Recipients of 2024 King's Recognition Awards to be honoured

Congratulations to M.K. Arundel BSW '07, MSW '08, and Nikki Sasso Mitchell for being this year’s recipients of the King’s Recognition Awards. The awards were introduced last year to bring recognition to non-faculty staff who exemplify King’s mission, vision, and values.

Arundel, who began at King’s in 2014, is the recipient of the King’s Service Excellence Award. She is the Manager, Professional Practicum Education (formerly Field Education Coordinator) in the School of Social Work. During her time at King’s, she has also taught some courses within the School.  

This award celebrates Arundel as an individual who goes above and beyond their role and responsibilities to create an exceptional service experience for staff, students, faculty and/or other stakeholders they interact with and one who, regardless of their role, demonstrates a willingness to inspire others to improve our service excellence.

“I am truly honoured to be the recipient of the Service Excellence Award and can only thank those I get to work with every day with a shared commitment to make the community a better place. Service excellence is certainly a team effort,” says Arundel.

“M.K. is extremely hard working and goes above and beyond expectations to consistently provide exceptional service to all stakeholders in the School of Social Work, including our students, staff, faculty, field instructors, and community agencies. Her approach is firmly rooted in the principles, ethics and values of the social work profession. In discussions, she consistently emphasizes that our actions should always be guided by a commitment to serving others,” said one of her nominators.

The nominations for Arundel also noted that when she sees a need, she is motivated to act, which has led to the development of multiple programs, including but not limited to, the Support and Aid to Families Electronically (SAFE) program and the King’s Community Support Centre (KCSC). 

“What M.K. has been able to achieve is unparalleled, and is an example being followed by other schools of social work in Canada,” the nominator said.

Sasso Mitchell, who began working at King’s in 2015, is the recipient of the King’s Culture Award. She started her career as a Communications Assistant in the Communications Department. In 2023, Nikki transitioned to her current role as EDID Coordinator in the Office of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Decolonization.

The award honours Sasso Mitchell as an individual who exemplifies honesty, integrity, compassion and collaboration, and demonstrates ongoing commitment to the welfare of the King’s community.

“I am deeply honoured and humbled to receive the King’s Culture Award. This comes as a wonderful surprise and I am grateful for the opportunity to contribute to making King’s a more inclusive and welcoming community for all,” says Sasso Mitchell.

Those who nominated Sasso Mitchell referenced her positive attitude and dedication to King’s.

“She enthusiastically promotes King's and King's events. She engages fellow colleagues in conversations, being respectful of their time, showing support when needed and always encouraging students, staff and faculty to become involved,” said one nominator.

Sasso Mitchell “recognizes the dignity of each and every person here at King's and beyond, and demonstrates this by showing compassion and understanding in everything she does, for example, recognizing and using preferred pronouns, using appropriate terminology in relation to Indigenous communities, and disabled communities, and then sharing her knowledge with others.”

Launched in September 2023, the King’s Recognition Awards received a tremendous response from faculty, staff and students. The incredible response has been a testament to the number of outstanding employees here at King’s and how their efforts are appreciated by members of the King’s community.

Congratulations to M.K. and Nikki. They will receive their awards during the King’s Christmas luncheon, on December 20, 2024.