Viceregal recognition for 4 dedicated Concordians
Photography major Jeremy Blinkhorn in his studio. | Image courtesy of Jeremy Blinkhorn
Four Concordia students had a lot to celebrate this past weekend.
On Saturday, May 28, the Honourable J. Michel Doyon awarded Jeremy Blinkhorn, Katrina Caruso, Anthony Garoufalis-Auger and Jana Ghalayini with the Lieutenant Governor of Quebec Bronze Youth Medals in recognition of their significant contributions to society.
The four Concordians joined other high school, CEGEP and university students at a ceremony at Collège Reine-Marie, where Doyon handed out the medals.
The youth medals are one of three categories of awards given out by the Lieutenant Governor to citizens of Quebec who have had a positive influence on their community and demonstrated an exceptional capacity to go above and beyond for the benefit of others.
“The Lieutenant Governor’s Bronze Youth Medal is one of the few opportunities for recognition of youth engagement that is province-wide,” says Andrew Woodall, Concordia’s dean of Students who submitted their nominations.
“I think it’s a great honour to have our students chosen for this award and I am immensely proud of them. Each of these students has distinguished themselves as engaged leaders in our community, whether it be in student governance, activism or humanitarian issues. I feel privileged to have worked with them over the course of my time here at Concordia.”
Jana Ghalayini during her final-year project (Cardiovascular simulator) at a showcase in the EV building.
The four medal winners
Jana Ghalayini studies mechanical engineering at Concordia. She’s a past winner of the James McQueen Scholarship and a Golden Key International Honour Society member. A member and volunteer at Concordia’s Institute for Co-operative Education, Ghalayini is also a representative of engineering undergraduates on several councils at Concordia and a valued executive member of the Concordia Dodgeball League.
"Receiving my medal from the Lieutenant Governor himself was a marvellous experience," says Ghalayini, about this past weekend’s ceremony.
Katrina Caruso (BA 2014) is pursuing her master’s in art history at Concordia. During her undergraduate studies, she was editor-in-chief at the Concordia Undergraduate Journal of Art History, which led to her involvement with the board of the Fine Arts Student Alliance and the Concordia Student Union (CSU). She’s been a member of the Concordia Council on Student Life (CCSL) for three years.
Caruso recently organized two clothing swaps, where extra items were donated to Auberge Transition and the Native Women's Shelter of Montreal.
Katrina Caruso (far right) at Concordia's Open House.
“The service that I do is very important to me — I see myself as not only a writer, researcher, curator and artist, but also an activist and an active member of the community,” she says.
Photography major Jeremy Blinkhorn currently sits on the Art Matters board of directors, the Fine Arts Faculty Council and other committees at Concordia, including the Governance Committee of Sustainability Action Fund. This past fall he worked with the CSU to plan orientation.
“Throughout the years, I’ve always tried to get students to engage — to make them recognize the amazing community and support system that we have, especially in the Faculty of Fine Arts where so much of it is community based.”
Anthony Garoufalis-Auger is pursuing a double major in political science, and community, public affairs and policy studies. In 2013, he was named a Concordia Sustainability Champion and given the CCSL Outstanding Contribution to Student Life Award.
A dedicated environmentalist, he’s helped organize speaking tours on the influence of the oil industry on Canadian politics as well as important book launches.
Anthony Garoufalis-Auger speaking at a demonstration against fossil fuel projects and the Plan Nord.
Recently, he spoke to CEGEP students and other youth on the science of global warming, the importance of getting involved in the broader community and the moral imperative of challenging government inaction on climate change.
He currently sits on the coordinating committee of Montreal Climate Action.
"Winning this award came as a surprise, as the type of work I do and the issues I am concerned about, unfortunately, often don't attract enough attention in the mainstream," says Garoufalis-Auger.
Find out more about getting involved in the university and local community organizations through Concordia’s Office of the Dean of Students.
