The Mohawk College Alumni of Distinction awards recognize graduates for their career achievements and community contributions that provide an exceptional source of inspiration for future generations. In honour of every recipient, the Alumni Association supports a bursary with a one-time donation of $500 to Mohawk College to support current students in achieving their goals.
Two of the ten alumni that will be honored this year are:
Business Category :Lisa McDonald – Child and Youth Worker, 1994. Author and Radio Host, The Contact Talk Radio Network
Lisa McDonald is a successful author, motivational speaker, host and personal development coach. In addition to her Mohawk diploma she has a sociology degree from McMaster University. In 2016, she returned to Mohawk to address the graduating class at their convocation.
Her podcast Living Fearlessly with Lisa McDonald, explores the obstacles and challenges that hold people back. The show seeks to inspire and empower listeners to break the cycle of negative thoughts and actions that prevent them from reaching their goals.
Building on the success of her podcast, in 2015, Lisa began hosting her own radio show for The Contact Talk Radio Network, where she focuses on personal empowerment while interviewing inspiring authors, musicians and world thought-leaders.
Community Services Category: Nancy Smith – Child Care Worker, 1981, Executive Director, Interval House Hamilton
Nancy Smith has dedicated her life to helping others, more recently focusing on women and children in need. For more than 38 years, she has held senior management and leadership roles in the not-for-profit sector, focusing on program development for both children and adults.
Her extensive work in children’s services and policy work at Queen’s Park has resulted in changes to the Young Offenders Act and the Child and Family Services Act.
In 1997, she joined Interval House of Hamilton (IHOH) as residential program manager before moving to executive director in 2015. IHOH provides emergency shelter, safety planning and support services for women with or without children who have experienced abuse or violence.
Nancy has received a number of accolades for her leadership and career successes, such as the YWCA Woman of Distinction Award for Community Leadership, a Hamilton Hero award from the Woman Abuse Working Group (WAWG) and the Hamilton Tiger Cats, as well as an EMpower Strategy Group’s Women Who Rock award.
Leave a comment