540w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8192-338x225.jpg 338w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8192-180x120.jpg 180w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8192-810x540.jpg 810w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8192.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-1592826'>\n\t\t\t\tDr. Fay Lim-Lambie\n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/2026\/04\/08\/niagara-healthcare-leaders-inspire-next-generation-of-care\/20260330_speaker_series_conferencencc_8273\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"1592825\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8273.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1920,1351\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{"aperture":"2.8","credit":"NIAGARA COLLEGE","camera":"NIKON Z 8","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1774878952","copyright":"2025","focal_length":"180","iso":"8000","shutter_speed":"0.004","title":"","orientation":"0","keywords":[]}\" data-image-title=\"20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8273\" data-image-description=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8273-300x211.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8273-1024x721.jpg\" width=\"660\" height=\"465\" src=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8273-1024x721.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-1592825\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8273-1024x721.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8273-300x211.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8273-768x540.jpg 768w, 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https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8273-767x540.jpg 767w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8273.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-1592825'>\n\t\t\t\tDr. Holldrid Odreman\n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/2026\/04\/08\/niagara-healthcare-leaders-inspire-next-generation-of-care\/20260330_speaker_series_conferencencc_8735\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"1592827\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8735.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1920,1280\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{"aperture":"2.8","credit":"NIAGARA COLLEGE","camera":"NIKON Z 8","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1774893790","copyright":"2025","focal_length":"180","iso":"8000","shutter_speed":"0.004","title":"","orientation":"0","keywords":[]}\" data-image-title=\"20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8735\" data-image-description=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8735-300x200.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8735-1024x683.jpg\" width=\"660\" height=\"440\" src=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8735-1024x683.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-1592827\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8735-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8735-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8735-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8735-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8735-800x533.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8735-1000x667.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8735-540x360.jpg 540w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8735-338x225.jpg 338w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8735-180x120.jpg 180w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8735-810x540.jpg 810w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8735.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-1592827'>\n\t\t\t\tDr. Sinead McElhone\n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl><br style=\"clear: both\" \/>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<h3><strong>Leading the way<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\t\t<style type=\"text\/css\">\n\t\t\t#gallery-2 {\n\t\t\t\tmargin: auto;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-2 .gallery-item {\n\t\t\t\tfloat: left;\n\t\t\t\tmargin-top: 10px;\n\t\t\t\ttext-align: center;\n\t\t\t\twidth: 50%;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-2 img {\n\t\t\t\tborder: 2px solid #cfcfcf;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-2 .gallery-caption {\n\t\t\t\tmargin-left: 0;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\/* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes\/media.php *\/\n\t\t<\/style>\n\t\t<div data-carousel-extra='{\"blog_id\":53,\"permalink\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.niagaracollege.ca\\\/insidenc\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/08\\\/niagara-healthcare-leaders-inspire-next-generation-of-care\\\/\"}' id='gallery-2' class='gallery galleryid-1592816 gallery-columns-2 gallery-size-large'><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/2026\/04\/08\/niagara-healthcare-leaders-inspire-next-generation-of-care\/20260330_speaker_series_conferencencc_8266\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"1592828\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8266.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1920,1280\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{"aperture":"2.8","credit":"NIAGARA COLLEGE","camera":"NIKON Z 8","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1774878928","copyright":"2025","focal_length":"180","iso":"8000","shutter_speed":"0.004","title":"","orientation":"0","keywords":[]}\" data-image-title=\"20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8266\" data-image-description=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8266-300x200.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8266-1024x683.jpg\" width=\"660\" height=\"440\" src=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8266-1024x683.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-2-1592828\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8266-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8266-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8266-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8266-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8266-800x533.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8266-1000x667.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8266-540x360.jpg 540w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8266-338x225.jpg 338w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8266-180x120.jpg 180w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8266-810x540.jpg 810w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8266.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-2-1592828'>\n\t\t\t\tSimon Akinsulie\n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/2026\/04\/08\/niagara-healthcare-leaders-inspire-next-generation-of-care\/20260330_speaker_series_conferencencc_8681\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"1592829\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8681.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1920,1296\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{"aperture":"2.8","credit":"NIAGARA COLLEGE","camera":"NIKON Z 8","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1774891564","copyright":"2025","focal_length":"180","iso":"8000","shutter_speed":"0.004","title":"","orientation":"0","keywords":[]}\" data-image-title=\"20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8681\" data-image-description=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8681-300x203.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8681-1024x691.jpg\" width=\"660\" height=\"445\" src=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8681-1024x691.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-2-1592829\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8681-1024x691.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8681-300x203.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8681-768x518.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8681-1536x1037.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8681-800x540.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8681-1000x675.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8681-533x360.jpg 533w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8681-333x225.jpg 333w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8681-180x122.jpg 180w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8681.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-2-1592829'>\n\t\t\t\tKaren Lutz-Graul\n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl><br style=\"clear: both\" \/>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>The event featured keynote addresses from Simon Akinsulie, Executive Vice-President of Clinical Support and Chief Nursing Officer at Niagara Health, and Karen Lutz-Graul, Chief of Niagara Emergency Medical Services.<\/p>\n<p>Akinsulie’s presentation focused on three fundamental pillars at Niagara Health: putting people first, delivering safe and quality care, and transforming operational methods. He detailed initiatives such as inclusive workplaces, “NH at Home” support, and the anticipated opening of the South Niagara Hospital in 2028.<\/p>\n<p>He also celebrated the partnership between Niagara Health and NC, noting shared initiatives like the NH Knowledge Institute Summer Student Research Scholarship and clinical placements that provide a vital workforce pipeline.<\/p>\n<p>He concluded with a quote from Florence Nightingale: “Let whoever is in charge keep this simple question in her head – not how can I always do this right thing myself, but how can I provide for this right thing to always be done.”<\/p>\n<p>Lutz-Graul, an NC alumna who graduated from NC’s Class of 1990 (Ambulance and Emergency Care), shared her 30 years of experience in the field. She spoke about how leadership is far more than a designation.<\/p>\n<p>“Leadership in health care begins the moment you step into it. Whether you’re in an ambulance, whether you’re in a hallway, whether you’re in a clinic or private residence. Your journey is just beginning,” she said.<\/p>\n<p>Lutz-Graul explained why adaptable leadership is essential in a tech-driven landscape.<\/p>\n<p>“Tech is constantly changing the way we deliver health care. Covid taught us that, just when you think you have a protocol next week, it’s going to change – new technology, treatments,” she said. “Because of this, strong leadership at every level is essential to help teams adapt, stay organized and continue to provide safe and effective health care.”<\/p>\n<p>[View:<a href=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/2026\/04\/08\/alumni-spotlight-niagara-ems-chief-karen-lutz-graul-inspires-future-healthcare-workers\/\"> Niagara EMS Chief Karen Lutz-Graul: ‘Leadership is a behaviour, not a title’<\/a><\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h3><strong>Industry perspectives<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\t\t<style type=\"text\/css\">\n\t\t\t#gallery-3 {\n\t\t\t\tmargin: auto;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-3 .gallery-item {\n\t\t\t\tfloat: left;\n\t\t\t\tmargin-top: 10px;\n\t\t\t\ttext-align: center;\n\t\t\t\twidth: 50%;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-3 img {\n\t\t\t\tborder: 2px solid #cfcfcf;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-3 .gallery-caption {\n\t\t\t\tmargin-left: 0;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\/* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes\/media.php *\/\n\t\t<\/style>\n\t\t<div data-carousel-extra='{\"blog_id\":53,\"permalink\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.niagaracollege.ca\\\/insidenc\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/08\\\/niagara-healthcare-leaders-inspire-next-generation-of-care\\\/\"}' id='gallery-3' class='gallery galleryid-1592816 gallery-columns-2 gallery-size-large'><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/2026\/04\/08\/niagara-healthcare-leaders-inspire-next-generation-of-care\/20260330_speaker_series_conferencencc_8471-1\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"1592830\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8471-1.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1920,1280\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{"aperture":"2.8","credit":"NIAGARA COLLEGE","camera":"NIKON Z 8","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1774883659","copyright":"2025","focal_length":"70","iso":"6400","shutter_speed":"0.004","title":"","orientation":"0","keywords":[]}\" data-image-title=\"20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8471 (1)\" data-image-description=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8471-1-300x200.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8471-1-1024x683.jpg\" width=\"660\" height=\"440\" src=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8471-1-1024x683.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8471-1-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8471-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8471-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8471-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8471-1-800x533.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8471-1-1000x667.