Lori Lynn Ojala
Lori Lynn Ojala graduated from Laurentian University in Sudbury, Ontario this spring with an Honours BA in Geography, having won scholarships every year for her university studies. She has also been extremely active, both on and off campus. In the broader community, she has volunteered in a great deal of time to further school, sports, hospital, church, and Finnish heritage activities. She has coached high school volleyball, basketball, tennis and debating teams.
In addition to her studies, Lori has devoted her time to university-community relations as well as to university government. As a student Senator, she served on the Honorary Degrees/Undergraduate Awards Committee. She has also been founding president of the Laurentian University Finnish Society, the Laurentian University Geography Society and, most recently, the Laurentian University Student Alumni Association, whose goal is to serve as a link between students and graduates.
The Meloche Monnex Fellowship will enable Lori to pursue her interests in both community and alumni relations, and help the university’s Alumni and Development Office to implement two innovative programs. She will assist in the planning and evaluation of Homecoming 2001, an event designed to involve both alumni and students in the future of the university. In addition, she will assist in developing a Mentorship Program that will allow Laurentian alumni to share their personal and professional experiences with current students and offer them valuable advice about their career path.
Kathryn J. Wood
Kathryn J. Wood is a 1999 Bachelor of Arts graduate in Honours English and Philosophy from Brescia College of The University of Western Ontario in London, Ontario. During her undergraduate career, she received scholarships every year, organized Orientation Week activities for first-year students, and contributed poetry to student publications. She also began to volunteer at the Fund Development and Alumnae Office, doing editing, administrative work and fund-raising research.
As an alumna, Kathryn continued her volunteer work in the Fund Development and Alumnae Office. She was recruited to the Alumnae Board for Brescia College, and served on the Development Sub-Committee. In order to enhance both her career and her ability to contribute to her alma mater, she enrolled in a certificate program in Corporate Communications and Public Relations at Fanshawe College in London, where she excelled at learning valuable business, technical and communication skills.
The Meloche Monnex Fellowship will enable Kathryn, as Student and Young Alumni Outreach Associate, to further Western’s relationships with this important constituency. Her chief responsibility will be creating a web site for new graduates and graduating students, including design, content, implementation, maintenance, and marketing. In addition, she will work on creating a CD-ROM for graduating students, and develop various other outreach programs for young alumni.
Gordon McLean
Gordon McLean has completed the requirements for a BA in Political Science at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Ontario, and is currently finishing an Honours Bachelor of Arts degree in the same field. This past year, he was in charge of a tutorial group of first-year students and also worked with several staff members as a research assistant.
Over the past few years, he has been extremely active in campus social, sports and political life, notably in the Lakehead University Student Union, where he has sat on the Board of Directors, as well as on several different committees. He has also chaired the Lakehead University Forum and been President of the campus radio station.
Last year, Gordon was nominated as a recent graduate representative to the Alumni Association of Lakehead University Board of Directors, and has since been involved in a number of the Association’s committees, including the Alumni Relations Committee and the Constitutional Review Committee.
As holder of the Meloche Monnex Fellowship, he will be bringing his talent, experience and enthusiasm to the position of Chapter and Branch Development Officer in the Alumni Relations Office. There, he will be able to work on his special interest: image-building among the alumni, the community, and most particularly the students, with particular focus on efforts to increase interaction between students and the Alumni Association.