And the winners are ...

It wasn’t exactly the Oscars, but four Dalhousie students walked and posed on the red carpet yesterday as they accepted awards for their leadership and extracurricular activities.

Amy Florian, Kaylyn Fraser, Emily Rideout and Eric Snow were recognized with Governors’ Awards “as the best student leaders on campus,” said Bonnie Neuman, vice-president, student services, at a reception yesterday in the Rowe Building atrium. The students listened as their many accomplishments were outlined by Dalhousie President Tom Traves and then accepted a plaque from Jim Spatz, chair of Dalhousie’s Board of Governors.

Amy Florian and Jim Spatz, chair of the Board of Governors. (Nick Pearce Photo)

Kaylyn Fraser and Jim Spatz. (Nick Pearce Photo)

Emily Rideout and Jim Spatz. (Nick Pearce Photo)

Eric Snow and Jim Spatz. (Nick Pearce Photo)

Amy Florian was the first to walk the red carpet; she’s a third-year student doing her combined honours in French and biochemistry. Besides being an excellent student who consistently makes the Dean’s List, Ms. Florian is active in student life, serving as the education commissioner with the Dalhousie Student Union and as the president of the Arts and Social Sciences Society. This year, she organized the TD Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup—an event last September that attracted 90 students to the waterfront in Point Pleasant Park to pick up litter—and the FASS career day last November.

“It’s the first year we had a career day just for arts students and I think it turned out well,” said Ms. Florian, from Greenwood, N.S. “Arts students don’t really have a set career path like students from other faculties, so it was important to open their eyes to the possibilities.”

Kaylyn Fraser, a fourth-year student doing a combined honours in French and economics, is active in arts, sports and student politics at Dalhousie. She plays waterpolo with the Dalhousie Waterpolo Association, sings with the Dalhousie Chorale and serves as a student representative on the Senate. She’s also a member of the Dalhousie Model United Nations Student Society and has traveled to Ottawa to debate at the Canadian International Model UN Symposium.

“I feel I know way more about the university than most, as an employee, a student and a Senate representative at Dalhousie,” said Ms. Fraser, from Ottawa. “The student experience is so much more than academics; for me, it’s gaining an appreciation of how things get done.”

Emily Rideout is a third-year student in International Development Studies who was recognized for bringing passion to the sustainability movement on campus. She’s been involved with the student sustainability society SustainDal, the Atlantic chapter of the Sierra Club of Canada and was a driving force behind the creation of the DSU’s Sustainability Office. Last December, she represented the Sierra Club of Canada at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Pozna?, Poland.

Like Ms. Fraser, Ms. Rideout says university is about more than the classroom experience, it’s about connecting with a community: “You learn theory sitting in a classroom, but getting involved in the community teaches us how things actually work.”

Eric Snow, a fourth-year student majoring in political science, was described by Dr. Traves “as an energetic member of the Dalhousie Student Union.” He serves on no less than eight committees, writing policy, revising constitutions and gathering opinions. He’s also a board member of the Halifax Student Alliance.

Starting off in the Informatics program, Mr. Snow switched into political science last year guided by his extracurricular interests.

 “I really enjoy doing things like constitutional reviews and policy reviews,” said Mr. Snow, from Lower Sackville, N.S., who is applying to do a master’s in public administration after graduation. “I feel like I’m making a difference.”

The awards were established in 1992 by the Board of Governors to mark the 125th anniversary of the founding of the Dalhousie Student Union. Since then, 67 students have received Governor’s Awards.