Provost and Vice-President (Academic) Jerry Tomberlin and Associate Vice-President (Teaching and Learning) David Hornsby presented eight undergraduate Carleton students with Provost Scholar Awards during a virtual event on Wednesday, May 5.
Funded by the Office of the Provost and Vice-President (Academic) and administered by Teaching and Learning Services, the Provost Scholar Award is valued at $1,000 and is given to undergraduate students who have demonstrated outstanding achievements in research, community engagement, immersive learning and/or international activities.
Carleton faculty, staff and senior administration joined Provost Scholar Award recipients and their guests in a virtual award ceremony on Wednesday, May 5.
The Peter J. Ricketts Outstanding Provost Scholar Award was established in 2019 and is given to an outstanding recipient of the Provost Scholar Award. The award is named for Peter J. Ricketts, who served as the Provost and Vice-President (Academic) at Carleton for eight years. This year’s award, worth an additional $1,700, was presented to Hickmet Mawi.
Congratulations to the recipients of the 2021 Provost Scholar Awards:
Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
Jaclyn Legge
Jaclyn Legge is an English language and literature student who is described as a devoted and engaged student who has contributed meaningfully to several significant community-building and recruitment initiatives at Carleton. Since September, she has served as a CU Student Ambassador where she produced a video outlining what a day in the life of an English major looks like and participated in a Spotlight Series with Prof. Pat Whiting that promotes the Department of English Language and Literature to prospective students. For the last two years, she consistently published a student blog for the department, which played a role in building a sense of community, particularly in the past year when students have been isolated during the COVID-19 pandemic. She has also shown leadership in other recruitment initiatives, such as the production of recruitment videos for the Department of English Language and Literature.
Hikmet Mawi
Hikmet Mawi is a childhood and youth studies student who is described as a strong critical thinker who has great potential to advance knowledge in her field. During her work as a research assistant, she brought up critical issues about theory from the global South and decolonizing methodologies to unsettle traditional research conventions. Last year, she participated in a SSHRC-funded research project entitled Transforming disability knowledge, research and activism under the supervision of Prof. Thuy Nguyen through Carleton’s I-CUREUS program. Last summer, Hikmet was among a small cohort of students selected to participate in the FASS Undergraduate Summer Research Internship Program where she worked under the supervision of Prof. Alexandra Arraiz-Matute on a research project about how first-generation youth of East African descent in Ottawa narrate their identities and experiences. She also participated in a working group—in partnership with Kids Brain Health Network and the Canadian Autism Spectrum Disorder Alliance—to advocate for a national autism strategy.
Faculty of Public Affairs
Ashli Au
Ashli Au is a law and human rights student who connects her research skills with a commitment to community service. Under the supervision of Prof. Michael Christensen, Ashli participated in a research project to track political misinformation through Carleton’s I-CUREUS program, the preliminary findings of which she presented at the Inquiry@Queen’s Undergraduate Research Conference. Through Carleton’s Students as Partners Program (SaPP), Ashli collaborated with Prof. Eric Van Rythoven to develop pedagogy on teaching race in international relations. Ashli has also worked as a team lead for Capital Pride in 2019 and was subsequently elected as co-chair of the Capital Pride Youth Committee. Last year, she was awarded the January Marie Lapuz Emerging Youth Leader Award by SherVancouver for her leadership in the 2SLGBTQ+ community. She has also served as a member of Carleton’s Equity and Inclusive Communities Advisory Group and facilitated a workshop at this year’s SOAR Student Leadership Conference at Carleton.
Hijaab Yahya
Hijaab Yahya is a law student concentrating in transnational law and human rights, who has a deep interest in advocacy, research and community engagement. They are the co-president of Carleton University Students for Scholars at Risk and TEDxCarletonUniversity. Hijaab worked with the Women’s Foundation of Nepal on an international development project, which advanced technological access for youth and women at the organization. They have provided translation services from Hindi to English for Carleton student groups and professors researching in Nepal. Hijaab conducted research on gender-based violence through the Carleton University Research Opportunity Program and shared discussions on gender equality with internationally recognized human rights activist Mukhtar Mai. Through I-CUREUS, Hijaab has undertaken research under the supervision of Prof. Fiona Robinson in a SSHRC-funded project that explores how narratives of gender entangle within Canada’s foreign policy. They have also presented their research at the Carleton FPA CUROP Showcase and Inquiry@Queen’s Conference.
Faculty of Science
Neha Khanna
Neha Khanna is a neuroscience and mental health student with a minor in psychology who is described as relentless in her pursuit to improve the university experience for all Carleton students and beyond. She is currently leading a research study that is exploring how the transition online and access to mental health resources influences student mental health and academic success. Neha has also taken on roles as a Health Promotion Leader and Science Wellness Director where she has delivered many mental health and wellness workshops. She also volunteers as a Peer Mentor, Study Group leader, and with the Paul Menton Centre for Students with Learning Disabilities. Finally, Neha has fostered multi-disciplinary connections in her role as the Director of Advocacy and Education at UNICEF Carleton and in the Carleton International Partnership Program.
Emine Topcu Can
Emine Topcu Can is a neuroscience and biology student who is described as a rising star with a breadth of accomplishments and a profound commitment to diverse interests. Emine independently developed a software tool for visualizing and identifying protein target sites in Prof. Kyle Biggar’s lab, which led to a first author publication in a reputable science journal. She has participated in the first research study of the electrical properties of human spinal cord neurons under the supervision of Prof. Mike Hildebrand and has presented findings at the Annual Scientific Meeting of the Canadian Pain Society. In collaboration with Prof. Hildebrand as a Teaching Assistant and through Carleton’s Students as Partners Program (SaPP), Emine helped to connect lecture material to real-world examples by leading the development of assignments and exam questions for a third-year course, which contributed to a smooth transition from face-to-face to online learning.
Sprott School of Business
Kennedy Lichti
Kennedy Lichti is a commerce student who has shown leadership and a commitment to community engagement and international student experiences through her participation in a project focused on entrepreneurial opportunities in Northern Tanzania. Her efforts have resulted in a novel and context-appropriate beehive that will provide entrepreneurial opportunities in the form of honey production for Maasai women in the Longido district of Northern Tanzania and beyond. In 2019, Kennedy used her holiday break to travel to Longido for several weeks to engage the community in the project, which has led to a diffusion plan for a new, innovative hive design. Since then, she has connected virtually with members of the community to construct the finalized design and is now looking to expand the project to the region.
Feruz Dglel Tesfay
Feruz Dglel Tesfay is a commerce student concentrating in international business who founded the Sprott Social Impact Club, which provides Carleton students with a platform to run projects to address social issues. This newly created club is an evolution of the International Fund Initiative, which Feruz also established. What began as a fundraising campaign for one specific project has now evolved into a platform with 17 student executives that engages Carleton students in social impact projects. Feruz has participated in research about the effectiveness of corporate social responsibility initiatives in Bangladesh to create a better understanding of the issues affecting workers’ safety. She has been selected to speak to the Women’s Business Network of the National Capital Region and Carleton’s Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Action Plan Launch and was recently recognized externally with the J Delta Management Solutions Aspiring Business Leaders Scholarship for her leadership.