July 13, 2006 - 5:00pm
For Malaspina University-College Information Technology and Applied Systems (ITAS) student, Steven Barre, working with computers is award enough.
So when he was recently received the $500 Lionel Hennessy Award for doing a top notch job, it was a bonus.
“It was rewarding to find out that I was at the top of my class,” said Barre.
“This recognition definitely makes the past two years of hard work and late nights worth the effort.”
Barre has always loved working with computers, especially fixing them.
“I discovered early in life that I had an aptitude for computers,” said Barre.
“I first enrolled in Computer Science at Malaspina but when I heard about ITAS it sounded much more appealing. I really enjoyed the fact that all the courses were relevant to working in information technology. I enjoyed the hands-on training.”
“Steve was an excellent student, always doing more than was expected of him,” said Mark Dutchuk, Information Technology and Applied Systems Coordinator.
Barre is the first student to receive the newly created Lionel Hennessy Award, which was presented to him at Malaspina’s <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />Nanaimo campus earlier this week. The award was established in memory of the namesake, who started Hennessy Information Systems in 1987, and developed the company into one of the leading computer service providers in Nanaimo. Lionel was very supportive of the ITAS program since the beginning in 1998. He hired several grads, said Dutchuk. Lionel passed away in 2005, and the permanent endowment fund was created with donations from his many friends, and matched by the Malaspina Foundation.
The Lionel Hennessy Award is one of four memorial awards created this year through the Malaspina University-College Foundation’s new fundraising campaign, The Keys to Success. Other new namesake awards were started this year for Margaret Brown, Fred Cairns, Lorne Ball and Keith Hodgson.
The Lionel Hennessy Award will be presented annually to the ITAS student who has achieved the highest marks in his class. It is given out based on instructor recommendation.
Barre graduated this past spring and is now looking for work in a medium to large-sized company in Nanaimo or Victoria. He was one of eight ITAS students to graduate this year.
The Foundation currently administers over 370 scholarships, awards and bursaries worth approximately $400-thousand a year.
For more information on how you can contribute, call the Foundation office at 740-6212.
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