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8471-1-540x360.jpg 540w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8471-1-338x225.jpg 338w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8471-1-180x120.jpg 180w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8471-1-810x540.jpg 810w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8471-1.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/2026\/04\/08\/niagara-healthcare-leaders-inspire-next-generation-of-care\/20260330_speaker_series_conferencencc_8337\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"1592831\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8337.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1920,1271\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{"aperture":"2.8","credit":"NIAGARA COLLEGE","camera":"NIKON Z 8","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1774880564","copyright":"2025","focal_length":"180","iso":"8000","shutter_speed":"0.004","title":"","orientation":"0","keywords":[]}\" data-image-title=\"20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8337\" data-image-description=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8337-300x199.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8337-1024x678.jpg\" width=\"660\" height=\"437\" src=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8337-1024x678.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8337-1024x678.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8337-300x199.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8337-768x508.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8337-1536x1017.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8337-800x530.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8337-1000x662.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8337-544x360.jpg 544w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8337-340x225.jpg 340w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8337-180x119.jpg 180w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8337-816x540.jpg 816w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8337.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt><\/dl><br style=\"clear: both\" \/>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>Students participated in a Q&A session with an expert panel including Carolyn Dyer (Executive Director, REACH Niagara), Charity Beland (Manager, Indigenous Health Services and Reconciliation, Niagara Health), Frank Roberto (Executive Director, Niagara Medical Group Family Health Team), and Sean Simpson (Pharmacist, Simpson’s Pharmasave).<\/p>\n<p>Dyer, whose organization actively supports student placements, focused on the importance of equity and person-centred care.<\/p>\n<p>“As an organization who actively supports healthcare placements, we believe firmly in building the skillsets in the future of our healthcare system,” said Dyer. “With the prevalence of the social determinants of health and the inequities that exist in our traditional healthcare system, it is essential that we are bringing an awareness of this and building capacity to better equip future healthcare professionals to understand the linkages between health and individual circumstances while honoring person-centred care.”<\/p>\n<p>For Frank Ruberto, returning to his alma mater was a significant moment. As a graduate of NC’s Medical Office Administration and Office Administration programs, he noted that his team currently hosts NC nursing students and employs several alumni.<\/p>\n<p>“Primary care is ever changing, with different funding, teams, priorities, policies, expectations. It is important to understand what the role is and what is required,” he said.<\/p>\n<p>Simpson highlighted the “mission critical” roles that pharmacy technicians and assistants play in daily operations, which allows pharmacists to focus on patient-facing services.<\/p>\n<p>“I think it’s critically important to be able to share experiences that can help students to understand the wide range of opportunities that are available to them,” he said.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Empowering student research<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\t\t<style type=\"text\/css\">\n\t\t\t#gallery-4 {\n\t\t\t\tmargin: auto;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-4 .gallery-item {\n\t\t\t\tfloat: left;\n\t\t\t\tmargin-top: 10px;\n\t\t\t\ttext-align: center;\n\t\t\t\twidth: 50%;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-4 img {\n\t\t\t\tborder: 2px solid #cfcfcf;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-4 .gallery-caption {\n\t\t\t\tmargin-left: 0;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\/* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes\/media.php *\/\n\t\t<\/style>\n\t\t<div data-carousel-extra='{\"blog_id\":53,\"permalink\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.niagaracollege.ca\\\/insidenc\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/08\\\/niagara-healthcare-leaders-inspire-next-generation-of-care\\\/\"}' id='gallery-4' class='gallery galleryid-1592816 gallery-columns-2 gallery-size-large'><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/2026\/04\/08\/niagara-healthcare-leaders-inspire-next-generation-of-care\/20260330_speaker_series_conferencencc_8583\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"1592834\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8583.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1920,1280\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{"aperture":"2.8","credit":"NIAGARA COLLEGE","camera":"NIKON Z 8","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1774886411","copyright":"2025","focal_length":"180","iso":"8000","shutter_speed":"0.004","title":"","orientation":"0","keywords":[]}\" data-image-title=\"20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8583\" data-image-description=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8583-300x200.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8583-1024x683.jpg\" width=\"660\" height=\"440\" src=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8583-1024x683.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-4-1592834\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8583-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8583-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8583-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8583-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8583-800x533.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8583-1000x667.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8583-540x360.jpg 540w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8583-338x225.jpg 338w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8583-180x120.jpg 180w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8583-810x540.jpg 810w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8583.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-4-1592834'>\n\t\t\t\tChristian Baltus\n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/2026\/04\/08\/niagara-healthcare-leaders-inspire-next-generation-of-care\/20260330_speaker_series_conferencencc_8561-1\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"1592833\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8561-1.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1920,1280\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{"aperture":"2.8","credit":"NIAGARA COLLEGE","camera":"NIKON Z 8","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1774885044","copyright":"2025","focal_length":"180","iso":"12800","shutter_speed":"0.004","title":"","orientation":"0","keywords":[]}\" data-image-title=\"20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8561 (1)\" data-image-description=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8561-1-300x200.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8561-1-1024x683.jpg\" width=\"660\" height=\"440\" src=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8561-1-1024x683.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-4-1592833\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8561-1-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8561-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8561-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8561-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8561-1-800x533.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8561-1-1000x667.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8561-1-540x360.jpg 540w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8561-1-338x225.jpg 338w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8561-1-180x120.jpg 180w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8561-1-810x540.jpg 810w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8561-1.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-4-1592833'>\n\t\t\t\tElaina Orlando\n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl><br style=\"clear: both\" \/>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>The session also highlighted student research, co-led by Niagara Health Director of Research Elaina Orlando and second-year BScN student Christian Baltus. Baltus, who also served on the planning committee, wanted to demystify the research process for his peers.<\/p>\n<p>“It is important to highlight that research is not reserved for advanced practitioners or graduate studies; it is something students can actively engage in and use to shape their learning and the future of their profession,” said Baltus.<\/p>\n<p>Orlando provided an overview of the Niagara Health Knowledge Institute (NHKI), stressing the importance of a professionalized clinical research workforce within community hospital settings.<\/p>\n<p>“I think it is important for students to understand the type of research happening locally and in a community hospital setting so that as they pursue their careers they are informed about how research fits even in environments not typically associated with clinical research,” said Orlando.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The future of healthcare took centre stage at Niagara College’s Welland Campus as a distinguished roster of local leaders gathered to prepare the next generation of professionals for the field. The one-day event, “Connected Care: The Landscape of Preparing Today’s Learners for Tomorrow’s Healthcare System,” was organized by NC’s Myhal School of Nursing and the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":51,"featured_media":1592817,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,165,296,22,23],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1592816","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-campus-update","category-community","category-myhal-school-of-nursing","category-school-of-allied-health","category-school-of-nursing-and-psw"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Niagara healthcare leaders inspire next generation of care | InsideNC<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/2026\/04\/08\/niagara-healthcare-leaders-inspire-next-generation-of-care\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Niagara healthcare leaders inspire next generation of care | InsideNC\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The future of healthcare took centre stage at Niagara College’s Welland Campus as a distinguished roster of local leaders gathered to prepare the next generation of professionals for the field. The one-day event, “Connected Care: The Landscape of Preparing Today’s Learners for Tomorrow’s Healthcare System,” was organized by NC’s Myhal School of Nursing and the […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/2026\/04\/08\/niagara-healthcare-leaders-inspire-next-generation-of-care\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"InsideNC\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/niagaracollege\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-04-08T15:49:28+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-04-08T19:29:45+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Speaker_Series_ConferenceNCC_8759-1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1920\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1203\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Julie Greco\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@niagaracollege\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@niagaracollege\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/2026\/04\/08\/niagara-healthcare-leaders-inspire-next-generation-of-care\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/2026\/04\/08\/niagara-healthcare-leaders-inspire-next-generation-of-care\/\",\"name\":\"Niagara healthcare leaders inspire next generation of care | 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celebrates 10 years of transforming Ontario innovation"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The NC-led Southern Ontario Network for Advanced Manufacturing Innovation (SONAMI) has spent a decade proving that collaboration is the engine of provincial growth – and on March 27, it was time to celebrate.<\/p>\n<p>Representatives from NC’s trailblazing Research and Innovation division, along with partners from post-secondary institutions from across the province, and industry and ecosystem partners, gathered at the Welland Campus to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the network.