Five Georgian community members earn Newcomer Recognition Awards
Nov. 10, 2022
Georgian College is proud of its diverse community and the incredible accomplishments of students, employees and alumni. Five members of the Georgian community were recently honoured with 2022 Simcoe County Newcomer Recognition Awards at the 10th annual event.
Kenta Shirakura
Kenta is from a small city called Hadano, in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. He first came to Canada in 2011 to study English at Georgian, and is also a Hospitality Management – Hotel and Resort graduate (Class of 2015), now the Hospitality – Hotel and Resort Operations Management diploma program. Today you’ll find Kenta walking the halls of Georgian as an employee. He’s held six different roles with the college and currently works as a co-op consultant helping students prepare for work experiences.
He was honoured with the Immigrant Mentor Award, given to an immigrant who has invested time and energy to support positive experiences for immigrants.
Over the past six years, Kenta has helped international students:
- access pre-arrival support
- build social connections
- get involved on campus and in the community
- organize visits to cultural celebrations
He’s also worked with international student ambassadors, helping them become champions in the community, and led Come Together Week events that celebrate cultural diversity.
“Our job as educators is to support students in pursuing their personal and professional goals in the best way possible,” Kenta says. “I think my role is very important in shaping students’ future careers, which can be a big part of their lives.”
Kenta adds that he’s very grateful for the opportunities Georgian and the Simcoe County community have given him. He’s committed to being a great mentor for international students and educating the community about diversity and inclusion.
Neda Mazhab Jafari
Ever since Neda was a child growing up in Tehran, Iran, she always loved art. She attended a famous art university in Iran where she earned her masters and PhD, and later taught classes and became a faculty member chair. In 2018, she immigrated to Canada for a better future for her family.
Neda studied in Georgian’s Graphic Design Production diploma program and worked briefly as a freelance graphic designer after graduating in 2021. With skills in a variety of art forms, Neda taught sculpting classes to kids and engaged with local artists. Today, she’s a project manager of immigration programs and services at Collège Boréal in Barrie where she helps immigrants settle into Canadian life.
Neda was presented with the Immigrant Artist Award, given to an immigrant whose art has been recognized with a degree of excellence, and an artist who has positively impacted the art of others and has positively promoted the immigrant experience.
Cultural diversity was always a favourite topic for Neda, and was one of her main reasons for coming to Canada. She says, “I’ve always tried to help people, immigrant or not, who needed it. It’s very important to raise awareness about diversity and inclusion, and my artistic work has always shown connection with my Iranian culture.”
Outside of Neda’s day-to-day work supporting immigrants, she is an avid nature photographer and loves to take snaps of local attractions as well. Check out her photos on her Instagram page. Neda also hopes to host a photography exhibition to showcase her work for the first time in Canada.
Holly Hie
For most of her career, and now with Georgian’s Career and Employment Community Services team, Holly has worked with unemployed individuals, including newcomers to support career decision-making, find work and gain the skills they need to be successful. Within her role she also looks for service gaps in our local communities to improve programs and services.
Holly was honoured with the Service Excellence Award, given to an individual who fosters growth, innovation, and excellent customer service within their organization that provides services for immigrants.
As Manager of Employment Services, Holly created the Newcomer Employment Services program area which currently delivers the Job Finding Club for Immigrants and Occupation-specific Language Training. She also led the development and funding of many other initiatives, including an important proposal that will help support the needs of all newcomers, regardless of classification.
Her goal is to continue finding ways to help international students and other immigrants with mentoring and employment, including after graduation. At the start of the Ukrainian crisis in early 2022, Holly also secured funding outside of the college to hire an additional staff member to help newly arrived Ukrainian clients with job searching in Simcoe County.
Holly feels lucky to be in a workplace where her vision to improve employment services for newcomers is supported. She says, “I’m so grateful to be able to create programs and services that gives opportunities to those more at risk in our communities. I believe work brings value to people’s lives and I’m happy to help others thrive in this way.”
Roxann Whittingham
As an immigrant from Jamaica, Roxann understands the adversities Black students face having experienced many herself. For many international students like Roxann, their credentials are often not recognized and they don’t have the funds to be able to bridge into their former careers. To help students build their self-esteem and help them find paths to successful futures, Roxann became a child and youth practitioner.
Roxann is a Child and Youth Care advanced diploma program graduate (Class of 2020) and former VP of Community Engagement for the Georgian College Students’ Association at the Orillia Campus. Her passion for education led her to create a scholarship for Black students studying at Georgian in 2021. Roxann also started the Black, Indigenous and People of Colour (BIPOC) Graduation Support Network Facebook group where community members can connect and work together to improve education for marginalized students.
She was presented with the Multiculturalism through Education Award, recognizing an educator that consistently incorporates multiculturalism in planning and policy development, curriculum, community relations, and/or school culture.
Roxann is a graduation coach for Black students with the Simcoe County District School Board, connecting students with community groups and organizations that help enhance their learning. As a parent herself, Roxann has also become a strong support for parents as they navigate a new school culture. She fights for equity and education in her personal life too by volunteering at her local church, helping newcomers connect with their cultural roots.
“Building a sense of belonging and fostering a culture of togetherness is critical in our communities,” Roxann says. “I’m so humbled by this award recognition and thank Georgian for giving me a push in the right direction. I love working with students every day, and I hope that I can encourage them to stay in school and pursue a rewarding future.”
Outside of work, Roxann is an author of three books and an entrepreneur. Follow her Jamaican jerk marinade business on Instagram.
Alasoba Kelsy-Braide
Alasoba knows very well the feeling of moving to a new community without knowing anyone. Originally from Nigeria, West Africa, Alasoba came to Canada in 2017 with her two children as an international student. She is a Child and Youth Care advanced diploma program graduate (Class of 2020), and also has a BSc degree in business management from Nigeria.
Empathy and passion are the driving forces behind all of Alasoba’s work. When she first arrived to Canada, there were no African stores nearby to buy groceries and no places for her children to get haircuts. She used to travel to Toronto just to access these services. Alasoba was determined to find ways to help meet the needs of others in the Black community, and provide useful information to help them adjust.
Alasoba was given the Community Champion Award, presented to an individual who strengthens community awareness about, and advocates for, newcomer equity and the celebration of cultural diversity in Simcoe County.
When Alasoba was a student at Georgian, she was very involved with the Georgian College Students’ Association as the VP of Community Engagement. During this time, she organized the first Black History awareness week which showcased Nigerian culture. In 2021 and 2022, Alasoba worked with MakingChange on the board of directors to organize the first virtual Black History Month event in Orillia. Through the success of these events, Alasoba and her colleagues approached the mayor of Orillia to create an Equity, Diversity and Inclusion committee to foster an equitable and inclusive community for marginalized groups.
“I’m really proud to work with the local community and immigration partners to help newcomers settle in Orillia,” Alasoba shares. “It’s all about building a sense of inclusion in our communities, and that starts with showing a little kindness wherever you find yourself.”
Alasoba is currently a support worker at Empower Simcoe-Orillia. She spends her days helping individuals living with physical and intellectual disabilities.