Aya Aboughanem
Aya Aboughanem is graduating from Electrical Engineering & Management with co-op. Aya has completed various co-op positions from working as a McMaster Research Student, working in consulting at JNE Consulting and Hatch, as a Robotics & Automation Associate at JMP Solutions and at Bell as a Network intern and Project Coordinator. She held multiple roles in the student community, most notably being the VP Student Life on the McMaster Engineering Society, the President/Founder of the McMaster Undergraduate Women in STEM Club and the Co-Chair of the 2021 Ontario Engineering Competition. On her spare time, she enjoys designing and printing 3D models with her 3D printers. Aya plans to bring her critical thinking skills and strong work ethic from her time at McMaster to her role as a Network Performance Specialist at Bell. She would like to thank her family, friends, and the faculty for their continued support during her undergraduate career.
Governor General’s Academic Silver Medal
The Governor General’s Academic Medal is one of the most prestigious awards a student in Canada can receive. Established in 1873, this honour recognizes exceptional academic achievement at the high-school, collegiate, undergraduate and graduate levels.
Each year, McMaster awards three Governor General’s Silver Medals to the students at the university who have achieved the highest academic standing at the undergraduate level. Earning this accolade not only places this year’s recipients among the top students to graduate from McMaster; it places them among the top students in all of Canada.
Mitchell Cooke
Mitchell is a receiving his Bachelors of Engineering in Computer Engineering from the department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. Mitchell has a passion for research and will be doing his MASc part-time in the department Electrical & Computer Engineering while working full time as a hardware engineer at Intel. Outside of academics, Mitchell is a competitive powerlifter and a member of McMaster Barbell.
Christopher Schankula
Chris Schankula was born and raised in Huntsville, Ontario, later moving to Bracebridge, Ontario. Since high school and into university, he enjoyed teaching and being a positive mentor to younger students. At McMaster University, he was heavily involved in McMaster Start Coding, a program which offers free programming lessons to underprivileged youth and those traditionally underrepresented in the software engineering / computer science community. Along with McMaster Start Coding and Dr. Christopher Anand’s research group, he helped to publish several papers on the topic of computer science education and image processing. Throughout his undergrad he also enjoyed working as a teaching assistant in the department. He will start as an MSc student at McMaster’s Department of Computing & Software in September.
| Award | Recipient |
|---|---|
| The Binkley Medal | Meijing Li |
| The Dr. Rudolf De Buda Scholarship | Amin Eljirby |
| The Dr. Rudolf De Buda Scholarship | Harvinder Lehal |
| The Gerald L. Keech Medal | Meijing Li |
| The Ontario Professional Engineers Foundation for Education Gold Medal | Christopher Schankula |
| The Shell Canada Prizes in Engineering and Management | Ahmed Afifi |
| The Shell Canada Prizes in Engineering and Management | Mark Danial |
| The Shell Canada Prizes in Engineering and Management | Ryan Young |
| The University Scholarships | David Courtney |
| The University Scholarships | Christopher Desantis |
| The University Scholarships | Birinder Singh Jagdev |
| The University Scholarships | Joshua Nolet |
| The University Scholarships | Steven Rensen |
| The William J. McCallion Scholarships | Kevin Power |
Barry Hill
Hill, a two-time McMaster graduate, is an engineer, entrepreneur, cultural champion, and agricultural innovator. During a 26-year-long career with Ontario Hydro, Hill – a Mohawk from Six Nations of the Grand River – imparted some of his Indigenous values to the organization, establishing a native circle for employees and contributing to the organization’s sustainable development policy. Upon retirement, Hill and his wife founded Hillsfield Farms, a successful 2,000 acre grain and oilseeds farm. In 2018, Hill was inducted into the Ontario Agricultural Hall of Fame for his many leadership roles, including his involvement with the Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association, the Brant County Federation of Agriculture, and the Six Nations Farmers’ Association. He was inducted into the McMaster Alumni Gallery in 2016.