<\/p>\n<p>The event highlighted a decade of success for SONAMI – a network of post-secondary institutions who, through their respective innovation centres, collaborate with small- and medium-sized companies (SMEs) to tackle their manufacturing-related challenges.<\/p>\n<p>SONAMI’s numbers wowed the crowd: 510 completed projects (with another 70 currently in progress), 492 industry partnerships, more than $27.3 million in government investment, 888 jobs created or supported, 284 commercialized outcomes, and $22.5 million in sales from commercialized innovations.<\/p>\n<p>“The 10 year anniversary of SONAMI reflects what is possible when colleges and universities come together to help SMEs grow,” said NC President Sean Kennedy in a brief address to the guests. “For a decade, SONAMI has made a difference\u00a0 for hundreds of companies whose growth supports job creation for our graduates, and helps build a resilient economy in Ontario and Canada.”<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_1592791\" style=\"width: 160px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1592791\" class=\"size-thumbnail wp-image-1592791\" src=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/sk-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-1592791\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">NC President Sean Kennedy<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Marc Nantel, PhD, Vice-President of Research, Innovation and Strategic Enterprises, took the stage and reminisced about his original vision for a collaborative research hub: to tap into the expertise within innovation centres at each institution, and help industry tackle their need to access research and development (R&D).<\/p>\n<p>“I thought wouldn’t it be cool if we got together and could help manufacturers ‘around the lake,'” said Nantel, referring to the Golden Horseshoe.<\/p>\n<p>That spark fuelled the powerhouse network which became SONAMI. While it officially launched in 2016 with four member institutions, it expanded over the years to a collective of 11 post-secondary partners across Ontario which includes both colleges and universities.<\/p>\n<p>Nantel noted that each member institution brings specialized equipment and expertise to the network –\u00a0 from NC’s Walker Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Centre that specializes in engineering design, 3D design, lean manufacturing processes and additive manufacturing, to Queen’s University’s Structural and Multidisciplinary Systems Design Lab’s automotive, aerospace and defence-driven applications, to Sheridan’s Centre for Intelligent Manufacturing connecting industry, curriculum and applied research, and more.<\/p>\n<p>“When we work with companies on developing new products, processes and services, new ideas get transformed into reality, and companies commercialize it,” said Nantel. “All our members would generate new ideas with our companies, deliver that intellectual property to the economy, so they can as quickly as possible commercialize, create jobs and boost the economy.”<\/p>\n<p>From clean growth solutions to niche consumer products, SONAMI has helped turn prototypes into breakthroughs across several sectors. By forging partnerships between industry, academia, and strategic funders, the network has proven what is possible when resources are combined.<\/p>\n<p>Nantel pointed out that when industry and academic researchers collaborate to test, refine, and commercialize ideas, everybody wins – including students, who gain essential hands-on experience while giving companies the tools to accelerate their growth.<\/p>\n<p>“It’s real-world impact,” said Nantel. “Students gain hands-on experience while connecting with industry to accelerate growth.”<\/p>\n<p>Bob Benner, CEO of Hamill Group of Companies, has worked with Niagara College’s Research and Innovation division for 15 years and credited the partnership with his company’s evolution.<\/p>\n<p>“It was just a general machine shop. Now we’ve got two robots, we do laser welding, and another shop and our products are sold around the world,” said Benner. “We’re in a much better position now than we were 10 years ago. We’ve done a lot of great things that we couldn’t have done without the college, or SONAMI. It enabled us to start growing as a company.”<\/p>\n<p>SONAMI’s value is also evident for Tamara Lockwood, co-founder and CSO of Infinite Harvest Technologies, which upcycles plant and animal byproducts into high-density feed and fertilizer.<\/p>\n<p>“We didn’t have the in-house expertise for R&D,” said Lockwood.<\/p>\n<p>Through SONAMI, her team worked with George Brown College to design a processing unit and collaborated with Mohawk College to verify their environmental claims.<\/p>\n<p>“The only reason we can do this is because of the value of the network, the expertise of the researchers, the coders, the data people, the electrical engineers, everybody who’s come together and taken on a group project with us,” said Lockwood. “We have had the great fortune to be involved in the Niagara community and receive support for different projects from SONAMI and the other colleges.”<\/p>\n<p>Igor Chigrin, co-founder and CEO of Win Global, also shared how the network helped his company develop heavy-lift cargo drones, opening the door for a national opportunity. He recalled the early challenges of navigating research and development as a small team.<\/p>\n<p>“It was tough. It was lonely. Our progress was very slow because there’s only so much we could do together,” said Chigrin.<\/p>\n\n\t\t<style type=\"text\/css\">\n\t\t\t#gallery-5 {\n\t\t\t\tmargin: auto;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-5 .gallery-item {\n\t\t\t\tfloat: left;\n\t\t\t\tmargin-top: 10px;\n\t\t\t\ttext-align: center;\n\t\t\t\twidth: 33%;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-5 img {\n\t\t\t\tborder: 2px solid #cfcfcf;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-5 .gallery-caption {\n\t\t\t\tmargin-left: 0;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\/* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes\/media.php *\/\n\t\t<\/style>\n\t\t<div data-carousel-extra='{\"blog_id\":53,\"permalink\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.niagaracollege.ca\\\/insidenc\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/08\\\/sonami-celebrates-10-years-of-transforming-ontario-innovation\\\/\"}' id='gallery-5' class='gallery galleryid-1592762 gallery-columns-3 gallery-size-large'><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/2026\/04\/08\/sonami-celebrates-10-years-of-transforming-ontario-innovation\/benner\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"1592787\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/benner.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1920,1280\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1774631573","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0","keywords":[]}\" data-image-title=\"benner\" data-image-description=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/benner-300x200.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/benner-1024x683.jpg\" width=\"660\" height=\"440\" src=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/benner-1024x683.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-5-1592787\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/benner-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/benner-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/benner-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/benner-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/benner-800x533.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/benner-1000x667.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/benner-540x360.jpg 540w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/benner-338x225.jpg 338w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/benner-180x120.jpg 180w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/benner-810x540.jpg 810w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/benner.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-5-1592787'>\n\t\t\t\tBob Benner, CEO, Hamill Group of Companies\n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/2026\/04\/08\/sonami-celebrates-10-years-of-transforming-ontario-innovation\/industry-guest\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"1592788\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/industry-guest.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1920,1280\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1774632332","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0","keywords":[]}\" data-image-title=\"industry guest\" data-image-description=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/industry-guest-300x200.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/industry-guest-1024x683.jpg\" width=\"660\" height=\"440\" src=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/industry-guest-1024x683.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-5-1592788\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/industry-guest-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/industry-guest-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/industry-guest-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/industry-guest-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/industry-guest-800x533.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/industry-guest-1000x667.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/industry-guest-540x360.jpg 540w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/industry-guest-338x225.jpg 338w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/industry-guest-180x120.jpg 180w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/industry-guest-810x540.jpg 810w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/industry-guest.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-5-1592788'>\n\t\t\t\tTamara Lockwood, co-founder and CSO of Infinite Harvest Technologies\n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/2026\/04\/08\/sonami-celebrates-10-years-of-transforming-ontario-innovation\/guest-tao\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"1592790\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/guest-tao-e1775660511518.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1280,932\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1774631933","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0","keywords":[]}\" data-image-title=\"guest tao\" data-image-description=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/guest-tao-e1775660511518-300x218.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/guest-tao-e1775660511518-1024x746.jpg\" width=\"660\" height=\"481\" src=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/guest-tao-e1775660511518-1024x746.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-5-1592790\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/guest-tao-e1775660511518-1024x746.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/guest-tao-e1775660511518-300x218.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/guest-tao-e1775660511518-768x559.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/guest-tao-e1775660511518-800x583.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/guest-tao-e1775660511518-1000x728.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/guest-tao-e1775660511518-494x360.jpg 494w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/guest-tao-e1775660511518-309x225.jpg 309w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/guest-tao-e1775660511518-180x131.jpg 180w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/guest-tao-e1775660511518-742x540.jpg 742w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/guest-tao-e1775660511518.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-5-1592790'>\n\t\t\t\tTao Tao, CEO, AiDeal Technology\n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl><br style=\"clear: both\" \/>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>SONAMI funding allowed Win Global to access aerospace expertise at Centennial College. Last year, they completed an aircraft prototype design that led to a contract with a Government of Canada client.<\/p>\n<p>“There’s no way we would have achieved this without SONAMI funding,” said Chigrin. “We sincerely congratulate the SONAMI program with its 10-year anniversary and wish them many more years of success and great success stories like ours.”<\/p>\n<p>SONAMI is a Niagara College-led network that collaborates with small- and medium-sized companies to tackle manufacturing challenges. The network includes college partners Centennial, Conestoga, Fanshawe, Fleming, George Brown, Lambton, Mohawk, and Sheridan, as well as university partners Queen’s and McMaster. Visit <a href=\"https:\/\/sonami.ca\/\">sonami.ca.