The evening’s keynote speaker was Ginny Dybenko, dean of Laurier’s School of Business and Economics, who was recently named as one of the top 100 most powerful women in Canadian business. She spoke of the pursuit of excellence. Drawing upon life lessons accrued during her professional career, working at Bell Canada and working as dean at Laurier, Dybenko told the audience that the pursuit of excellence, the willingness to assist others in need and the commitment to meeting high expectations is of paramount importance to those who want to succeed in life.

“What an outstanding evening,” said David McMurray, dean of students, and the emcee for the evening. “This ceremony is a true indication of the high-caliber students attending Laurier, as well as the remarkable support Laurier receives from our generous donors.”

Added to the ceremony were four new awards of distinction, this year: The Walter and Jean Hachborn Award of Distinction, which was established by Home Hardware; the Scotiabank International Entrance Scholarships, which were established by Scotiabank to increase Laurier’s financial support to international students; Sun Life Financial “Bright Future” Awards, which were created by Sun Life Financial to recognize undergraduate students who are role models for others and who are laying the ground work a better future; and, the Sybase iAnywhere Scholarship, which was created to recognize exceptional students, who have a keen interest in technology , at Laurier.

In total, 12 different donor-funded awards were presented. Along with last night’s 18 award-winners, the Laurier community as a whole is most grateful for the support of the donors who have decided to support post-secondary education through the establishment of an award of distinction at Laurier.