Changing Tomorrow Award Winners
After receiving over a thousand submissions to the ontariocolleges.ca Changing Tomorrow Award, we’re thrilled to announce our 25 winners! Their essays inspired all of us here at OCAS and we’re excited to see how a college education is going to help shape their tomorrow.
From all corners of Ontario, high school students to mature students, nursing programs to aviation programs, our award winners are preparing to embark on their next chapter and we’re proud to help them make that next step a little bit easier.
Please join us in congratulating our 25 ontariocolleges.ca Changing Tomorrow Award winners:
Breanna-Marie Cranley
Orthotic/Prosthetic Technician, George Brown College
"With the clinical methods in Orthotics and Prosthetics program, I can leave the house in the morning as a certified prosthetist and head to the office where I have opened a small shop for building veterinary orthotics and prosthetics. Eventually, I’d like to include a rehabilitation clinic with veterinary technicians and physiotherapists helping canines, felines, horses, goats and pigs that have been abandoned because of their physical disability."
Jessie Doerner
Recreation Therapy (Online) - Fast Track, Canadore College
"Tomorrow is shapable, exciting and full of potential. We have the ability to impact others' lives for the better. That's exactly what I envision doing with my future - taking the necessary steps towards getting an education that will allow me to better tomorrow by helping the senior population live their lives with independence and happiness through meaningful experiences."
Alexandra Hanlon
Bachelor (Honours) of Craft and Design (Specialty In Textiles), Sheridan College
"In my tomorrow, I work and create as an independent textile artist in my own studio, exhibiting my one-of-a-kind pieces in galleries and selling in local craft shops. Sheridan’s dedication to sustainable practices in the textile industry aligns strongly with my own values and this program will allow me to further develop my technical and creative skills, and further explore the fibre medium."
Colin Bauer
Ecological Restoration (Honours Bsc. Trent-Fleming), Fleming College
"It is a science of hope. A better tomorrow is built on that hope, that determination, that strive to restore that which has for so long been broken. I see no better pursuit in college than the science of restoration - a science dedicated to changing the landscapes of tomorrow into something brighter. A turbulent albeit encouraging wave I will ride on my journey through college."
Elysse Pilon
Sport Business Management, Humber College
"The foundation for success starts with a solid education. My foundation is now found in college with a program in Sport Business Management. This is the beginning of my new journey. My reality going forward is simple; follow my passion in life and let it guide my career. I realize my passion lies in sports, where it has always been this whole time."
Destiny Benak
Pre-Health Sciences Pathway to Advanced Diplomas and Degrees, St. Clair College
"Tomorrow looks like a day where I will be helpful, changing the lives of people and making a vast difference with the new knowledge I have as a nurse. With the help of St. Clair, I will become a nurse who will use the skills learned at clinical and in the classroom to become the best nurse… so more lives can be impacted in a positive way. That’s what my tomorrow looks like."
Savannah Decker
Early Childhood Education, Sheridan College
"I believe that every child – irrespective of gender, race, religion, or social status – is filled with the potential to do great things. In my role as an early childhood educator, I will be responsible for helping these children to discover their talents, develop new skills, aspire to excellence, and achieve their dreams. Realizing my lifelong ambition will have a tremendous impact on my tomorrow but, more importantly, it will impact the tomorrows of so many others."
Sumna Zia
Autism and Behavioural Science, Algonquin College
"I decided to become a Behavioural Therapist, not only for helping persons with mental or behavioural problems but for the society, by creating awareness that these people have their unique gifts, talents and abilities that emerge once their unique sensory and communication challenges get accommodations. My college diploma will help me learn to create tolerance of "the other", the different."
Angela Jagganarine
Practical Nursing, George Brown College
"I see a tomorrow that is satisfying, one that is fulfilling because I am able to make a difference. My tomorrow is purposeful and being a happy person, who has a successful career as a Registered Practical Nurse, serving my patients with love and care. I will positively impact the lives of others by contributing to their health and well-being. Having an education would give me the best possible chance to reach my goal."
Leslie Hutchinson
Applied Museum Studies, Algonquin College
"My tomorrow is in the collections and conservation department of a museum. Taking the Applied Museum Studies program at Algonquin will grant me the formal education and practical experience I need to succeed upon this path. I know that my tomorrow will be in a museum and upon graduation from this program I know that I will become an indispensable member of any museum staff."
Lauren Weening
Emergency Telecommunications, Humber College
"911 communication programs have been put into place to better equip individuals like me, to not only handle these situations, but to take control during those crucial seconds in an emergency. A college education will help start me off on my dream of creating a better tomorrow in the emergency field, but it will be up to me to always strive to do better to make sure I am never falling short of the next tomorrow."
Michael Brogee
Woodworking Technician, Conestoga College
"My Tomorrow will hopefully be an entrepreneurial adventure. A college education would teach me both the fundamental and advanced skills I would need to use hand tools and machines to craft guitars and furniture. It would also give me a base of skills and lend an air of credibility to future employers before my own shop is up and running."
