by Trent University
Left to Right: Trent University President Leo Groarke, Trent Alumni President Jess Grover, Executive Director GreenUP Brianna Salmon – Leader Award Recipient
Two of Trent University’s brightest young alumni were honoured at a special luncheon hosted by Trent President Leo Groarke on Tuesday, August 22, at Alumni House, which brought together Peterborough-based alumni from across five decades of Trent history to celebrate the impact of Trent alumni on the Peterborough community.
At the event, which aimed to spark discourse on continued alumni involvement in the Peterborough region, the 2017 Trent University Alumni Association Young Alumni Leader Award winners were also celebrated. Among them, Brianna Salmon, executive director of GreenUP was recognized for their leadership and accomplishments.
“I think one of the greatest contributions that Trent makes to this community is through the leadership of our alumni,” said Julie Davis, vice-president of Advancement and External Affairs at Trent University. “One of the things we are trying to promote is the notion that it is never too early to start contributing; you can start both while you are attending Trent and when you graduate. There is nothing to stop you from being a leader – as these award winners so wonderfully exhibit. We’re seeing that many of the successes in our community are due to the contributions of very energetic young people – and it is not surprising that many of those are Trent alumni.”
“It’s an honour for Trent to be able to recognize Brianna with the Young Alumni Leader Award,” noted Lee Hays, director of Alumni Affairs. “They have established themselves so early in their career as leader in the Peterborough community. Their contributions have been far reaching and will leave a lasting impact. The University is proud of their accomplishments and pleased to be able to shine this light on a graduate who is an excellent role model for today’s students.”
For the first time ever, the 2017 Alumni Awards at Trent are being presented over multiple ceremonies. While the Young Alumni Leader Awards were handed out at the Trent University Symons Campus, other 2017 awards will be presented to honourees in their own communities across Canada. It is expected that future Alumni Awards, honouring international graduates, will be delivered at events around the world. This new format will allow even more alumni to be involved in recognizing Trent’s outstanding graduates.
Whether through their volunteer activities or their career choices, each of this year’s Alumni Award recipients have generously devoted their time, energy, and skills to serving both Trent University and the broader communities in which they live.
Leader Award – Brianna Salmon ’10
Best known in Peterborough as the executive director for GreenUP, Brianna Salmon has been instrumental in creating and helping grow programs such as B!KE: The Peterborough Cycling Hub, the Peterborough Pulse festival, and the Active Neighbourhoods Canad
a Peterborough Project (also part of Phase I CFICE). Most recently, Brianna Salmon has been a key driver behind a multi-sector coordinating committee’s application to have the Peterborough-Kawartha-Haliburton region recognized as a UNESCO Regional Centre of Excellence in Sustainability Education.