Queen鈥檚 Rector Cam Yung, Artsci鈥17, feels this year鈥檚 recipients of the Agnes Benidickson Tricolour Award are among the best in Queen鈥檚 history.
Mike Blair, Sc鈥17, Claire Gummo, Artsci鈥17, Tara McDonald, Artsci鈥17, Lauren Winkler, Artsci鈥17, and Mike Young, Artsci鈥16, are being inducted into the Tricolour Society, which is one of the oldest and highest honours a student can receive from the university.
鈥淭he people who were nominated were a very spectacular group of individuals. They have done exceptional work for the Queen鈥檚 community,鈥 says Mr. Yung. 鈥淲hat made this year so special is that each person brought a different aspect in terms of leadership and character. They didn鈥檛 serve in a similar way to each other. They each had a different agenda.鈥
The award goes to Queen鈥檚 students for distinguished service to Queen鈥檚 in non-athletic, extra-curricular activities.
Here is a quick look at this year鈥檚 recipients:
- Mr. Blair served on the Alma Mater Society Board of Directors and volunteered with Queen鈥檚 First Aid and was a Queen鈥檚 175th Anniversary Coordinator.
- Ms. Gummo championed conversations, wrote policy, created educational programs to address sexual violence at Queen鈥檚, and has been selected as a 2017 Rhodes Scholar.
- Ms. McDonald created the Queen鈥檚 Elephant in the Room Anti-Stigma Campaign for mental health. She is a leader who empowers others and never gives up when advocating for equity and social change.
- Ms. Winkler worked to bring together the Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities at Queen鈥檚 by collaborating on the very first Queen鈥檚 Native Students Association Indigenous Conference.
- Mr. Young, Queen鈥檚 former rector, worked tirelessly to create an inclusive community by addressing issues surrounding mental health, sexual violence, and gender/sexual diversity.
A selection committee made up of students from various faculties chose the five recipients from a group of 18 nominees. There is no set number of recipients that have to be selected. In the past 10 years, anywhere from one to eight students have received the honour.
The Tricolour Award has a long history at Queen鈥檚 as it was first awarded in 1940. Past recipients include Dragons鈥 Den TV star Michele Romanow, Sc鈥07, MBA鈥08; the father of the Canadian flag John Matheson, BA鈥40, DSA鈥77, LLD鈥84; and former Bank of Canada Governor and Queen鈥檚 Chancellor Emeritus David Dodge, Arts'65, LLD'02.
This year鈥檚 recipients will be honoured on April 8 during a ceremony at the Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts.