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\t\t<style type=\"text\/css\">\n\t\t\t#gallery-6 {\n\t\t\t\tmargin: auto;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-6 .gallery-item {\n\t\t\t\tfloat: left;\n\t\t\t\tmargin-top: 10px;\n\t\t\t\ttext-align: center;\n\t\t\t\twidth: 33%;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-6 img {\n\t\t\t\tborder: 2px solid #cfcfcf;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-6 .gallery-caption {\n\t\t\t\tmargin-left: 0;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\/* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes\/media.php *\/\n\t\t<\/style>\n\t\t<div data-carousel-extra='{\"blog_id\":53,\"permalink\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.niagaracollege.ca\\\/insidenc\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/08\\\/sonami-celebrates-10-years-of-transforming-ontario-innovation\\\/\"}' id='gallery-6' class='gallery galleryid-1592762 gallery-columns-3 gallery-size-large'><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/2026\/04\/08\/sonami-celebrates-10-years-of-transforming-ontario-innovation\/dsc06396-2\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"1592784\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/DSC06396-1.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1920,1280\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1774633292","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0","keywords":[]}\" data-image-title=\"DSC06396\" data-image-description=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/DSC06396-1-300x200.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/DSC06396-1-1024x683.jpg\" width=\"660\" height=\"440\" 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https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/DSC06168-338x225.jpg 338w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/DSC06168-180x120.jpg 180w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/DSC06168-810x540.jpg 810w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/DSC06168.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt><\/dl><br style=\"clear: both\" \/>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p> <\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The NC-led Southern Ontario Network for Advanced Manufacturing Innovation (SONAMI) has spent a decade proving that collaboration is the engine of provincial growth – and on March 27, it was time to celebrate. Representatives from NC’s trailblazing Research and Innovation division, along with partners from post-secondary institutions from across the province, and industry and ecosystem […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":51,"featured_media":1592782,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,165,28],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1592762","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-campus-update","category-community","category-research-and-innovation"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>SONAMI celebrates 10 years of transforming Ontario innovation | InsideNC<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/2026\/04\/08\/sonami-celebrates-10-years-of-transforming-ontario-innovation\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"SONAMI celebrates 10 years of transforming Ontario innovation | InsideNC\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The NC-led Southern Ontario Network for Advanced Manufacturing Innovation (SONAMI) has spent a decade proving that collaboration is the engine of provincial growth – and on March 27, it was time to celebrate. Representatives from NC’s trailblazing Research and Innovation division, along with partners from post-secondary institutions from across the province, and industry and ecosystem […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/2026\/04\/08\/sonami-celebrates-10-years-of-transforming-ontario-innovation\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"InsideNC\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/niagaracollege\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-04-08T15:09:01+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/mn.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1920\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Julie Greco\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" 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celebrates 10 years of transforming Ontario innovation | InsideNC","og_description":"The NC-led Southern Ontario Network for Advanced Manufacturing Innovation (SONAMI) has spent a decade proving that collaboration is the engine of provincial growth – and on March 27, it was time to celebrate. 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lab empowers CICE students thanks to the Ontario Paper Thorold Foundation’s $100,000 gift"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Students from Niagara College’s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/liberal\/program\/cice\/\">Community Integration through Co-operative Education (CICE)<\/a> program are honing their skills in a bright new space designed for their unique needs.<\/p>\n<p>The CICE Experiential Learning Lab provides a comfortable environment where students can enhance their academic, social and employability skills – the three pillars of the CICE program – helping students foster greater independence in college, work, and social networks.<\/p>\n<p>The lab, located at the Daniel J. Patterson in Niagara-on-the-Lake, was recently dedicated to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ontariopaperfoundation.org\/\">Ontario Paper Thorold Foundation<\/a> in recognition of its $100,000 donation supporting the project.<\/p>\n<p>“Education is one of our priority investment areas, and we have funded many worthy initiatives at Niagara College over the years,” said Sue Burch, President and Chairperson of the Ontario Paper Thorold Foundation. “Contributing to the CICE program feels very meaningful and it’s wonderful to see how students are using the new lab to support their goals.”<\/p>\n<p>Since 1979, the Ontario Paper Thorold Foundation has contributed more than $700,000 to the College towards scholarships and bursaries for environmental students, capital campaigns supporting new instructional equipment and enhanced student spaces, and gifts-in-kind. The Foundation has many spaces named in their honour across NC campuses, including the Outdoor Classroom by the wetlands at the Daniel J. Patterson Campus.<\/p>\n<p>“The Ontario Paper Thorold Foundation has made a significant impact at Niagara College and we are grateful for its long-standing support of our students,” said Gord Arbeau, Vice President, Advancement. “The Foundation’s latest gift towards the CICE program continues that remarkable legacy through the College’s Together campaign.”<\/p>\n<div data-carousel-extra='{\"blog_id\":53,\"permalink\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.niagaracollege.ca\\\/insidenc\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/08\\\/learning-lab-empowers-niagara-college-cice-students-thanks-to-theontario-paper-thorold-foundations-100000-gift\\\/\"}' class=\"tiled-gallery type-square\" data-original-width=\"660\"><div class=\"tiled-gallery-item\"><a border=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/2026\/04\/08\/learning-lab-empowers-niagara-college-cice-students-thanks-to-theontario-paper-thorold-foundations-100000-gift\/ontario-paper-thorold-foundation-cice-lab-dedication_scaled\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"1592777\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/Ontario-Paper-Thorold-Foundation-CICE-lab-dedication_scaled.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"2000,1334\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{"aperture":"5.6","credit":"NIAGARA COLLEGE","camera":"NIKON Z 8","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1765383994","copyright":"2023","focal_length":"24","iso":"1600","shutter_speed":"0.008","title":"","orientation":"1"}\" data-image-title=\"Ontario Paper Thorold Foundation CICE lab dedication_scaled\" data-image-description=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/Ontario-Paper-Thorold-Foundation-CICE-lab-dedication_scaled-300x200.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/Ontario-Paper-Thorold-Foundation-CICE-lab-dedication_scaled-1024x683.jpg\" style=\"margin: 2px\" src=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/Ontario-Paper-Thorold-Foundation-CICE-lab-dedication_scaled-325x325.jpg\" width=325 height=325 title=\"Ontario Paper Thorold Foundation CICE lab dedication_scaled\" \/><\/a><div class=\"tiled-gallery-caption\">Ontario Paper Thorold Foundation Board Members Adrian Barnet, Sue Burch (President) and Wayne Shepard <\/div><\/div><div class=\"tiled-gallery-item\"><a border=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/2026\/04\/08\/learning-lab-empowers-niagara-college-cice-students-thanks-to-theontario-paper-thorold-foundations-100000-gift\/ontario-paper-thorold-foundation-cice-lab-plaque_scaled\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"1592778\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/Ontario-Paper-Thorold-Foundation-CICE-lab-plaque_scaled.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"2001,1334\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{"aperture":"3.5","credit":"NIAGARA COLLEGE","camera":"NIKON Z 8","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1765384214","copyright":"2023","focal_length":"24","iso":"1600","shutter_speed":"0.00625","title":"","orientation":"1"}\" data-image-title=\"Ontario Paper Thorold Foundation CICE lab plaque_scaled\" data-image-description=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/Ontario-Paper-Thorold-Foundation-CICE-lab-plaque_scaled-300x200.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/Ontario-Paper-Thorold-Foundation-CICE-lab-plaque_scaled-1024x683.jpg\" style=\"margin: 2px\" src=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/Ontario-Paper-Thorold-Foundation-CICE-lab-plaque_scaled-325x325.jpg\" width=325 height=325 title=\"Ontario Paper Thorold Foundation CICE lab plaque_scaled\" \/><\/a><\/div><\/div>\n<p>Launched in 2017 as a first in the Niagara region, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/liberal\/program\/cice\/\">CICE program<\/a> gives individuals with developmental disabilities and other significant learning challenges the opportunity to experience college life.<\/p>\n<p>Students take a combination of core academic courses and modified electives with support from learning facilitators and complete field placements that enhance their employability skills in a workplace setting.<\/p>\n<p>Academic Portfolio Manager Katrina Frausel said the creation of the CICE Experiential Learning Lab has elevated the experience for students in the program.<\/p>\n<p>“The lab is a versatile space where students can transfer their skills from the classroom to real-life situations through simulated and scenario-based learning,” said Frausel.<\/p>\n<p>“It has given students an opportunity to learn key employment skills to set them up for future placement success through workstations, entry-level tasks, role-plays, customer service scenarios, and time management skills,” she added.<\/p>\n<p>Frausel explained that the lab can be turned into a living environment, where students can practice life skills like safe food handling, storage, hosting friends, or a work setting like a caf\u00e9, where students are able to strengthen their customer service skills or practice other key tasks including preparing drinks, serving, bussing, dishwashing, cashier skills, and more.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_1592779\" style=\"width: 2010px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1592779\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1592779\" src=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/CICE-student_scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/CICE-student_scaled.jpg 2000w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/CICE-student_scaled-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/CICE-student_scaled-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/CICE-student_scaled-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/CICE-student_scaled-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/CICE-student_scaled-800x534.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/CICE-student_scaled-1000x667.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/CICE-student_scaled-540x360.jpg 540w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/CICE-student_scaled-337x225.jpg 337w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/CICE-student_scaled-180x120.jpg 180w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/CICE-student_scaled-810x540.jpg 810w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-1592779\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">CICE student Ethan Mackenzie prepares coffee and tea in the lab, which was transformed into a caf\u00e9 for guests at the dedication event.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Since it opened in winter 2025, students have enjoyed learning in the practical space.<\/p>\n<p>“I really enjoyed my experience in the CICE Lab because it helped build my employability skills by giving me hands on job experience. It was a great area to practice the skills I needed to work on,” said Ryan, a CICE student who began his final term of the program this January. “I was nervous at first, but with the proper support, I was able to build my confidence up and have since moved on to a successful community based placement.”<\/p>\n<p>The Ontario Paper Thorold Foundation’s donation is one of two contributions that funded the construction and redevelopment of the lab, which was also supported by CIBC.