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For some students, university is not just about attending classes and achieving high marks, it is about making a difference in people’s lives whether it’s at Ryerson or in an international community. The Dennis Mock Student Leadership Award recognizes those Ryerson students who have made outstanding contributions to their university as well as their surrounding community and beyond - students who are committed to making a difference.

On Tuesday, April 17, 67 Ryerson students, most of them in their final year, will be awarded a Dennis Mock Student Leadership Award. The following three recipients are among those to be honoured at this year’s awards ceremony:

Tracy Leparulo, Business Management-Marketing, Ted Rogers School of Management
The fourth-year business management and marketing student has indeed made a mark both on campus and beyond. From her involvement in shaping university policy as a member of the university’s Board of Governors to her role as president of Ryerson’s Students in Free Enterprise, she has helped to laid the groundwork for successful initiatives locally (student entrepreneur group StartMeUp, Digital Media Zone) and in the international community (Dago Dala Hera, an orphanage in Kenya, Africa).

Cassandra Thompson, Sociology, Faculty of Arts
Thompson has been pivotal in advocating for strong black women on Ryerson’s campus through her work with the Black History Awareness Committee and the annual Viola Desmond Day Awards, which recognizes the achievements of black students, faculty and staff. She also co-founded Human Rights in Iran and has been involved with her program’s course union and the university’s student union among other campus groups.

Barbara Haber, Act II Studio, The G. Raymond Chang School of Continuing Education
Haber’s career has taken her from psychiatric nursing to commercial art galleries, and now she’s involved in developing theatrical projects that help increase awareness and challenge stereotypes about aging and health. She has acted in several productions including Handle with Care, a drama production about breast cancer that has travelled across parts of Ontario and Canada. As president of ACT II Studio, her leadership was instrumental in the program’s development and she continues to be actively involved.

President Sheldon Levy and Dennis Mock, former Ryerson Vice-President, Academic, will present the awards.

Launched in 2000, the Dennis Mock Student Leadership Awards were established to honour Mock, who served as vice president, academic, among other roles at Ryerson for nearly 30 years.

The Dennis Mock Student Leadership Awards recognize students who have made outstanding voluntary extracurricular contributions to their school or academic program department, or to Ryerson as a whole. The awards acknowledge and encourage student participation in university affairs.

In naming the awards after Dennis Mock, Ryerson recognizes his commitment to higher education. His leadership and dedication, demonstrated during his 28 years at the University, are qualities embodied in students chosen to receive this award.

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MEDIA CONTACT:

Suelan Toye
Public Affairs | Ryerson University
Office: 416-979-5000 x 7161 | stoye@ryerson.ca
@RyersonNews