Algonquin College celebrates four student changemakers

Posted on Wednesday, April 23rd, 2025

Four students in the Occupational Therapist Assistant and Physiotherapist Assistant Program (OTA/PTA) received the Student Changemakerfour students stand with Board Chair Jay MacLaren and Claude Brule at the April Board meeting Award at the April 22 Algonquin College Board of Governors meeting.

Level 2 students Elspeth Jordan, Jenna Fowler, Olivier Savoie, and Sarah Batoff were lauded for their outstanding work on the Handwriting Heroes project during the Winter 2025 semester. This initiative supported children aged 6–8 through engaging, structured activities aimed at improving handwriting skills while also developing essential fine motor abilities for daily tasks.

The award — designed as a way for the board to formally acknowledge exceptional student efforts and projects — has been well received by community participants.

The “Handwriting Heroes” project was developed to address the continued need for fine motor skill development in children in the Ottawa community. A call out for heroes received overwhelming interest with over 60 applicants. Each of the participants was paired with an OTA /PTA student who assisted them with program activities under the supervision of an Algonquin College instructor.

Recognizing handwriting is a common challenge for many school-aged children, OTA/ PTA students applied therapeutic techniques with program participants to enhance fine motor skills and help them gain greater independence with their schoolwork.

The program has been a huge success with positive feedback from participants, parents, and our students.

About the Student Changemaker Award 

The Student Changemaker Award is a way for the Board of Governors to formally recognize remarkable student successes or projects. In the spirit of change, the Algonquin College Board of Governors’ Changemaker Award recognizes student success in the bold pursuit of a better future. 


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