<\/p>\n<p>In addition to enhancing student learning, the expanded space has allowed the CICE team to offer new initiatives including the STEP-UP program. Piloted in summer 2025, the trailblazing six-week initiative allows prospective CICE students to explore the program before applying to NC, while offering CICE alumni meaningful paid roles.<\/p>\n<p>STEP-UP was recognized with a 2025 NC President’s Award for Innovation in Student Learning and Success for exemplifying the College’s commitment to innovation by meeting diverse student needs in an engaging and impactful way.<\/p>\n<p>“The CICE and STEP-UP programs continue to fill an important need in the community by expanding access to postsecondary education,” said Jennifer Roberts, Associate Dean of Academic and Liberal Studies. “We are grateful to our donors whose support empowers more students to achieve their full potential.”<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_1592780\" style=\"width: 2010px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1592780\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1592780\" src=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/CICE-group_scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/CICE-group_scaled.jpg 2000w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/CICE-group_scaled-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/CICE-group_scaled-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/CICE-group_scaled-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/CICE-group_scaled-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/CICE-group_scaled-800x534.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/CICE-group_scaled-1000x667.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/CICE-group_scaled-540x360.jpg 540w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/CICE-group_scaled-337x225.jpg 337w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/CICE-group_scaled-180x120.jpg 180w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/CICE-group_scaled-810x540.jpg 810w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-1592780\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">CICE student Ethan Mackenzie and Field Placement Officer Aaron Russell visit with Adrian Barnet from the Foundation. Pictured in the background are Katrina Frausel (Academic Portfolio Manager) and Jennifer Roberts (Associate Dean, Academic and Liberal Studies).<\/p><\/div>\n<p><strong>Together campaign<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Niagara College’s <a href=\"http:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/together\">Together<\/a> campaign is a multi-year, $50 million initiative focused on making education more accessible, creating diverse learning environments, addressing critical workforce shortages in healthcare and skilled trades, and fostering research, creativity, and innovation to help close Canada’s productivity gap.<\/p>\n<p>Community partners and donors are invited to learn more about the important priorities of the Together campaign by visiting <a href=\"http:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/together\">niagaracollege.ca\/together<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Students from Niagara College\u2019s Community Integration through Co-operative Education (CICE) program are honing their skills in a bright new space designed for their unique needs. The CICE Experiential Learning Lab…<\/p>\n<p>The post <a href=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/blog\/2026\/04\/08\/learning-lab-empowers-niagara-college-cice-students-thanks-to-theontario-paper-thorold-foundations-100000-gift\/\">Learning lab empowers Niagara College CICE students thanks to theOntario Paper Thorold Foundation\u2019s $100,000 gift<\/a> appeared first on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/\">Niagara College<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":151,"featured_media":1592776,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,165,52,15,250],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1592767","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-campus-update","category-community","category-news-releases","category-school-of-academic-liberal-studies","category-together-campaign"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Learning lab empowers CICE students thanks to the Ontario Paper Thorold Foundation's $100,000 gift | InsideNC<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/2026\/04\/08\/learning-lab-empowers-niagara-college-cice-students-thanks-to-theontario-paper-thorold-foundations-100000-gift\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Learning lab empowers CICE students thanks to the Ontario Paper Thorold Foundation's $100,000 gift | InsideNC\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Students from Niagara College\u2019s Community Integration through Co-operative Education (CICE) program are honing their skills in a bright new space designed for their unique needs. The CICE Experiential Learning Lab... 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From left: Jennifer Roberts, NC Associate Dean, Academic and Liberal Studies; Ontario Paper Thorold Foundation Board Members Adrian Barnet, Sue Burch (President) and Wayne Shepard; NC VP Advancement Gord Arbeau; and former NC Dean, Academic and Liberal Studies David Atherton (retired).\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/2026\/04\/08\/learning-lab-empowers-niagara-college-cice-students-thanks-to-theontario-paper-thorold-foundations-100000-gift\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Learning lab empowers CICE students thanks to the Ontario Paper Thorold Foundation’s $100,000 gift\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/\",\"name\":\"InsideNC\",\"description\":\"Staff news from Niagara College\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/#\/schema\/person\/6826686fd2423b53a39eda011725c037\",\"name\":\"Elyse Howarth\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Learning lab empowers CICE students thanks to the Ontario Paper Thorold Foundation's $100,000 gift | InsideNC","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/2026\/04\/08\/learning-lab-empowers-niagara-college-cice-students-thanks-to-theontario-paper-thorold-foundations-100000-gift\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Learning lab empowers CICE students thanks to the Ontario Paper Thorold Foundation's $100,000 gift | InsideNC","og_description":"Students from Niagara College\u2019s Community Integration through Co-operative Education (CICE) program are honing their skills in a bright new space designed for their unique needs. 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From left: Jennifer Roberts, NC Associate Dean, Academic and Liberal Studies; Ontario Paper Thorold Foundation Board Members Adrian Barnet, Sue Burch (President) and Wayne Shepard; NC VP Advancement Gord Arbeau; and former NC Dean, Academic and Liberal Studies David Atherton (retired)."},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/2026\/04\/08\/learning-lab-empowers-niagara-college-cice-students-thanks-to-theontario-paper-thorold-foundations-100000-gift\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Learning lab empowers CICE students thanks to the Ontario Paper Thorold Foundation’s $100,000 gift"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/","name":"InsideNC","description":"Staff news from Niagara College","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/#\/schema\/person\/6826686fd2423b53a39eda011725c037","name":"Elyse Howarth"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1592767","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/151"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1592767"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1592767\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1592776"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1592767"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1592767"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1592767"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":1592508,"date":"2026-04-08T08:55:42","date_gmt":"2026-04-08T12:55:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/?p=1592508"},"modified":"2026-04-08T11:42:17","modified_gmt":"2026-04-08T15:42:17","slug":"nc-awards-of-excellence-recipient-spotlight-terri-champion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/2026\/04\/08\/nc-awards-of-excellence-recipient-spotlight-terri-champion\/","title":{"rendered":"NC Awards of Excellence recipient spotlight: Terri Champion"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Teacher, coach, mentor, author and “champion.”<\/p>\n<p>These are just a few ways to describe Professor Terri Champion, who joined Niagara College in 1994 after a career in sales, marketing and small business consulting, and has been a cornerstone of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/business\/\">School of Business and Management<\/a> ever since.<\/p>\n<p>As program coordinator for the two-year <a href=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/business\/program\/business-sales-marketing\/\">Business – Sales and Marketing<\/a> and three-year <a href=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/business\/program\/business-administration-marketing\/\">Business Administration Marketing<\/a> programs, Terri teaches courses in Integrated Marketing Communications, Consumer Behaviour, Management Principles, Sales and Marketing Strategy, and Entrepreneurship and New Venture Development, inspiring budding industry professionals through her engaging approach.<\/p>\n<p>She has co-authored multiple textbooks (Small Business Management – Launching and Growing New Ventures in Canada; Business Plan to Business Reality – Starting and Managing your Own Business In Canada; MGMT Management Principles) and strengthened NC’s reputation by partnering with local businesses for course-based learning projects, and through her involvement with the Canadian Professional Sales Association and the Retail Council of Canada.<\/p>\n<p>Terri is also a passionate advocate for enhancing student learning through case competitions. As an active member of the Ontario Colleges Marketing Competition (OCMC) planning committee and dedicated student coach, she has led NC teams to incredible success over the years, achieving 21 gold, 25 silver, and 28 bronze medals. She has also coached NC teams for the National Vanier Marketing Case Competition and an international business case competition Budapest, Hungary, where NC placed third overall and was the only college competitor.<\/p>\n<p>Last December, Terri was honoured with NC’s 2025 Faculty Award of Excellence for her dedication to teaching. Learn more about her below.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>What does it mean to you to be recognized by your colleagues and the College with this award?<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>TC: This award is particularly meaningful because it comes from my peers and the NC community that I have been part of for many years. Teaching can sometimes feel like a behind-the-scenes effort, so to have that work acknowledged by peers who understand the challenges and the passion behind it is truly special.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>What inspires you most about teaching the next generation of business-marketing pros? How do you empower student success?<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>TC: What inspires me most is watching students discover their potential -it’s so rewarding to see the transformation that occurs when they begin to build their confidence and start to use the skills and knowledge they have been learning in a professional environment.<\/p>\n<p>I empower student success by creating real-world, experiential learning opportunities that push them outside their comfort zones – whether it’s through client-based projects, marketing presentations, or case competitions. The goal is to provide students with the opportunities to apply their learning to realistic marketing situations – not just read about or memorize terminology or recite theories.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>How have your teaching methods evolved over the years? What aspects of your style have remained the same?<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>TC: Marketing is a fast-moving field so I make it a priority to stay current with industry trends and what leading companies and brands are doing so I can bring current and relevant examples into the classroom. To that end, the continued integration of technology has made the most difference – being able to go online and pull up a website, show current marketing campaigns, videos and social media content in real-time has made the classroom a much more engaging and interactive environment, and aligns much more with how marketing happens today.<\/p>\n<p>What has stayed the same is my belief that if students are engaged and even entertained in the classroom, they learn better. Information alone isn’t enough – great teaching brings concepts to life.<\/p>\n<h3>Y<strong>ou are known to go above and beyond to support those around you, coaching students to help them feel confident in their abilities and mentoring new and existing faculty. Why is this approach important to you?