The annual Premier’s Awards honour the important social and economic contributions made by college graduates to the province and to the world.
Nominations are submitted by Ontario’s 24 colleges and are presented in six categories, Business, Creative Arts and Design, Community Services, Health Sciences, Technology, and Recent Graduate, and reviewed by a selection committee.
Canadore has announced its three nominees for the 2014 Premier's Awards.
Wendy Abdallah (North Bay, Ont.) – Victim Witness Service Worker through the Ministry of the Attorney General, and graduate of Canadore College's Nursing program.
Devoting her professional life to assessing and addressing the needs of victims and witnesses of crime, Abdallah has initiated and delivered a number of victim focused training programs for police officers, investigators and professionals within the Ontario criminal justice system. An advocate for victims’ rights, she has conducted presentations, workshops and conferences on issues in courts such as domestic violence, child abuse awareness and prevention, anti-bullying and non-consensual distribution of intimate images.
Abdallah credits Canadore College’s dedicated and supportive faculty with providing her with the foundation and structure needed to learn new skills, and guiding her as she pursued her future goals. Abdallah received a provincial Leading Women Building Communities Award for her exceptional leadership in raising awareness against violence and racism and breaking down barriers that women and children face as victims.
She has also been the recipient for a Ministry of the Attorney General Excelsior Award for Innovation for the development of a comprehensive police enforcement training program, which was created to reduce the contamination of evidence in child sexual assault investigations. Recently, Abdallah has focused her attention to the increased severity of bullying, cyber-bullying and the non-consensual distribution of intimate images.
Jordan Presseault (North Bay, Ont.) - Owner and operator of Cinema Works Entertainment, and graduate of Canadore College's Broadcasting Television and Video Production program.
Producing unique productions that focus on corporate and wedding cinema, Presseault is a passionate storyteller who strives to elevate the standard of videography in Northern Ontario. During his studies in the Broadcast Production program at Canadore College, Presseault completed an internship with RayRoman Films in Miami Fla., an international award-winning cinematic company.
This opportunity, combined with access to industry-standard equipment, advanced technology and skilled faculty members, affirmed his passion for artistic storytelling and allowed him to develop as a professional to easily transition into a number of different roles within the industry. Presseault has developed the ability to create emotional, impactful stories, and the quality of his work has generated requests for his assistance in editing and directing projects across Canada and around the world in places like Italy, New York, Los Angeles and Miami.
Most recently, Presseault worked with the national broadcast show, The Indspire Awards, to collect and tell the stories of outstanding Aboriginal achievers, like James Eetoolook, the key player in the negotiation of the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement that reshaped Canada.
Jacques Seguin (Toronto, Ont.) - Senior Vice President of Strategic Planning and Process Development at Manitowoc and graduate of Canadore College's Business Administration program.
With a long-standing career at The Garland Group, Seguin worked from an entry-level sales role through administration and management to become the President and General Manager, a position that he held for 13 years. Believing in leadership development, he created the President's Council at Garland consisting of a group of key leaders from multiple departments tasked with driving new organizational strategy for expanding the customer base for foodservice chains such as McDonald’s and Time Horton's.
His passion and leadership have achieved three industry-leading U.S. National Restaurant Association Innovation Awards within a 12-month period, and his team was the first in their field to win the Canadian Food Service and Hospitality Pinnacle Award. Through his experience at Canadore College, Seguin says that he gained a foundation of business knowledge which has allowed him to pursue his career ambitions and a life-long journey of learning and self-improvement. Seguin is a Director and Past Chair of the Board of the Canadian Hospitality Foundation, and a Fellow of the Ontario Hostelry Institute.
He is also a current member of Canadore College's Professional Advisory Committee for the School of Culinary Arts.
The winners will be celebrated at a gala event at the Royal York Hotel in Toronto on November 24. This year, there are more than 110 nominees and over 800 guests expected to attend.
