Osgoode Dean Patrick Monahan presented Dean's Gold Key Awards to 10 graduating LLB students on March 27. The students received the awards in recognition of their exceptional leadership, commitment and enthusiasm through their participation in various activities on behalf of the law school and York University.
Above: Pictured are this year's award recipients. Front row, from
left: Lauren Corber, Shashu Clacken, Lesa Ong, Gina Nardella
and Osgoode Dean Patrick Monahan. Back row, from left: Elaine
Jewitt-Matthen, Manuel Mendelzon, Daniel Tolhurst, Senwung
Luk, Raquel Kirsch and Jason MacIntosh.
Shashu Clacken
Over the past three years, Clacken has continuously made efforts to promote diversity and equity within Osgoode. She has also shown dedication to maintaining high standards and quality work within the law school through her involvement with Osgoode’s faculty and administration. Clacken has been an active member of the Black Law Students’ Association, acting as the association’s treasurer and upper-year mentor. She directed a panel on Africana/Aboriginal Reparations which involved speakers from within and outside of the Osgoode community. Clacken has also spearheaded efforts to establish a scholarship for black students entering Osgoode, in association with faculty, the administration and the Canadian Association of Black Lawyers.
Lauren Corber
Corber has participated in a number of academic endeavors including the Lerner’s Moot, the Baby Jessup Moot, and the American Bar Association Negotiation Competition. She also worked at the Community & Legal Aid Services Program (CLASP) both as duty counsel and as a caseworker. Corber brought her talents to the forefront in her role as a performer and, for two years, as a producer of Osgoode's Mock Trial variety show. She has also been involved in Law Games; Osgoode’s Orientation Program as an orientation leader; the Alumni Mentorship program as an upper-year advisor; and acted as an ambassador of Osgoode during her exchange program at Amsterdam’s Vrije Universiteit.
Elaine Jewitt-Matthen
Over the past two years, Jewitt-Matthen has shown exemplary leadership and a record of excellence in Osgoode’s Dean’s Fellow Program. She served as a Dean’s Fellow in four first year sections in three different subjects including, criminal law, public law and civil procedure. Jewitt-Matthen also participated in the Osgoode Business Clinic.
Raquel Kirsch
Kirsch is the current editor-in-chief of the Obiter Dicta, after having served as the Obiter’s business manager in her second year. Kirsch was praised for her dedication to the position and has strived to make the Obiter both informative and entertaining. She was also involved in many other extra-curricular activities at Osgoode including CLASP, Mock Trial, Business Law Society and as an Osgoode ambassador.
Senwung Luk
During his three years at Osgoode, Luk served as a Dean’s Fellow in public law and in torts. He also participated in the Aboriginal Intensive Program and is a senior editor of the Osgoode Hall Law Journal. Luk is also the features editor of the Obiterdicta. He has been an orientation leader, a Mock Trial writer and performer, and an upper-year mentor.
Jason MacIntosh
MacIntosh has been an active member of Osgoode’s student body for the past three years. In his first year, he was a member of the Entertainment and Sport Law Association and was an enthusiastic participant in the Osgoode Ambassador Program. In his second year, MacIntosh played a leading role in the creation of the Osgoode After Five Society and held the position of vice-president external for the society. He was also co-editor of Osgoode’s yearbook, Citation, and in the summer of 2005, was a dedicated member of the orientation committee. This year, MacIntosh served as the chief electoral officer in charge of the administration of all student government elections.
Manuel Mendelzon
Throughout his three years at Osgoode, Mendelzon has played a key role at CLASP. In his first year, he acted as duty counsel and worked as a caseworker, and was then selected as an immigration division leader for the 2004-2005 year. This year, he played a central role in the management of the clinic in his capacity as vice-chair of the clinic’s board of directors. He was also responsible for developing the clinic’s new Mission Statement and Statement of Principles which has been added to CLASP’s constitution.
Gina Nardella
Nardella has immersed herself in the Osgoode Community over the past three years in the Student Caucus, CLASP and Mock Trial. In her first year, Nardella acted as duty counsel at CLASP and competed in the Lerner’s Moot. She was a student mentor and an active member of the Entertainment and Sports Law Association. In addition, she created and captained an Osgoode Team for the Weekend to End Breast Cancer, raising almost $20,000. In second year, Nardella was a CLASP caseworker and sat on the Academic Policy Committee. She was a member of the Italian Law Students Association, the Hellenic Law Students Association and the Criminal Law Society. She was also the stage manager for Mock Trial. In her final year, she assumed an active role in student government as vice-chair of Student Caucus. In this capacity, she has been working with the administration on revising the law school’s audio-recording policy. In addition, she was a division leader in the criminal, youth and education divisions of CLASP.
Lesa Ong
Ong was very involved in the Legal & Literary Society. In her second year, she worked as secretary and, this year, is the third-year representative. In this capacity, she is responsible for organizing the Dean’s Formal and graduation pictures. Ong also worked on Mock Trial. She has participated in the production every year and was this year’s singing director. Ong has been very involved in Osgoode’s Orientation Program, acting as an Orientation Week leader in her second year and as Orientation Chair last summer. In addition to these many activities, Ong has participated in the Business Law Society, Law Games and was a member of Osgoode’s Team at the Weekend to End Breast Cancer.
Daniel Tolhurst
Over the course of his three years at Osgoode, Tolhurst has made a commitment to representing his fellow students’ interests in the law school community. He is the current president of the Legal & Literary Society. He has worked on a number of projects on behalf of students including the Library and Class Room Use Policy and the student health plan. Tolhurst has served as co-chair of the Orientation Committee planning enjoyable orientation events. He has been an active participant in such Osgoode traditions as the Law Games and Mock Trial. He is also a past president of the Osgoode Business Society.