For a century and a half, the Governor General’s Academic Medal has been one of the country’s most prestigious awards for outstanding educational achievement.
College of the North Atlantic’s (CNA) 43 graduate winners since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic were recently honoured at a special awards ceremony hosted by then Lieutenant Governor Judy Foote. Nearly half attended the ceremony in person. As winners of this medal, graduates demonstrated academic excellence in their program of study and achieved the highest academic marks at their respective campuses.
“It was a pleasure as Lieutenant Governor to present 20 outstanding young people with the Governor General’s Academic Medal at a ceremony hosted at Government House on behalf of Her Excellency, the Right Honourable Mary May Simon,” said Lt.-Gov. Foote. “As they embark on their chosen career paths, His Honour and I encourage them to continue to do their very best and enjoy the journey. We are incredibly proud of them and their achievements.”
CNA President and CEO Elizabeth Kidd says the medal is a big deal, one that represents long hours of dedication.
“I have been fortunate to work in post-secondary education for some time now and serve as President of College of the North Atlantic for the past three years,” said Ms. Kidd. “During that time – the Covid years – I witnessed students facing many challenges, educational and otherwise, and time and time again, I was inspired and impressed by their ability to push through it all and achieve at such a high level.”
The Governor General’s Academic Medals were established in 1873 and past winners have included notable Canadians such as Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau; Tommy Douglas, the father of socialized medicine in Canada; and the esteemed former Governor General of Canada, Adrienne Clarkson.
“This year marks the 150th anniversary of these medals and they represent the standard of student excellence in the academic community,” explained Heidi Staeben-Simmons, Associate Vice President of Public Affairs and Advancement. “This is no small feat, and our students are all very deserving of the accolades bestowed upon them.” The winners of the Governor General’s Academic Medals are:
2020-21 Academic Year
| Medal Recipient | Program |
| Best, Kayla | Practical Nursing |
| Edwards, Jessica | Office Administration – Executive |
| Fizzard, Leonard | Office Administration – Executive |
| Gale, Jasmine | Agriculture Technician Co-op |
| Green, Devon | Civil Engineering Technology Co-op |
| Harvey, Ashley | Cultural Culinary Arts & Tourism |
| Noble, Natalie | Office Administration – Executive |
| Noseworthy, Kelly | Practical Nursing |
| Oh, Hyun Young | Office Administration – Executive |
| Ormilla, Gelmay | Office Administration – Executive |
| Prince-Stagg, Chantille | Practical Nursing |
| Ralph, Liam | Aircraft Maintenance Engineering Technician |
| Samms, Bethany | Business Administration |
| Simmons, Perpetua | Office Administration – Executive |
| Whelan, Keely | Video Game Art & Design |
| Young, Glenda | Office Administration – Executive |
2021-22 Academic Year
| Medal Recipient | Program |
| Benteau, Erika | Community Leadership Development |
| Caines, Miranda | Executive Office Management |
| Crane, Bradley | Geomatics/Survey Engineering Technology |
| Dsouza, Reshma | Executive Office Management |
| Dyke, Taylor | Executive Office Management |
| Galway, Tanisha | Aircraft Maintenance Engineering Technology |
| Hand, Matthew | Welding Engineering Technician |
| Kaur, Manrajpreet | Records and Information Technology |
| Kennedy, Kendra | Practical Nursing |
| Meade, David | Primary Care Paramedicine |
| Paquette, Curtis | Video Game Art & Design |
| Singh, Rattan Preet | Executive Office Management |
| Ye, Tanyan | Business Administration – Accounting |
2022-23 Academic Year
| Medal Recipient | Program |
| Carpenter, Stephanie | Practical Nursing |
| Cooper, Sandra | Cultural Culinary Arts & Tourism |
| Davies, David | Aircraft Maintenance Engineering Technology |
| Durnford, Kaylalee | Medical Office Management |
| Gill, Thomas | Welding Engineering Technician |
| Heo, Seonyoung | Graphic Design |
| Hughes, Melissa | Executive Office Management |
| Keeping, Darrellyn | Early Childhood Education |
| Kennedy, Nicholas | Computing Systems Engineering Technology Co-op |
| Musgrave, Andrew | Digital Filmmaking |
| Sheppard, Amber | Executive Office Management |
| Snow, Megan | Executive Office Management |
| Vanin, Michael | Executive Office Management |
| White, Angel | Practical Nursing |
