Student Recognition
Aaron McGurk
Aaron pushed himself really hard to finish all three math courses on a tight timeline. He worked very hard to make sure he was ready for the tests and did the best he could. He was engaged enough to ask “why?” rather than just plowing through the math and not caring why it worked. Phenomenal guy.
Submitted by: Gavin Thompson
Allisandra Latawan
Allisandra completed Communication 6 with a final grade of A+ on February 28, 2022. She started in Communication 3 in September 2021, and in just 5 months has completed all four levels of Communication, as well as Computer Skills. She has an incredibly positive attitude, works very hard and completes everything with excellence! Congratulations Allisandra! This Student Recognition Award is well deserved!
Submitted by: Cindy Thuswaldner
Bamidele Yusuf
Bammy is incredibly hard working. Despite having a demanding job, she spends many hours every week working on assignments, reading my feedback, and improving her skills. She does not get discouraged when she hits a road bump but instead asks questions, takes the time to proofread, and meets the criteria and deadlines every time. I have no doubt that Bammy will be successful in any field she chooses. Keep it up, Bammy! Thank you for being an awesome student.
Submitted by Géraldine Dion St-Pierre
Yingying Ma
Ying was an exceptional student to teach. She finished the Comm 3 course in only two and a half weeks. On her first day in class, she submitted 15 grammar exercises with zero mistakes. She continued to move quickly through the material, but she always took the time to review her work, ask questions and correct any errors. Although she is moving on to Comm 4, she has asked to keep her access to the Comm 3 material so that she can continue to review her grammar, reading and vocabulary. She participated in the lessons regularly and actively, and her smiling face and positive attitude were always contagious. I will miss her in my class, but I know she is going places…with lightning speed and great success.
Submitted by Stephanie Hampel
Dandan (Helen) Cao
Helen is an impressive student. She is always ahead of schedule and constantly strives to improve. When obstacles arise, Helen does not get discouraged but doubles down to meet expectations. She also uses a variety of learning strategies to be successful. Helen’s energy is positive and infectious, and she will be successful in her post-secondary studies and a welcome addition to any organization she chooses to join. Keep up the good work, Helen!
Submitted by Geraldine Dion St. Pierre
Alli finished Comm 3 with an A+ in only six weeks. She was an extremely self-motivated and hard-working student who always actively participated in the lessons with enthusiasm and respect. Her positive attitude, exceptional work, and sweet demeanor were a real treat.
Submitted by Stephanie Hampel
Abu is an intelligent, resilient, and hard-working student. Even though she has to deal with other responsibilities and challenges daily, Abu makes progress regularly and completes assignments thoughtfully. She keeps improving, and her writing skills are strong. She sometimes works on assignments after a long night of work and still manages to answer all the questions intelligently. Abu is a role model, and I have no doubt that she can meet her long-term goals. I’ll be rooting for you, Abu!
Submitted by Géraldine Dion St. Pierre
Houcine Cherif
Houcine is an exceptional person. In addition to juggling family responsibilities and work, Houcine puts a lot of effort into his Communication assignments, and it shows. His language skills have improved significantly during his time in Communication 5. Not only is Houcine hard working, he is also uplifting to speak to on Zoom, polite, and intelligent. I have no doubt that Houcine will be successful in post-secondary and any career he chooses. Keep up the good work, Houcine. We are rooting for you.
Submitted by Geraldine Dion St. Pierre
Kyoko Shrives
Working with Kyoko is an absolute delight. She is hard-working, dedicated, consistent, and smart. Her work keeps improving, and her writing skills are excellent. I have even asked her to use one of her essays as a sample for other students. In addition, she communicates with me every time something is unclear or she needs to inform me of something. I have no doubt that Kyoko will be successful in post-secondary and her future career. Any organization would be lucky to work with her. Keep up the good work, Kyoko!