<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>TC: I’ve always believed that education is about people first. Whether it’s students or colleagues, everyone benefits from having someone who believes in them, supports them, and helps them navigate challenges. Coaching and mentoring is all about trying to create a positive learning environment and is the best way I know to pay forward the support and mentorship I’ve received throughout my career.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Looking back on your teaching career so far, are there any highlights that stand out as especially meaningful to you?<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>TC: Having had the opportunity to coach marketing students for case competitions over the years has been incredibly rewarding and a real highlight for me. The experience is consistently transformative and really inspiring – in the months leading up to a competition you see students begin to build their confidence, sharpen their skills and grow in professionalism and maturity. Having competed in case competitions myself during my academic career, I know firsthand the impact they can have on learning and personal development.<\/p>\n<p>Niagara’s marketing competition teams have achieved great success over the years – consistently earning top rankings at provincial and national competitions – something that continues to be a source of pride for me.<\/p>\n<p>In 2024, I accompanied a team of four Niagara College students to our first international business case competition in Budapest, Hungary where Niagara was the only college competing among 16 prestigious universities from around the world. After earning first place in their division for the 24-hour case, and second place in the 7-hour case, our Niagara team advanced to the final round, competing against top teams from University of Melbourne, Chinese University of Hong Kong, University of Minnesota and University of Sydney. When the awards were handed out, Niagara won an impressive third-place overall, a moment I will never forget. What our students achieved is a powerful reflection of the exceptional learning, mentorship and experiential opportunities that are part of Niagara College.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>What hobbies do you have outside of work?<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>TC: My favourite activities outside of work centre around travel, pickleball, and cheering on the Buffalo Bills.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Teacher, coach, mentor, author and “champion.” These are just a few ways to describe Professor Terri Champion, who joined Niagara College in 1994 after a career in sales, marketing and small business consulting, and has been a cornerstone of the School of Business and Management ever since. As program coordinator for the two-year Business – […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":151,"featured_media":1592507,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[134,7,17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1592508","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-coe","category-my-people","category-school-of-business-and-management"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>NC Awards of Excellence recipient spotlight: Terri Champion | InsideNC<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/2026\/04\/08\/nc-awards-of-excellence-recipient-spotlight-terri-champion\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"NC Awards of Excellence recipient spotlight: Terri Champion | InsideNC\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Teacher, coach, mentor, author and “champion.” These are just a few ways to describe Professor Terri Champion, who joined Niagara College in 1994 after a career in sales, marketing and small business consulting, and has been a cornerstone of the School of Business and Management ever since. 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Today: Robots return to Niagara College for FIRST robotics competition"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em><span class=\"hover:entity-accent entity-underline inline cursor-pointer align-baseline\"><span class=\"whitespace-normal\">Pelham Today<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/em>shared NC’s press release announcing the FIRST Robotics Competition at Niagara College from April 10-12 — a competition challenging teams of students from grades 9 to 12 to design, program and build a robot for head-to-head matches at the Simplii Financial Centre at Niagara College. NC will be providing three scholarships of $1,000 to FIRST Robotics Canada participants in attendance who have an average of 75 per cent or higher and are enrolled in a program in the School of Technology or Trades for 2026-27.<\/p>\n<p>Read the April 7 re-release <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pelhamtoday.ca\/local-news\/robots-return-to-niagara-college-for-first-robotics-competition-12109494\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Pelham Today\u00a0shared NC’s press release announcing the FIRST Robotics Competition at Niagara College from April 10-12 — a competition challenging teams of students from grades 9 to 12 to design, program and build a robot for head-to-head matches at the Simplii Financial Centre at Niagara College. NC will be providing three scholarships of $1,000 to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":288,"featured_media":924601,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1592486","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-media-coverage"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Pelham Today: Robots return to Niagara College for FIRST robotics competition | InsideNC<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/2026\/04\/07\/pelham-today-robots-return-to-niagara-college-for-first-robotics-competition\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Pelham Today: Robots return to Niagara College for FIRST robotics competition | InsideNC\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Pelham Today\u00a0shared NC’s press release announcing the FIRST Robotics Competition at Niagara College from April 10-12 — a competition challenging teams of students from grades 9 to 12 to design, program and build a robot for head-to-head matches at the Simplii Financial Centre at Niagara College. 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students gain life-changing experiences through BWR Global Learning Experiences"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em>Article by Samer Al-Salahi<\/em><\/p>\n<p>During the winter 2026 break, Niagara College students participated in Be World Ready (BWR) Global Learning Experiences (GLE), engaging in life-changing opportunities abroad.<\/p>\n<p>As part of its commitment to preparing globally minded and world-ready graduates, BWR has designed itineraries that blend cultural connections and hands-on experiences. Through these unique opportunities, students applied classroom learning in international settings while building industry knowledge and expanding their global competencies.<\/p>\n<h4><strong>Dominican Republic<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>Designed for students across multiple Schools of Study, the Sustainable Development Goals in the Dominican Republic itinerary offered a cultural collaborative program between Niagara College and Universidad Aut\u00f3noma de Santo Domingo (UASD).<\/p>\n<p>Students participated in collaboration sessions focused on global issues, sustainable development, and culture, fostering academic and cross-cultural exchange. Participants also learned from global experts, including a presentation by the United Nations Development Programme on the progress and challenges of advancing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals in the country.<\/p>\n<p>For Police Foundation student Katie Napolitano, the experience exceeded every expectation.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_1592482\" style=\"width: 405px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1592482\" class=\" wp-image-1592482\" src=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/Picture2-251x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"395\" height=\"472\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/Picture2-251x300.jpg 251w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/Picture2-188x225.jpg 188w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/Picture2-113x135.jpg 113w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/Picture2.jpg 280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 395px) 100vw, 395px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-1592482\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">NC student Katie Napolitano participates in a hands-on activity during the Dominican Republic BWR GLE.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>“Before the GLE, I was hesitant and admittedly somewhat prejudiced — I doubted it could truly be that transformative,” said Napolitano. “However, I was proven wrong.”<\/p>\n<p>While the program offered a thoughtfully designed mix of lectures and site visits, it was the human connection that left the deepest mark.<\/p>\n<p>“The most impactful aspect of my Global Learning Experience was the connections I made — with fellow peers, team leaders, and students at UASD,” she added. “These relationships are what I will carry with me long after the program has ended.”<\/p>\n<p>For Practical Nursing student Kassi Davies, the GLE deepened her understanding of cultural competence in ways that will shape her career.<\/p>\n<p>“The BWR GLE was truly a unique, humbling, and eye-opening opportunity,” said Davies. “It encouraged self-reflection on biases and assumptions and helped me understand how to contribute to change while educating others. I will carry this experience with me and continue to build on how I think, act, and grow within my nursing career.”<\/p>\n<p>Police Foundations student Isaiah Benjamins found that navigating a language barrier sharpened skills directly relevant to his field.<\/p>\n<p>“Since I do not speak Spanish, I would often be communicating using actions, gestures, and observations,” said Benjamins. “This taught me the importance of patience and adaptability when interacting with people from other cultures — and allowed me to see the Dominican Republic through a local perspective rather than a tourist lens.”<\/p>\n<h4><strong>Costa Rica<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>Designed for students in Horticulture and Environmental programs, the Rancho Margot – San Jos\u00e9, Costa Rica itinerary offered immersive, hands-on learning in environmental responsibility practices in one of the world’s most biodiverse regions.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_1592484\" style=\"width: 378px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1592484\" class=\" wp-image-1592484\" src=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/Picture4-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"368\" height=\"491\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/Picture4-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/Picture4-270x360.jpg 270w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/Picture4-168x225.jpg 168w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/Picture4-101x135.jpg 101w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/Picture4.jpg 289w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 368px) 100vw, 368px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-1592484\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Students participate in hands-on learning during the Costa Rica GLE.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Centered around experiential education at Rancho Margot, the GLE included a Regenerative Farm Tour and interactive experiences focused on native plants and pollinators, composting, microorganisms, agroecology, and chemical-free gardening.<\/p>\n<p>For Greenhouse Technology student Meladori Weaver, the GLE brought unexpected moments of discovery.<\/p>\n<p>“This experience has opened my eyes to a whole world of natural diversity which I am excited to further explore,” said Weaver. “In any spare moments, day, or night, I would go on walks to take pictures, then later further educate myself on the species I found. Another highlight was learning from an entomologist about native pollinators — specifically stingless bees — and their relationship with Orchids.”<\/p>\n<p>For Greenhouse Technician (Co-op) student Kevin Guillemette, the Costa Rica GLE left a lasting impression.<\/p>\n<p>“It was a life-changing experience, and I am thankful to the College for organizing a program like this,” said Guillemette. “A key reason to participate was to get a chance to share ideas with like-minded people and forge strong networks with peers and teachers.”<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_1592483\" style=\"width: 456px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1592483\" class=\" wp-image-1592483\" src=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/Picture3-300x222.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"446\" height=\"330\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/Picture3-300x222.