Lindey Touzel
Carpentry and Joinery - Heritage, Algonquin College
"I will attend the heritage carpentry and joinery program at Algonquin College this fall, where I hope to learn from those committed to craftspersonship, in an environment focused on creating. I want to discover how to combine the principles of heritage and natural building, respecting both historic craftspeople and future generations. I want to build change, rather than write about it."
Jessica Smith
Paramedic, Centennial College
"My tomorrow looks like being at someone’s bedside as they stare death in the face. My tomorrow looks like ensuring the safety and well-being of those entrusted in my care. My tomorrow includes flashing lights, injuries, illness, and sleepless nights. But most important, my tomorrow offers the opportunity to provide someone else’s tomorrow. My tomorrow will be in the back of an ambulance, or helicopter, working as a paramedic."
Taylor Polich
Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BScN), St. Lawrence College
"I truly believe my tomorrow as a college student, then a college graduate, and then a nurse, will be a brighter place because of it. My tomorrow looks like a pink scrub shirt in a child’s hospital room, making a sick kid forget they’re sick for a moment, and witnessing first-hand how I create change in that child’s life. With a college education, I am determined to turn today’s dream into tomorrow’s reality."
Véronique Chouinard
Animation, Cambrian College
"I walk into the Roy E. Disney animation building where the blue Mickey Mouse Fantasia welcomes me. I walk through my building and enter my designated animation studio. I sit down in front of my lab, happy and ready to start another long yet pleasant day of creating. As I wait for my computer to open and my applications to turn on, I can’t help but think about where my journey started. My mind drifts to my first day in college."
Samuel Catry
Fish and Wildlife Technician (Optional Co-Op), Fleming College
"Tomorrow I am standing along a trail in the woods, watching breathlessly as wildlife pass by under the canopy of pine trees, sharing this serene moment with others. I hope that with my college education I will be able to make an impact to help the environment, fight climate change, mitigate the impacts of unsustainable practices, and to continue to allow nature to breathe that fresh air into others' lives as well."
Valeriya Mordvinova
Aviation-Flight Management, Confederation College
"It took me a while to realize that my true dream is to become a pilot. What is my tomorrow? It’s the smiling passengers, the satisfaction of landing an aircraft in challenging conditions, life-long learning. It’s me as a knowledgeable, skilled, resilient pilot, working together smoothly with the rest of the crew, able to handle anything that comes my way and expecting the unexpected."
Nusayba Mustafa
Film and Television Production, Humber College
"The lack of diversity in mainstream cinema movies is astounding. Going to college can help jumpstart my dream towards a more inclusive future. This is not only important for me: it is extremely important for everyone who comes after me, too. By breaking down barriers, we can work to build a much more inclusive environment where everyone can feel like they matter."
Francis Albert
Techniques Agricole, Collège Boréal
“I’m hoping one day to buy a piece of land and start growing fruits and vegetables as a micro-business. Using a heated greenhouse, I want to produce high-quality produce year-round and sell them to local consumers. Locally-produced foods are always so much fresher. Nothing tastes better and nothing is healthier!” *translated from French
Scarlett Cassidy
Social Service Worker, Seneca College
"A college education as a Social Service Worker, would be the best way to achieve my goal. Having lived in an impoverished, culturally diverse neighbourhood combined with my life experience, both personal and as an employee, I believe I could empathize and help others who have endured hardships of their own. I want more than a job, I want a career and believe that going to college will help me achieve that."
Emma Brooks
Dental Assisting (Levels I and II), Durham College
"Tomorrow will be filled with beautiful and healthy smiles and it is my plan to be part of that movement. I believe that starting with a college education and pursuing additional education throughout my life is necessary for me to maintain a path of growth and happiness. In so doing, I expect my contribution to society will increase accordingly. With continuing my education, we will all be smiling bigger and brighter than ever."
Renee White
Pre-Health Sciences Pathway to Advanced Diplomas and Degrees, Fanshawe College
"In my tomorrow I'll be making a difference in my community on a daily basis as an Ontario Paramedic. My tomorrow does not end there. After gaining experience in the real world, I plan to return to college to complete my Advanced Care Paramedic Certification, which will allow me to become a leader in the emergency community and administer advanced medical treatment measures. My tomorrow is about helping people."
Emily Johnston
Early Childhood Education, Sheridan College
"My future image is of me walking into a kindergarten class filled with a mixture of energetic and quiet kids with a variety of maturity levels, personalities, and challenges. College will help me realize my potential, will allow me to meet other people with whom I share the same goals, will allow me to grow as a person, and will prepare me for working as an ECE worker and beyond."
Robert Pavlounis
Pre-Service Firefighter Education and Training, St. Lawrence College
"Through the firefighter program at St. Lawrence College, I'll learn the skills necessary to help people in their worst times. While some may strive for happiness in their occupation, I think we should be striving for meaning. To live a purposeful life that improves the lives of you, your family, and your community. College will give me the opportunity to live meaningfully."