Exceptional Fanshawe Graduates Honoured in Provincial Ceremonies

Fanshawe College Graduate Honoured With 2010 Premier's Award at November 22 Ceremony

Fanshawe College is proud to announce that Law and Security graduate Debra Bodkin has been named one of the recipients of the 2010 Premier's Awards for Ontario College Graduates.

Ms. Bodkin graduated from Fanshawe College in 1982 and is currently Sergeant of the Major Case Unit with the Waterloo Regional Police Service. She has worked in a variety of areas, including sexual assaults, drugs, homicide and intelligence, while providing leadership in the Uniformed Patrol, Intelligence and Major Case Units. She also works with the Crisis Negotiator Team, resolving critical situations including hostage negotiations. Debra was the first female officer in the Waterloo Regional Police Service's Intelligence Unit and Homicide Unit.

While she has an exceptional record as a police officer, she is most recognized for her work on extremely challenging overseas investigations of crimes against humanity in Kosovo, Darfur and Rwanda. Debra received the NATO Medal of Service in Kosovo in recognition of her contributions to an extremely difficult and intense investigation and has received international recognition for her investigative skills.

Debra spent three months interviewing witnesses, victims and suspects related to atrocities committed during the Darfur conflict. Her experiences changed her, profoundly and permanently, and she found that talking about her experiences helped her heal. Since 2005 she has given over 130 talks on the topics of global citizenship and genocide.

As a police officer, Debra has worked in some of the toughest areas of law enforcement, dealing with the most dangerous offenders. She has dedicated her professional life to community service at the very highest level, both in Canada and around the world.

"We are extremely proud of Debra Bodkin for her community and global involvement," said Fanshawe College President Dr. Howard Rundle. "Her passion for police work and her commitment to making the world a better and safer place are truly inspirational - she is an exceptional role model for students everywhere."

Debra Bodkin was presented with her award at the Premier's Awards reception in Toronto on November 22, 2010.

Fanshawe College Graduate Honoured With 2010 Colleges Ontario Award November 22

Fanshawe College is also proud to announce that Business graduate Belinda Sayeau was presented with the 2010 Colleges Ontario Award for student achievement for her work helping Aboriginal students attain a postsecondary education. Sayeau, an Anishinaabe woman who grew up in Red Lake and is a member of the Shoal Lake #40 First Nation, recognized the challenges facing Aboriginal students from small communities when they move to a large college and has helped mentor and tutor other Aboriginal students.

"I feel it's my place to work toward bringing the Aboriginal and non-Native communities at Fanshawe together," says Sayeau, who was adopted outside of her culture and often considers herself a bridge. "I'm the perfect person to do it because I've always walked both paths."

"Students like Belinda Sayeau make a real difference," said Dr. Howard Rundle, President of Fanshawe College. "Belinda's warm and open personality, clear principles, and strong voice have had an impact on the lives of many First Nations and non-Native people at the College and beyond."

Belinda was presented with her award on November 22, 2010, at the Higher Education Summit, the annual conference organized by Colleges Ontario.

Backgrounder: Premier's Awards
Presented annually to six recipients, the Premier's Awards for Ontario College Graduates celebrate the outstanding contributions college graduates make to Ontario and throughout the world. Nominations are submitted from each of Ontario's 24 colleges in six categories: Business, Creative Arts and Design, Community Services, Health Sciences, Technology and Recent Graduate. A distinguished panel was assembled to judge this year's awards: Jamie Kennedy, chef and owner of Jamie Kennedy Kitchens; Laura Formusa, the president and CEO of Hydro One; Don Drummond, the former senior vice-president and chief economist at TD Bank Financial Group; Mary Ito, host of Fresh Air on CBC Radio 1; Sue Graham Parker, the senior vice-president of public, corporate and government affairs at Scotiabank; Frances Lankin, the former president and CEO of United Way Toronto; Gisèle Quenneville, the host of Panorama on TFO; and Kevin Costante, the Deputy Minister of Education. For more information, see: http://www.news.ontario.ca/tcu/en/2010/11/exceptional-college-graduates-honoured.html.

Backgrounder: Colleges Ontario Awards
Colleges Ontario is the organization that advocates on behalf of the province's 24 publicly funded colleges. The Colleges Ontario awards were established in 2000 to recognize individuals, organizations and volunteers who have made an outstanding contribution to the advancement of Ontario's college system.

This year's awards were presented in four categories: student excellence, exemplary service, collaboration partnerships, and community volunteer.