Awards Night 2013 - The Award Goes To....

 By Debbie Kerr

The Awards Night that took place on March 28th meant different things to different people. The fact that it was a great opportunity to socialize and network was a given; however, as the name of the night implies, there were awards to be given to some very deserving people. As the invitation to the event indicated, none of the awards involved golden statues, but all of them were just as important.

The Summit Award

Kathryn Bender with Rob Cundari

The first award of the evening went to Kathryn Bender, our current Program Manager. To be eligible for this award, an individual has to have served on the STC Southwestern Ontario Chapter's council for a minimum of one year. As this year's winner, Kathryn will receive funding to attend the STC Summit in May, which happens to be in Atlanta, Georgia. Kathryn will represent our chapter at Leadership Day, where she will learn about the STC's previous year and any upcoming changes to the organization. She will learn valuable techniques that will enable our chapter to provide optimal benefits to STC members. After Leadership Day, Kathryn will be able to attend many educational sessions and will learn more than she thought possible. When she comes back to Canada, if she is anything like previous attendees, she will be mentally exhausted but grateful for the experience.

The Heidi Thiessen Memorial Award

Each year, we issue three awards to students for excellence in technical communication. This year's winners were Sandy Vazan of Sheridan College (1st Place); Raymond Alanguilan of UOIT (2nd Place); and Joel Thomson of the University of Waterloo (3rd Place). We awarded these students $1,000, $500, and $200 respectively, in addition to giving each winner a one-year student membership to the Society for Technical Communication.

To be eligible for this award, students had to provide proof that they were registered in an Ontario college or university for the 2012-2013 year, write a letter stating why they should win the award; produce an original piece of technical communication based on a list of possible topics, for example, "How to write an effective essay", "How to plan the perfect party", and "How to stretch your budget"; and submit a second piece of technical communication that they had produced for school. The original piece of work was a new requirement and it enabled students to show the more creative side of technical communication. Entries included drawings and illustrations, PowerPoint presentations, videos, brochures, essays, and posters. The entries certainly demonstrated that simplifying the complex can take many forms, which is something that we, as technical communicators, often try to convey to the people around us, whether they are employers, other people at work, or even our own families.

Just as the entries varied, so did the method of presentation to the winning students. Ray was able to attend in person with his proud parents by his side. Joel contacted us through Skype while he was in Boston on an internship. Sandy was unable to attend due to other commitments, but I was lucky enough to talk to her through Skype a few days later. For those students who could not attend in person, I can honestly say, "The cheque is in the mail."

Joel Thomson with Debbie Kerr via Skype

Raymond Alanguilan with Debbie Kerr

Distinguished Chapter Service Award (DCSA)

Fei Min Lorente with Robert Cundari

The final award of the evening went to Fei Min Lorente, our Immediate Past President. This award is given to someone who has served on our council in a variety of positions, which is certainly the case with Fei Min. In addition to being our Past President, she was President for three years, Volunteer Manager for nine years (still holds this position), Education Manager for one year, and Membership Manager (current position).  Fei Min is the calm in any storm, which is why the citation on her award reads, "In recognition of your perfect combination of professionalism, leadership, dedication, and rapport while completing STC activities at the chapter, national, and international levels."

From my perspective, I was grateful to attend the Awards night, socialize with a great group of people, and witness that sometimes people get the recognition that they truly deserve.