Alan Pelizer, a second-year student in Glendon's International Studies Program, is this year's winner of the Ontario Global Traders Award for Student Achievement in the Central Ontario Region. Ontario Exports Inc., the export development agency of the Government of Ontario, handed out the awards at a ceremonial luncheon at the 7th Annual Ontario Global Traders Forum held on April 14.
Right: From left, Tony Wong, parliamentary assistant to the minister of economic development, Alan Pelizer, and Robin Garrett, president and CEO, Ontario Exports Inc.
Pelizer has a passion for promoting the benefits of international trade, honed through his participation in the International Studies Program at York's Glendon College, the judges said. They also noted his work experience in Brazil and Canada. Pelizer has worked in corporations such as São Paulo, Brazil’s DFX International Transport, Aeromexpress Airlines and the DHL Danzas Group. He has continued to expand his knowledge of air and ocean transportation through a co-op appointment at Mellohawk Logistics, where he integrated the operations and customer service departments for this Toronto-based company.
Award winners are selected from finalists of regional competitions and can gain instant recognition as top achievers in their fields. The Student Achievement Award honours students who demonstrate that their contribution has benefited Ontario's exporting community either through their studies or through business experience. In addition to professional recognition, regional student winners receive a $2,000 bursary.
Pelizer, 25, emigrated to Canada from Brazil in 2003 to pursue his dream of success in business. On previous family visits to his sisters, who have lived here for a number of years, he was impressed with the harmonious multicultural coexistence in this country and its "respectful society with a strong middle class". "I have been deeply interested in a career in business since the age of 14 and I felt that Canada was the right place for my business aspirations," he said.
Pelizer said he chose Glendon to complete his education for a number of reasons. He was eager to benefit from the opportunity to establish a personal contact with his professors, and he was also interested in the courses on Brazil offered at Glendon - courses he was not able to find elsewhere. He found the flexible structure of the International Studies Program most applicable to his particular interests in the Third World. The general helpfulness of the Glendon administration, whether with financial concerns or academic planning, also impressed him. "And, of course, there is the beautiful learning environment as well," Pelizer commented.
This article was submitted to YFile by Marika Kemeny, communications officer at Glendon.