York's new award winning students

By Nishat Karim
Megan Crewe, left, studying in the Faculty of Arts and Alex Keuroghlian, studying biology in the Faculty of Pure and Applied Science

What do an award winning synchronized swimmer, a recipient of three medals at provincial sprint and relay competitions, a maritime musical star/Muscular Dystrophy spokesperson and multilingual debating champion have in common? They are all part of York University's outstanding new student body, and ready for a challenge.

These students are among a 10,500 strong first-year class that hail from more than 150 countries. Along with the increase in the number of applications for undergraduate study - 12 per cent from last year and 13.6 per cent for graduate studies, the incoming students have shown exceptionally high levels of achievement - academically and within their communities.

This year, the John S. Proctor Scholarship recipient was Konata Lake (Schulich School of Business), who graduated from Westview Centennial Secondary School with scholastic, athletic and community awards to his credit. The Awards of Distinction, York's most prestigious scholarships are awarded to students with outstanding academic records and accomplishments in areas such as community service, leadership, the arts or sports. Lake's crowning achievement came this year when he received the prestigious Harry Jerome Award for Leadership. Lake's accomplishments in sports, particularly track and field are part of what make him successful, since he has won three silver medals in sprint and relay events at provincial competitions. As well, on 25 occasions Lake has finished among the top three in North York track and field events. He is also recognized for his outstanding volunteer service by Humber Regional Hospital.

Stella Palikarova (cultural studies, Faculty of Fine Arts) is a recipient of the Betty Jean and John M. Banks Entrance Scholarship for 1999, also an Award of Distinction. As a native of Bulgaria, and a student in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Palikarova graduated summa cum laude from Prince Andrew High School. As an accomplished composer and gifted singer, she has proven that her talents extend beyond academic life. She has also acted in school plays and worked with the Neptune Youth Theatre in a variety of areas. Palikarova has been described as an extraordinary writer with a "flawless" command of English, Bulgarian and Polish. As a member of the Muscular Dystrophy Association of Canada since 1988, Palikarova has become increasingly active as a spokesperson for the organization.

This year's Alumni Awards of Distinction were presented to Megan Crewe (Faculty of Arts) and Alex Keuroghlian (biology, Faculty of Pure and Applied Science). Crewe, a graduate of Riverdale Collegiate Institute in Toronto is an exceptionally talented writer and a dedicated community activist. New Canadian Voices, In2Print and the Toronto School Board's poetry and prose periodicals have each published her work. One Riverdale teacher recalls the day when, in grade nine, Crewe submitted "a readable 120-page novel" for her one-to-two page assignment for that week. As a member of the swim and synchronized swimming teams of her school, Crewe has won the school MVP awards, not once, but twice. She is interested in creative writing at York, and hopes to pursue a career in elementary school teaching.

Keuroghlian is fluent in multiple languages. Included with his honours and distinctions is the National Latin Exam Gold Medal, as well as various other debating, speaking and writing competitions in Latin, Armenian and French. This passionate stage performer has also participated in the Clinical Psychological Research Mentorship at the University of Toronto and tutored younger students in languages and sciences. For the elderly, Keuroghlian volunteers his time at Sunnybrook Health Science Centre where he cheers up military veterans with cognitive disorders. At York, he hopes to take courses in philosophy and English while preparing for medical school.

The Harry Arthurs Alumni Entrance Scholarship is an award that goes to the child or grandchild of a York University graduate who is motivated to pursue a university education. Rumana Chowdhury (economics, Faculty of Arts) is the 1999 recipient for this award. As a graduate from Scholastica, a private high school in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Chowdhury has worked for the Association for the Protection of Human Rights. There she was involved in collecting data used for the preparation of a project on child labour, as well as a volunteer to make and distribute bread among flood victims. Chowdhury was born in Canada while her father was at York completing his PhD in political science, in 1981.

Along with these exceptional students are a host of others who have won Awards of Achievement. These awards recognize that some students of promising ability have limited financial resources and find it a challenge to pursue a post secondary education. This year there are seven recipients: Queenie Yee (Faculty of Arts); Wendy Wan (Schulich School of Business); Todd Robinson (physics and astronomy, Faculty of Pure and Applied Science); Sandra Minich (sociology, Faculty of Arts); Julie Gresley-Jones (French studies, Glendon College); Sopana Premachandran (Schulich School of Business); and Daniel Radin (Schulich School of Business).

York's top four international students receive awards based primarily on academics, extracurricular and community involvement, a goal statement from the applicant and letters of reference. Financial need is also taken into account. This year's Global Leaders of Tomorrow are Joshua Deitz (Faculty of Arts), Mihnea Dumitru (international studies, Glendon College), Guergana Karadjova (Schulich School of Business) and Betsy Gekonge (chemistry and biology, Faculty of Pure and Applied Science).