A student committed to building a more equitable world and inspiring others to do likewise

Benjamin Prud’homme believes that, in order to change the world, a good measure of realism is crucial and that we all need to know how to curb our unrealistic ideals. Deeply moved following a humanitarian aid trip to Tanzania, the law student at the Université de Montréal decided to take part in the launch of the Rafiki Project, an international cooperation organization that provides training in international affairs so as to foster a heightened understanding of current world issues. Moreover, his volunteer work with Frontier College, a literacy and francization organization, led him to join the committees of Amnesty International and Pour l’accès à la justice. With his passion for the legal profession, for the past two years he has coordinated a closing statement contest called Juripop, a mini training activity that gives 25 high school students the opportunity to learn more about civil affairs by demystifying the law and the judicial system.

A student committed to becoming a role model for her children and the people around her

At the age of 34, Isabelle Kane has truly found her calling in life. The nursing undergraduate at the Université de Sherbrooke is totally dedicated on a daily basis to what makes her tick. A single mother with three young children, Isabelle is simultaneously pursuing full-time studies and working part-time as a nurse at the Montréal Heart Institute, as well as being a research assistant at the Université de Sherbrooke. Despite already being highly active in the student community, Isabelle also began giving of her time as vice president of her student association in summer 2010. On her long list of accomplishments within the student community, she set up a peer tutoring program, organized lunch conferences for nursing students, created a collaborative Website favouring dialogue between students, planned an interactive nursing leadership forum and collected medical supplies for a humanitarian aid project in Guatemala.

A student committed to defending the rights of women and children

Simone Samuels was born into an immigrant family and has been witness to injustice and discrimination towards people around her because they were members of a visible minority. This is the reason she is committed to promoting and defending freedom, equality and justice for all. Over the past few years, she launched Girls in Transition, a mentoring program in the Toronto area for black teens between the ages of 13 and 18. She has also given of her time to various programs promoting the involvement of women in the political arena. She worked her way up though the ranks of the Pathfinder Organization, reaching the highest level (Master Guide). She established a chapter of the Golden Key International Honour Society at York University and now helps coordinate the McGill University chapter. She is also president of the Black Law Student Association of McGill. She hopes to one day be at the helm of a non-profit organization dedicated to helping women so as to serve others to the best of her ability

A student committed to fighting prejudice and favouring open-mindedness in today’s society

Alexandre Duval is a political science student at Université Laval who, ever since childhood, has always been the type of person who raises their hand when there’s a new project in the making. Over the years, all the school projects he has taken part in have helped forge the committed individual he is today, but it was a tragic event that marked a major turning point in his life. When he had only just turned 17, one of Alexandre’s close friends Noa died of a rare form of cancer. Alexandre therefore decided to organize the Grand TourNoa, a tennis tournament held in memory of his friend, who was one of Canada’s brightest hopes in the discipline. The funds raised were donated to the CHU Sainte-Justine Foundation. When Alexandre entered university, he chose to join Impact Campus, the university newspaper, and CHYZ 94,3 FM, the student radio station. In no time at all, he went from columnist to co-host of the morning show. He is also committed to the fight against homophobia and works with the group GRIS-Québec, an education- and awareness-oriented organization.

A student committed to going beyond his limits to bring about change

What David Emmanuel Hatier, a Bachelor’s student in psychology at Université Laval, has accomplished up to now and his academic grades are quite impressive for someone his age. It was when he entered college that his desire to play an active part in student life truly began to take shape. Among other things, he got involved in the college’s “Book Bank,” for which he undertook a major restructuring so as to guarantee its survival. He then went on to create Eucha’Rimouski, a faith-sharing group for young people between the ages of 12 and 25. The daring initiative, which went against the current in today’s highly secularized world, enables participants to get together to pray, practise sports and do volunteer work for local organizations. At university, David Emmanuel joined Partenariat : Objectifs du Millénaire pour le développement, an alliance of student associations that addresses global issues and sustainable development. He breathed new life into the organization by playing an increasingly active role, even becoming its president.

A student committed to defending human rights and the rights of women

Isabelle Bourgeois, an international relations and international law student at the Université du Québec à Montréal, admits that even as a little girl she was already on the lookout for stimulating experiences in a wide variety of areas. Over the years, her long-standing involvement with organizations such as the Maison des parents, the Lethbridge YMCA and the Forum social québécois, as well as her humanitarian aid trips, have all helped shape her profoundly empathic personality. It was in fact her trips to Cuba, Mali and India that prompted her to devote her time to defending human rights and, more importantly, those of women. Among other things, Isabelle became a member of Equitas – International Centre for Human Rights Education, an organization for which she did volunteer work with the International Human Rights Training Program, and also joined UQAM’s International Clinic for the Defence of Human Rights.

A student committed to arousing the interest of his peers in the underprivileged and neglected

Marc-André Lavallée, a medical student at the Université de Montréal, has always shown a keen interest in social issues, politics and the environment. In college, he joined the ranks of the Comité d’action sociale, for which he organized a short film festival enabling students to express themselves through the medium of cinema. At university, Marc-André became a member of his student association and joined the world health committee of the International Federation of Medical Students Associations. As a member of the alliance, he helped organize the first World Health Day while at the same time planning his humanitarian aid trip to Ecuador. Upon his return, he set up the Droits humains et paix committee to help medical students diversify their fields of interest. For the past year, he has been working on establishing an internship system for medical students that will allow them to go out into urban centres here in Québec and work with the underprivileged.

A student committed to heightening the appeal of his region so as to stem the exodus of young professionals and see them return

For Simon-Pierre Murdock, a student at the Université du Québec à Chicoutimi, there is no doubt whatsoever that action needs to be taken to promote the contribution of young people and help lure them back to more rural areas. He therefore took advantage of his biology studies to set up his own company: Morille Québec, an enterprise specializing in the commercialization of forest mushrooms. The initiative, which he launched with a friend, aimed to provide a way of diversifying the economy in the Saguenay–Lac-St-Jean region, which was severely hit by the forestry crisis. He also sits on the board of directors for the Jeune chambre de commerce de Chicoutimi and helps organize events that facilitate networking between young entrepreneurs in the region. Simon-Pierre is involved in the J’entreprends program, which aims to raise awareness among elementary school students of the importance of setting up projects. He also participates in group discussion activities with high school students as a means of arousing their interest in entrepreneurship.