Submitted by Géraldine Dion St. Pierre
Fatimah Akintoye
Fatimah Akintoye is just two weeks away from finishing her ACE Certificate. She started with the goal of earning her grade 12 English, and then decided to take Success Strategies to help her with her future schooling plans. To each of these courses, she brought her optimistic spirit, determination and hard work and succeeded with excellent marks. Then, as Success Strategies finished and COVID hit, she decided that she needed another challenge, as it was not enough to be working and raising five lovely children! Fatimah decided to tackle math, a subject that was always difficult for her. Taking each module one step at a time, she has overcome her fear of mathematics and is now in her final module of Intermediate Math. (Many days she will tell you that she actually likes math.) Fatimah has been such an inspiration in everything she does. She faces both personal and academic challenges with courage, faith and perseverance. Congratulations on all that you have achieved Fatimah, and good luck on the many exciting adventures ahead. Keep dancing!
Submitted by Angela McCanny, ACElinks
Darryl Prevost
So often you find that the students you are trying to inspire are the ones that end up inspiring you, Darryl Normano Prevost is one of those students. Normano is working on completing his last module of College Preparation English at the ACElinks location of the Academic Upgrading program. He originally enrolled to update his Computer Skills but has then gone on to complete his grade 12 English, as well. Throughout the pandemic, he has shown excellent ability to set goals and be persistent in achieving them. Normano’s terrific sense of humor has brought many smiles to students’ faces on grey Monday mornings. I have enjoyed reading the wonderful writing projects he has written. He has worked extremely hard this year and I am proud of all his accomplishments. Normano, I wish you all the success today and always!
Submitted by Catherine Link-Henniger, ACElinks
Lissette Castilloaparicio
Lissette is an impressive student. She has only been my student for a few week, but she is ahead of schedule in terms of due dates. In addition, her writing skills are quite impressive. She makes almost no mistakes and includes interesting, well-developed ideas in her paragraphs and essays. She is also polite and communicates with me by email regularly. Keep up the good work, Lissette! You are an excellent student!
Submitted by Geraldine Dion St. Pierre
Tara White
After working in the restaurant industry for 15 years, Tara needed a change and came to Academic Upgrading to gain the necessary skills to pursue post-secondary education. Tara is an exceptional Communication student. She is thorough and meticulous in her writing, and she expresses herself beautifully. I can’t really say enough about the quality of Tara’s work. She takes feedback very seriously and always submits work well within timelines. Her marks all range in the very high ’90s, which just about says it all. Well done Tara! Keep up the excellent work.
Submitted by Cindy Thuswaldner
Yanyun (Vicky) Lu
Vicky is hard-working and dedicated to her studies despite having several responsibilities outside of school. She asks questions when needed and submits work regularly. Her skills have been steadily improving as she goes the extra mile to do well. I have no doubt that Vicky will be successful in any field she chooses. Keep up the good work, Vicky!
Submitted by Geraldine Dion St. Pierre
Amir Hermasparada
Amir came to the Academic Upgrading program one year ago to complete the required math courses to enter a business-related program at Algonquin College. Amir has done very well in his math courses and is always pleasant to work with. He has excellent math skills that will help him succeed in his next program. Amir also loves basketball and is looking forward to joining the Algonquin College basketball team when he starts his post-secondary program. Great work, Amir!
Submitted by Ryan Andress
Ryan Parent
Ryan has had to jump into the online setting right away during his very first year in AAADD. He has been able to do his work independently and follow along really well. He always shows a positive attitude to his peers and teachers. He puts his best effort into his work, even when it is challenging.
Submitted by Lianne Calderone
Sylvie Morin
When Sylvie started Comm. 5, she was a strong student. She keeps improving as she reads my feedback, takes it into consideration, and integrates it into her assignments. She is hard-working and dedicated and submits several assignments per week. Sylvie also asks questions regularly, which allows her to grow as a learner. I have no doubt that she will achieve her goal of completing the animation program at Algonquin College and be successful in her field. Keep up the good work, Sylvie!
