2021-2022 Board of Directors' gold medal award winners

King's is proud of the hard work and dedication displayed by the 2021-2022 Board of Directors’ Gold Medal Award winners, who received their awards on June 22 and 24 at Spring 2022 Convocation. The Gold Medal Awards are given to the graduate in each category with the highest average in the last year of their module to recognize outstanding academic achievement. A common thread that tied together many of the recipients of the 2021-2022 Board of Directors’ Gold Medal Awards was the overwhelming support of King's faculty and staff that helped these students feel supported throughout their journey at King's.

The 2021-2022 Board of Directors’ Gold Medal Award winners are:

Natan Penner Andrade, '22 History, is the Four Year (Honours) Bachelor of Arts - Honours Specialization Humanities recipient.

Andrade, from Curitiba, Brazil, will be starting an M.A. in History at Western University this fall.

"I cannot say enough about how much I enjoyed my time at King's University College over the past four years with this medal being a perfect conclusion to an amazing experience overall. I would like to thank Dr. Claudia Clausius, Dr. Graham Broad, and Dr. Alison Meek for being huge sources of inspiration and consistently challenging me to be a better historian and academic," says Andrade.

Megan Beaudry, '22 Childhood & Social Institutions and Disability Studies, is the Four Year (Honours) Bachelor of Arts - Honours Specialization Interdisciplinary Programs recipient.

Beaudry, from Dorchester, will begin her Master of Science in Occupational Therapy at Western and is very excited to pursue a career as an Occupational Therapist, working with a variety of populations and settings. "I hope to make a positive influence in any way I can," says Beaudry. 

"I was truly shocked … to receive such an amazing award. I have spent a lot of time during my undergrad doing class readings, writing papers, and studying for exams, and it is extremely rewarding to see my hard work pay off. I am super grateful for all my professors who took the extra time to help me when I needed it and continuously supported me and gave me the confidence to continue my education," says Beaudry.

Marina Everest, '22 Psychology and Sociology, is the Four Year (Honours) Bachelor of Arts - Honours Specialization Social Science recipient.

Everest, from London, says she would like to go to medical school and work towards becoming a doctor.

"I am humbled by the reflection that this award encompasses the hard work of so many of my support systems, including family, friends, classmates, and faculty. I truly would not be who I am today without their encouragement, mentorship, kindness, and support. I will always treasure my time here at King's and look forward to making my King's alumni proud by my future endeavours," says Everest.

Morgan Mannella, '22 English Language & Literature and French Language & Literature, is the Four Year (Honours) Bachelor of Arts - Honours Double Major Humanities recipient.

Mannella, born in Northern Ontario but currently residing in London, will start a two-year Bachelor of Education program at Nipissing University in North Bay, Ontario. "My ultimate plan is to become a high school teacher and hopefully do some fiction writing on the side," Mannella says.

"Winning the gold medal for my program remains pleasantly shocking for me. I never anticipated receiving such a prestigious award for something I've just genuinely enjoyed doing for the past four years. I was driven by my intrigue for English and French literature and culture and by the support and enthusiasm of my professors who helped me enjoy what I was learning. My success was always the result of my effort and dedication, and I'm grateful that now I will always have a symbol to reflect this," says Mannella.

Divya Bahri, '22 Social Justice & Peace Studies and English Language & Literature, is the Four Year (Honours) Bachelor of Arts - Honours Double Major Interdisciplinary Programs recipient.

Bahri, from Markham, Ontario, is planning to take a gap year to take time to work, prepare law school applications and travel.

"I feel very honoured to win a gold medal! I've loved my time at King's. With its passionate students, kind professors, and caring staff, I am incredibly grateful for the community King's builds. The best reward is leaving this chapter with lifelong memories, values, and friends," says Bahri.

Julia Zinn, '22 Psychology and Thanatology, is the Four Year (Honours) Bachelor of Arts - Honours Double Major Social Science recipient.

Zinn, from Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario, will be attending McMaster University in the fall to pursue her Master's in Child Life and Pediatric Psychosocial Care with the hopes of becoming a Certified Child Life Specialist. "I hope to work with and support children and families facing changes, challenges, and loss," says Zinn.

"I feel remarkably honoured and privileged to have been able to study at this beautiful campus, surrounded by passionate and dedicated professors, thoughtful staff, and engaged peers - all of whom encouraged and inspired me to dedicate myself to learning, making this accomplishment possible. For the opportunities this community and campus have offered, I am forever grateful. This medal will serve as a reminder of the amazing four years I've had at King's as well as my hard work," says Zinn.

Kaven Rempel, '22 Finance and Analytics & Decision Science, is the Four Year Bachelor of Arts – Major recipient.