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/Picture3-128x96.jpg 128w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/Picture3-304x225.jpg 304w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/Picture3-180x133.jpg 180w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/Picture3.jpg 475w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 446px) 100vw, 446px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-1592483\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Students learn about environmental responsibility practices during the Costa Rica BWR GLE.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>For more information about BWR, visit: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.beworldready.ca\/\">www.beworldready.ca<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Article by Samer Al-Salahi During the winter 2026 break, Niagara College students participated in Be World Ready (BWR) Global Learning Experiences (GLE), engaging in life-changing opportunities abroad. As part of its commitment to preparing globally minded and world-ready graduates, BWR has designed itineraries that blend cultural connections and hands-on experiences. Through these unique opportunities, students […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":180,"featured_media":1592481,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[241,38,8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1592403","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-global-engagement","category-international","category-my-college"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>NC students gain life-changing experiences through BWR Global Learning Experiences | InsideNC<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/2026\/04\/07\/nc-students-gain-life-changing-experiences-through-bwr-global-learning-experiences\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"NC students gain life-changing experiences through BWR Global Learning Experiences | InsideNC\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Article by Samer Al-Salahi During the winter 2026 break, Niagara College students participated in Be World Ready (BWR) Global Learning Experiences (GLE), engaging in life-changing opportunities abroad. 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Through these unique opportunities, students […]","og_url":"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/2026\/04\/07\/nc-students-gain-life-changing-experiences-through-bwr-global-learning-experiences\/","og_site_name":"InsideNC","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/niagaracollege","article_published_time":"2026-04-07T19:30:42+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-04-07T19:31:06+00:00","og_image":[{"width":601,"height":378,"url":"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/Picture1.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Courtney De 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InsideNC","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/2026\/04\/07\/nc-students-gain-life-changing-experiences-through-bwr-global-learning-experiences\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/2026\/04\/07\/nc-students-gain-life-changing-experiences-through-bwr-global-learning-experiences\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/Picture1.jpg","datePublished":"2026-04-07T19:30:42+00:00","dateModified":"2026-04-07T19:31:06+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/#\/schema\/person\/f27d2566dd77cc4fc8d1948a342865ab"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/2026\/04\/07\/nc-students-gain-life-changing-experiences-through-bwr-global-learning-experiences\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/2026\/04\/07\/nc-students-gain-life-changing-experiences-through-bwr-global-learning-experiences\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/2026\/04\/07\/nc-students-gain-life-changing-experiences-through-bwr-global-learning-experiences\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/Picture1.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/Picture1.jpg","width":601,"height":378,"caption":"Students and trip leaders gather at Universidad Aut\u00f3noma de Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic following an academic session."},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/2026\/04\/07\/nc-students-gain-life-changing-experiences-through-bwr-global-learning-experiences\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"NC students gain life-changing experiences through BWR Global Learning Experiences"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/","name":"InsideNC","description":"Staff news from Niagara College","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/#\/schema\/person\/f27d2566dd77cc4fc8d1948a342865ab","name":"Courtney De Caire"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1592403","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/180"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1592403"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1592403\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1592481"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1592403"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1592403"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1592403"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":1592391,"date":"2026-04-07T11:34:55","date_gmt":"2026-04-07T15:34:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/?p=1592391"},"modified":"2026-04-07T11:34:55","modified_gmt":"2026-04-07T15:34:55","slug":"students-provide-inclusive-dental-care-for-bethesda-youth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/2026\/04\/07\/students-provide-inclusive-dental-care-for-bethesda-youth\/","title":{"rendered":"Students provide inclusive dental care for Bethesda youth"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"wpwrap\">\n<div id=\"adminmenumain\" role=\"navigation\" aria-label=\"Main menu\">\n<p>NC Dental Hygiene students are using their clinical training to remove barriers for local children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.<\/p>\n<p>On March 30, the NC Dental Clinic at the Welland Campus opened its doors to clients of Bethesda Children and Youth Services, welcoming children and teens between the ages of five and 15.<\/p>\n<p>Forty-nine Dental Hygiene students sank their teeth into this meaningful community service. Working in pairs, they provided essential oral hygiene education, took x-rays, scaled and polished teeth, and administered fluoride treatments while collaborating closely with the clinic dentist. This year’s initiative continued a vital collaboration with Bethesda which began in 2018, offering reduced cost care for children with an ASD diagnosis who are registered with Bethesda and the Ontario Autism program.<\/p>\n<p>“Our continued collaboration with Bethesda allows our students to put their training into practice while making a real difference for local families,” said NC Dean of Health Sciences Sin\u00e9ad McElhone. “By providing essential care in a compassionate and inclusive setting, our students gain invaluable experience in adapting to the needs of diverse populations. We are proud to see them use their education to help our community smile a little brighter.”<\/p>\n<p>Bethesda’s Manager of Children and Youth Services Corrin Oosterhoff applauded the continuation of the initiative.<br \/>\n“We are very grateful that we are able to continue to collaborate with Niagara College – the students are incredibly welcoming to families and the setup of the clinic allows for a supportive and safe space for our families,” she said. “This partnership has created a positive experience for both our clients and students, and we value the ongoing impact.”<\/p>\n<p>Oosterhoff noted that the specialized clinics offer their families the ability to be successful at their own pace, whether that might be that they becoming more comfortable in the clinic setting or success might mean having a full dental appointment.<\/p>\n<p>“This service is a low pressure atmosphere for our families, the students are incredibly supportive of what our children and families need,” she said. “The flexibility helps build confidence and promotes a more positive long-term experience with going to a dental appointment.”<\/p>\n<p>For the Dental Hygiene students, the experience served as a clinical session. Allied Health Professor Samantha Pischedda noted that the students learned to adapt their approach using strategies like desensitization, visual supports, and clear communication.<\/p>\n<p>“They also develop an understanding of how to create a supportive and predictable environment, which can help reduce anxiety and build trust with the child,” said Pischedda. “Students will learn empathy, patience, and flexibility; qualities that are essential for healthcare providers.”<\/p>\n<p>Over the years, the relationship between NC’s Dental Clinic and Bethesda has become a cornerstone of the program, Pischedda noted, offering Dental Hygiene students opportunities to grow.<\/p>\n<p>“There’s often a noticeable shift in their comfort level, communication skills, and overall perspective after working with Bethesda clients,” said Pischedda. “It is also wonderful to see how happy clients, parents, and caregivers are after the child has a successful dental visit.”<\/p>\n<p>To ensure the clinic ran smoothly, preparation was key. Students reviewed client information surveys to understand sensory considerations and personal preferences. Many also reached out to parents and guardians before the appointments to introduce themselves and answer questions.<\/p>\n<p>Taryn Walsh, Program Coordinator and Professor of the Autism and Behavioural Science program, visited the Dental Hygiene students in class in advance of the clinics, to provide an overview of ASD.<\/p>\n<p>“Individuals with ASD often struggle due to the high level of sensory stimulation in dental environments combined with challenges with functional communication (for example to express discomfort) and difficulty with being out of routines,” said Walsh. “Every individual is unique and will respond differently, and it’s important to take their time and use the tools available from Bethesda (noise cancelling headphones, visual supports, reinforcement, etc.)”<\/p>\n<p>The opportunity to help others drew Beamsville resident Ellie Short to the Dental Hygiene program.<\/p>\n<p>“I think this experience will be really helpful for me as I continue through the program and move into my career. I’ve worked with individuals with developmental disabilities before, but this is a completely new setting for me,” said Short. “It feels like a great opportunity to connect my past experience with what I’m learning now in dental hygiene, and to keep building my confidence working with patients in a more hands-on, clinical environment.”<\/p>\n<p>Short expressed a deep personal connection to the work. She had looked forward to helping Bethesda’s clients feel comfortable and supported, and strove to create a stress-free, inclusive dental care environment for them.<\/p>\n<p>“I find it really rewarding,” she said. “Being able to support children and teens with ASD in a positive and comfortable way is something that means a lot to me.”<\/p>\n<p>Dental Clinic Front Desk Administrator Lisa Lacroix said the NC-Bethesda clinics draw several repeat clients year after year.<\/p>\n<p>“This clinic is such a great opportunity to support families in our community who may otherwise face barriers to accessing dental care. It also gives our student hygienists valuable hands-on experience, helping them build confidence, compassion, and the skills needed to care for patients with diverse needs, including those with autism and other behavioural challenges,” said Lacroix. “It’s incredibly rewarding to be part of something that benefits both our students and the families we serve.”<\/p>\n<p>The impact on local families is significant. Leanne Gill brought her nine-year-old son back to the clinic after a positive experience in 2025.<\/p>\n<p>“After several unsuccessful attempts at our family dentist, I knew he still needed to have his teeth properly examined,” said Gill, about his first visit to the clinic. “I chose to sign up for the clinic because it provides a supportive environment where children can take their time and become comfortable at their own pace.”<\/p>\n<p>Gill noted that the NC team made all the difference for her family.<\/p>\n<p>“The students and staff were incredibly welcoming and patient, helping him feel at ease in a way we hadn’t experienced before. For the first time, he was able to open his mouth for a dental exam, have X-rays taken, and receive a fluoride treatment – far more than I had hoped for,” she said. “Hearing from a dental professional that his teeth are in good condition, and that we should continue what we’re doing at home, gave our family a great sense of relief. It was reassuring to know there are no current dental concerns.”