Submitted by Geraldine Dion St. Pierre
Melissa Beagan
Melissa has accomplished so much since she started the ACElinks program in Sept. 2020. She has completed three courses and is working on her last three right now. Math has never been a comfortable subject for her but instead of leaving it for last and starting with her more favourite subject, English; she tackled Math as her first course and has done an amazing job. She attends every class, bringing a positive attitude and steady hard work. Melissa is patient with herself when she does not understand, rereading the textbook and asking for help until it makes sense. Melissa has shown what determination looks like and is a wonderful example of making a commitment to herself and sticking with it. Congratulations on all your accomplishments this year, Melissa.
Submitted by Angela McCanny
Mona Kharrat and Maher Kraieh
Maher and Mona are husband and wife and have been taking Academic Upgrading math courses together. Both Mona and Maher have been working very hard to meet all their deadlines, and are doing great in their math courses, all while being busy welcoming their new baby, Luna, to their family during the pandemic. Maher plans to continue into the Business Accounting Program, and Mona plans to continue into the Business Management and Entrepreneurship Program. Congratulations Mona and Maher and keep up the great work!
Submitted by Ryan Andress
Rawan Alashi
Rawan is a great student who joined Academic Upgrading in September 2020. Prior to taking Academic Upgrading math courses, Rawan had no high school math experience and was worried about learning math in a language that was not her first language. However, through hard work, excellent attendance, and reaching out for help when needed, she has been able to overcome these challenges and is excelling in her math class with all As. Amazing job, Rawan!
Submitted by Nuha Salem
Paula May Saplala
Paula completed Communication 5 three weeks ahead of schedule. She is currently in Communication 6. She comes from a difficult background and has had to work very hard to get where she is today. She is focused and dedicated. Paula is always very thankful for feedback and incorporates it into her work with excellent results. She is a lovely, sweet person!
Submitted by Cindy Thuswaldner
Mishell Parsons
Mishell is an extremely hard working, dedicated student. In 4 months, she has completed Fundamental Math, Intermediate math, and is on the final stretch of Technical Math. According to Mishell, math has never been her strong subject, but her work ethic and desire to learn has created an A+ student! Excellent work Mishell!
Submitted by Cindy Thuswaldner
Ariana Anderson
Ariana Anderson is a great math student! She puts focus and effort into mastering each topic. Ariana takes initiative and is proactive about her progress. As a result, she blazed through Fundamental Math from start to finish. She shows no signs of slowing down in Intermediate Math. Her work is a joy to assess and her dedication to continuing her learning remotely is very admirable!
Submitted by Jennifer Lexmond
Queen Desiree Shaka
Desiree is a dedicated and organized student. She submits progress reports every week to ensure she is keeping up with her work and meeting all her course deadlines. She completes work regularly and approaches learning with a positive attitude. Desiree plans to pursue a career in architecture. She has all the qualities and skills it takes to be successful. Good work, Desiree!
Submitted by Géraldine Dion St. Pierre
Risha Berkeley
Risha has demonstrated tremendous effort and growth throughout the year and brings great energy to the class. She has that combination of a positive attitude and the belief that she can always improve that is rare in a student but essential to the learning process. She displays commitment and diligence in everything she does. Risha struggled to comprehend the material at the beginning of the year, but her response to this is what struck me. Where so many others have given up, Risha took on this class as a welcome challenge. As a teacher, it is incredibly fulfilling to witness a student make this academic and personal progress. Risha is a pleasure to have in class, and her positive attitude and belief in herself, even in the face of difficulty, is an immensely admirable asset. I am confident that she will continue to demonstrate the same perseverance and optimism that she has shown me and her peers.
Submitted by: Catherine Link-Henniger, ACELinks
Kenanah Al Masarwa
Kenanah has been an Academic Upgrading student for several months working on Communications 5 and 6 and is about to complete Communication 6! She is an active, positive, and hard-working student. She reaches out and asks questions when needed and always shows an interest in learning and improving. Kenanah has taught Math and Science in the past, and she plans on pursuing a career in engineering or education. Keep up the good work, Kenanah!
Submitted by Géraldine Dion St. Pierre