Georgian colleagues receive Newcomer Recognition Awards
Dec. 2, 2021
The Georgian College community is diverse and we’re very proud to showcase the incredible contributions of our students, employees and alumni to the region. Three members of our Georgian community were recently honoured with a 2021 Simcoe County Newcomer Recognition Award.
Ishaan Sachdeva
Ishaan moved from New Delhi, India to study at Georgian’s Barrie Campus in 2018. Since then he’s graduated from the Business (Co-op) program and is now enrolled in the Honours Bachelor of Business Administration (Management and Leadership) degree program. In between his studies he’s also President of the Barrie Georgian College Students’ Association (GCSA).
He was honoured with two 2021 Simcoe County Newcomer awards:
- The Youth Community Champion award, presented to a youth who strengthens community awareness about, and advocates for, newcomer equity and the celebration of cultural diversity.
- The Immigrant Youth category, recognizing a young immigrant youth dedicated to supporting immigration and cultural awareness.
Since 2019, Ishaan has actively volunteered with the Barrie Indian Association in planning and organizing cultural festivals such as Lohri, Holi, Diwali and Navratri. In 2021, he played a strong role in initiating and executing two new festivals: Indian Independence Day and Janmashtami. These festivals are a great platform for the community and international students to showcase their creativity and talent, further helping create an awareness of Indian culture.
Ishaan is passionate about helping people and says it’s important to volunteer.
“At first it just helps you build your own confidence, and it’s a way to give back to the community in which I live. Giving my time and helping people is something I really enjoy.”
Volunteering also helped provide a sense of community for Ishaan, who missed his family in India during his first years in Barrie. They have recently relocated to Edmonton.
“Volunteering helped me to not miss my family as much. They’re loving their new home and my father and younger brother are experiencing snow for the first time,” he laughs.
Ishaan’s passion for helping others extends to other international students. He has mentored more than 80 new international students and helped them adjust to life in Canada.
In 2019, Ishaan, as a founding and executive member of Enactus Georgian, a student-led entrepreneurial club at the Barrie Campus, started a project with help from his team. Georgian 101 was a guidebook designed by students for students away from home. The vision was to eliminate social isolation by empowering newcomers with valuable connections that would help them to integrate both in the college environment and the local community. Another project Ishaan initiated at the college was #SayMyName, which has empowered more than 7,000 people virtually and on campus to advocate for the correct pronunciation of their names. He’s also very proud of a COVID-19 fundraiser he spearheaded with GCSA and his team members which raised $6,300 to help support India’s medical infrastructure.
Ishaan says these awards acknowledge the work he has been doing with the help of other people and this will inspire him to continue creatinv positive cultural awareness.
Kenta Shirakura, International Experience Consultant for Co-operative Education and Career Success at Georgian has known Ishaan since he arrived in Canada and was one of his nominators.
“He’s a great changemaker and a role model for any youth who wants to bring change to the environment. He truly believes in equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) in the community and at the college and lives by this. The #SayMyName Initiative is one prime example, and he has been involved in many other initiatives that supports improving EDI in our community.”
Ishaan adds that he’s grateful to Georgian, as many opportunities were available to him through his student roles and he’s thankful to everyone who has supported him in carrying on the work.
“Georgian is really integrated in the community and I was able to represent the college at a number of events including being a member of our Dragon Boat team and with the 2019 Rotary Fun Run.”
Cecilia Doucette
Cecilia, a valued member of the Research, Innovation and Entrepreneurship (RIE) team, and the driven entrepreneur and talented artist behind the camera at Cecilia Doucette Photography, was honoured in the Entrepreneurship category. This award recognizes her dedication and commitment to celebrating Latin culture and building community though her work.
Cecilia grew up in Guatemala and arrived in Canada in 2011, moving to Barrie in 2019. She specializes in product photography and recently partnered with the Downtown Barrie Business Association on a feature celebrating women in business. If people are her subjects, she quickly puts her clients at ease and captures them at exactly the right moment, preferring candid shots to formally posed ones.
I celebrate the beautiful colours, the Guatemalan culture that is warm and inviting, embracing the differences that make us unique. Our roots, the history that defines us, that we pass to our next generations. I celebrate love, the desire to make a difference, and the passion for sharing stories through my Guatemalan lens.
– Cecilia Doucette
Deeply committed to building a more diverse, equitable and inclusive community, Cecilia incorporates these principals into her business and into her work at Georgian, one of the many reasons she’s valued by her colleagues.
“We often hear that new immigrants to Canada are dedicated workers and driven entrepreneurs. This is very true, and Cecilia is the perfect example,” says Dr. Jamie Doran, Executive Director, RIE. “She works hard on our team and has built a successful photography business on the side. So inspirational.”
Sara Bentham, Director of the Henry Bernick Entrepreneurship Centre, notes Cecilia’s invaluable skillset and the perspective she brings to our region in both the impactful work that she does at Georgian College and through the lens of her camera. Our community is stronger with her presence.
Cecilia is dedicated, enthusiastic, creative and a true joy to have as part of our team.
– Dr. Mira Ray, Director, Research and Innovation, Georgian College
Cecilia approaches her work at the college and in the community with a unique lens that adds to the culture, richness and diversity of Simcoe County and its business owners.
Congratulations, Cecilia and Ishaan, on this incredible achievement!
Newcomer award presented to Georgian graduate
Congratulations also to Gretel Montenegro, Social Service Worker graduate (class of 2018) who won in the Immigrant Mentor category.