Rempel, from Sarnia, Ontario, plans on finding a job as a financial analyst in western Canada or the United States. "Once I am settled in, I plan to write the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Level 1 exam, which I was fortunate enough to get a scholarship for from King's," says Rempel.

"It truly is an honour to win the gold medal and something I could never have anticipated. As a student with ADHD, it was never easy to do well in school. However, having a strong interest in something and a clear end goal motivated me to study. I truly enjoyed the finance and analytics courses I took at King's and had many professors who attributed to my interest in such topics. It took studying and discipline, which makes me even more grateful to receive this award," says Rempel.

Thi Bich Ha Tran, '22 English Language and Literature, is the Four Year Bachelor of Arts – Specialization recipient. Tran, from Vietnam, will be finishing up her TESOL certificate and plans to get a job teaching ESL in Canada.

"This amazing award reassures me that my hard work has paid off, and choosing King's for my undergraduate degree was definitely the right decision. I am thankful for my professors who guided, accommodated and inspired me to become a better version of myself. I am also grateful for having a chance to work at The Write Place and develop the skills needed in my future workplace. Thanks to King's, I've never regretted moving to Canada. King's is truly a place to be and a place to become," says Tran.

Justin Arcese, '22 Finance and Administration, is the Four Year (Honours) Bachelor of Management and Organizational Studies - Honours Specialization recipient.

Arcese, from London, will be entering Costco's University Graduates Retention Program (UGRP), allowing him to enter a career as he works towards further education, which will include a Master of Management in Analytics from Ivey in the future. 

"It feels incredible to be receiving this acknowledgment. It brings a sense of peace to know that all the hard work has paid off. It also helps to show that the support of one's faculty, professors and classmates is vital to one's ability to learn. I was lucky enough to have all three throughout my time at King's, and I hope to continue to keep and grow my connections with them," says Arcese.

Yawen Zhou, '22 Global Commerce and Finance, is the Four Year (Honours) Bachelor of Management and Organizational Studies - Honours Double Major recipient.

Zhou, an International student from Wuhan, China, has accepted the University College London (UCL) School of Management's offer for the MSc Business Analytics program and will start a new journey in Europe.

"Studying at King's made my life different and diverse. In these four years, I am confident  I achieved academic and extracurricular success. With Dr. Grigori Erenburg's support, I learned a lot from managing a global team, mitigating conflicts, and investing. From an academic perspective, Dr. Felipe Rodrigues helped me prepare for my interview and gave me academic advice. Working as a Teaching Assistant and Research Assistant with Felipe gives me great opportunities in my career. Therefore, I feel grateful to have chosen to study at King's. I love King's very much," says Zhou.

Zhou adds that receiving the gold medal "is the best acknowledgement for my efforts in my bachelor's degree."

Ian Kerr, '22 Accounting, is the Four Year Bachelor of Management and Organizational Studies – Specialization recipient. Kerr, from Ottawa, Ontario, will be pursuing a CPA designation. This summer, he is enrolled in the Graduate Diploma in Accounting program at Western before starting as a junior accountant at BDO Canada in September.

"It is an enormous honour to be receiving the gold medal award. I have thoroughly enjoyed my four years at King's. I was fortunate enough to form lasting friendships that I will always cherish and be taught by so many wonderful professors. The commitment on the part of the faculty and the school as a whole to go above and beyond to support the goals of students was evident from my first day on campus. As someone who benefitted directly from that, I will forever be grateful," says Kerr.

Ariel Seale, '22 Social Work, is the Four Year (Honours) Bachelor of Social Work - Honours Specialization Social Work recipient.

Seale, from London, says her future plans are to gain experience in her field through the job she obtained following her social work practicum, to continue to work as a research coordinator for King's School of Social Work, and to foster both personal and professional growth prior to pursuing a Master of Social Work.

"I feel extremely honoured to have been awarded a 2021-2022 Board of Directors’ Gold Medal Award. It is not without great support that I would be in a position to receive this recognition, and thus I am grateful to my family, friends, classmates, colleagues, professors and supervisors who have supported and mentored me throughout my educational journey thus far," says Seale.

Samantha Zavitz, '22 French Language & Literature and Psychology, is the Three Year Bachelor of Arts – Major recipient. As a recent graduate from Fanshawe College for Doula Studies, Zavitz hopes to pursue her career in birth work and utilize her knowledge of bilingualism and psychology to provide the community with doula support for all types of reproductive journeys.

"I learned and strengthened skills at King's and made lifelong friends along the way. I am excited to start the next chapter of my life and show my son that anything is possible with hard work, passion and dedication," Zavitz says.

Congratulations to all the the 2021-2022 Board of Directors’ Gold Medal Award recipients, and we wish them all the best in their future employment and academic pursuits!