<\/p>\n<p>For information about the NC Dental Clinic visit <a href=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/alliedhealth\/dental-clinic\/\">niagaracollege.ca\/alliedhealth\/dental-clinic<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\t\t<style type=\"text\/css\">\n\t\t\t#gallery-9 {\n\t\t\t\tmargin: auto;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-9 .gallery-item {\n\t\t\t\tfloat: left;\n\t\t\t\tmargin-top: 10px;\n\t\t\t\ttext-align: center;\n\t\t\t\twidth: 33%;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-9 img {\n\t\t\t\tborder: 2px solid #cfcfcf;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-9 .gallery-caption {\n\t\t\t\tmargin-left: 0;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\/* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes\/media.php *\/\n\t\t<\/style>\n\t\t<div data-carousel-extra='{\"blog_id\":53,\"permalink\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.niagaracollege.ca\\\/insidenc\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/07\\\/students-provide-inclusive-dental-care-for-bethesda-youth\\\/\"}' id='gallery-9' class='gallery galleryid-1592391 gallery-columns-3 gallery-size-large'><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/2026\/04\/07\/students-provide-inclusive-dental-care-for-bethesda-youth\/20260330_bethesda_clinic_ncc_6690\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"1592400\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Bethesda_Clinic_NCC_6690.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1920,1280\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{"aperture":"5.6","credit":"NIAGARA COLLEGE","camera":"NIKON Z 8","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1774892275","copyright":"2023","focal_length":"56","iso":"6400","shutter_speed":"0.005","title":"","orientation":"0","keywords":[]}\" data-image-title=\"20260330_Bethesda_Clinic_NCC_6690\" data-image-description=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Bethesda_Clinic_NCC_6690-300x200.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Bethesda_Clinic_NCC_6690-1024x683.jpg\" width=\"660\" height=\"440\" src=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Bethesda_Clinic_NCC_6690-1024x683.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Bethesda_Clinic_NCC_6690-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Bethesda_Clinic_NCC_6690-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Bethesda_Clinic_NCC_6690-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Bethesda_Clinic_NCC_6690-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Bethesda_Clinic_NCC_6690-800x533.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Bethesda_Clinic_NCC_6690-1000x667.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Bethesda_Clinic_NCC_6690-540x360.jpg 540w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Bethesda_Clinic_NCC_6690-338x225.jpg 338w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Bethesda_Clinic_NCC_6690-180x120.jpg 180w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Bethesda_Clinic_NCC_6690-810x540.jpg 810w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Bethesda_Clinic_NCC_6690.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/2026\/04\/07\/students-provide-inclusive-dental-care-for-bethesda-youth\/20260330_bethesda_clinic_ncc_6695\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"1592401\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Bethesda_Clinic_NCC_6695.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1920,1280\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{"aperture":"5.6","credit":"NIAGARA COLLEGE","camera":"NIKON Z 8","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1774892358","copyright":"2023","focal_length":"30.5","iso":"6400","shutter_speed":"0.005","title":"","orientation":"0","keywords":[]}\" data-image-title=\"20260330_Bethesda_Clinic_NCC_6695\" data-image-description=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Bethesda_Clinic_NCC_6695-300x200.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Bethesda_Clinic_NCC_6695-1024x683.jpg\" width=\"660\" height=\"440\" src=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Bethesda_Clinic_NCC_6695-1024x683.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Bethesda_Clinic_NCC_6695-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Bethesda_Clinic_NCC_6695-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Bethesda_Clinic_NCC_6695-768x512.jpg 768w, 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https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Bethesda_Clinic_NCC_6695.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/2026\/04\/07\/students-provide-inclusive-dental-care-for-bethesda-youth\/20260330_bethesda_clinic_ncc_6707\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"1592402\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Bethesda_Clinic_NCC_6707.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1920,1280\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{"aperture":"5.6","credit":"NIAGARA COLLEGE","camera":"NIKON Z 8","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1774892465","copyright":"2023","focal_length":"34.5","iso":"6400","shutter_speed":"0.005","title":"","orientation":"0","keywords":[]}\" data-image-title=\"20260330_Bethesda_Clinic_NCC_6707\" data-image-description=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Bethesda_Clinic_NCC_6707-300x200.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Bethesda_Clinic_NCC_6707-1024x683.jpg\" width=\"660\" height=\"440\" src=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Bethesda_Clinic_NCC_6707-1024x683.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Bethesda_Clinic_NCC_6707-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Bethesda_Clinic_NCC_6707-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Bethesda_Clinic_NCC_6707-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Bethesda_Clinic_NCC_6707-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Bethesda_Clinic_NCC_6707-800x533.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Bethesda_Clinic_NCC_6707-1000x667.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Bethesda_Clinic_NCC_6707-540x360.jpg 540w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Bethesda_Clinic_NCC_6707-338x225.jpg 338w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Bethesda_Clinic_NCC_6707-180x120.jpg 180w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Bethesda_Clinic_NCC_6707-810x540.jpg 810w, https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Bethesda_Clinic_NCC_6707.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt><\/dl><br style=\"clear: both\" \/>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p> <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>NC Dental Hygiene students are using their clinical training to remove barriers for local children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. On March 30, the NC Dental Clinic at the Welland Campus opened its doors to clients of Bethesda Children and Youth Services, welcoming children and teens between the ages of five and 15. Forty-nine Dental Hygiene […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":51,"featured_media":1592392,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[165,8,22],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1592391","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community","category-my-college","category-school-of-allied-health"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Students provide inclusive dental care for Bethesda youth | InsideNC<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/2026\/04\/07\/students-provide-inclusive-dental-care-for-bethesda-youth\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Students provide inclusive dental care for Bethesda youth | InsideNC\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"NC Dental Hygiene students are using their clinical training to remove barriers for local children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. On March 30, the NC Dental Clinic at the Welland Campus opened its doors to clients of Bethesda Children and Youth Services, welcoming children and teens between the ages of five and 15. Forty-nine Dental Hygiene […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/2026\/04\/07\/students-provide-inclusive-dental-care-for-bethesda-youth\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"InsideNC\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/niagaracollege\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-04-07T15:34:55+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2026\/04\/20260330_Bethesda_Clinic_NCC_6684.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1920\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Julie Greco\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@niagaracollege\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" 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robots return to NC for the FIRST Robotics Competition, April 10-12"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Robots are taking over NC!<\/p>\n<p>From April 10-12, and for the second year, Niagara College will host the <a href=\"https:\/\/firstroboticscanada.org\/frc\/niagara\/\"><em>FIRST<\/em> Robotics Competition<\/a> at the Welland Campus, welcoming young innovators – and their robots -from across Ontario.<\/p>\n<p>The unique and spirited STEM competition challenges student teams, Grades 9 to 12, to design, program, and build a robot in a themed head-to-head challenge. The NC event is one of Ontario qualifiers that help determine which teams advance to provincials.<\/p>\n<p>“Niagara College is thrilled to welcome such an inspiring group of bright, passionate young innovators from across Ontario this April,” said NC President, Sean Kennedy. “The <em>FIRST<\/em> Robotics Competition is a celebration of STEM excellence, innovation, and problem-solving, which reflect the very spirit we are so proud to champion at Niagara College.”<\/p>\n<p><strong>Admission is free<\/strong> <strong>and spectators are welcome on Saturday and Sunday <\/strong>to watch in awe as drive teams repair, rebuild and upgrade their machines under pressure. The robots will face-off in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=_fybREErgyM&t=4s\"><em>rebuilt<\/em><\/a>-themed game arena in the Simplii Financial Centre. The Learning Commons will serve as the “pits” for student teams to work on their robots.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"2026 FIRST Robotics Competition REBUILT Presented by Haas Game Animation\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/_fybREErgyM?feature=oembed\" width=\"900\" height=\"506\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Competitors spend weeks leading up to the competition designing their robot, from prototyping, building, wiring, programming and testing – to dominate on game day.<\/p>\n<p>NC’s own Dr. Marc Nantel, Vice-President of Research, Innovation and Strategic Enterprises, will return as Judge Advisor, overseeing all the competition judges.<\/p>\n<p>“High school students bring remarkable passion and creativity to their robots, along with incredible energy and spirit to the competition,” said Dr. Nantel. “It is a privilege to welcome such talented young innovators to Niagara College and to demonstrate that we are an inspiring place to nurture and advance their passion for STEM.”<\/p>\n<p>Niagara College will provide three scholarships of $1,000 for FIRST Robotics Canada participants in attendance who enroll for 2026-27 in a program in the Schools of Technology or Trades, and have an average of 75 per cent or higher.<\/p>\n<p>In <a href=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/2025\/03\/12\/high-school-students-and-their-robots-face-off-at-niagara-college\/\">2025<\/a>, over 1,000 spectators were in attendance over the course of the weekend.<\/p>\n<p>For more information about the First Robotics competition, visit: <a href=\"https:\/\/firstroboticscanada.org\/frc\/niagara\/\">firstroboticscanada.org\/frc\/niagara\/<\/a><\/p>\n<p>The post <a href=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/blog\/2026\/04\/07\/the-robots-return-to-nc-for-the-first-robotics-competition-april-10-12\/\">The robots return to NC for the FIRST Robotics Competition, April 10-12<\/a> appeared first on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/\">Niagara College<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Robots are taking over NC! From April 10-12, and for the second year, Niagara College will host the FIRST Robotics Competition at the Welland Campus, welcoming young innovators \u2013 and…<\/p>\n<p>The post <a href=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/blog\/2026\/04\/07\/the-robots-return-to-nc-for-the-first-robotics-competition-april-10-12\/\">The robots return to NC for the FIRST Robotics Competition, April 10-12<\/a> appeared first on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/\">Niagara College<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":141,"featured_media":1592405,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,165,253,52],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1592376","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-campus-update","category-community","category-community-relations-and-events","category-news-releases"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>The robots return to NC for the FIRST Robotics Competition, April 10-12 | InsideNC<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.niagaracollege.ca\/insidenc\/2026\/04\/07\/the-robots-return-to-nc-for-the-first-robotics-competition-april-10-12-2\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The robots return to NC for the FIRST Robotics Competition, April 10-12 | InsideNC\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Robots are taking over NC! 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