The recipients of the 2020 and 2021 Agnes Benidickson Tricolour Awards have all stepped up during one of the most challenging periods for the Queen’s community.

Students are selected for their distinguished service to the university in non-athletic, extra-curricular activities, with the three tenets being service, leadership, character.

The 2021 and 2020 are both being recognized as last year’s awards were delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Queen’s is a better place because of the contributions and courage of each of the recipients. Their efforts, passion, and thoughtfulness have had a real, lasting impact on both the university and Kingston communities during a time when it was needed most,” says Jared den Otter, President of the Alma Mater Society. “The Agnes Benidickson Tricolour Award is particularly meaningful as recipients are selected by their peers for their contributions, their leadership, and their kindness.”

2020 RECIPIENTS

Beatrice Hur, Artsci'20
Beatrice is an activist who devoted many hours advocating for human rights and equity issues on campus. She founded the Asian Heritage Club when some international students told her they felt left out of clubs and activities. She is also an advocate for science and research. She served as president of Queen’s chapter of Canadian Association of Research in Regenerative Medicine (CARRM), a non-profit that raises money and awareness for stem cell research.

Jared den Otter, Artsci'20
Jared is a passionate student advocate who served for four years on the Physical Health Education and Kinesiology Student Association (including one year as president). He also worked with youth in the Kingston community with disabilities through programs such as Extra Awesome (an after-school program) and Bobbing Buddies (a swim program).

Chayce Perkins, Artsci'20
From facilitating advocacy campaigns on postsecondary issues to coordinating orientation week, Chayce is a driven student leader who contributed to the campus community in many roles. As president of the Arts and Science Undergraduate Society she developed a wellness-focused position to improve the mental and physical health of ArtSci students, established the ASUS Student Professional Development Grant, and hosted the first ever Life After ArtSci networking event in Toronto.

Liam Tharp, Sc'19
Liam served students in many roles, including Vice President (Operations) with the Alma Mater Society, then as the chair of the AMS Board of Directors. He worked on important issues including the JDUC Revitalization Project and the Ontario government’s Student Choice Initiative. As the head manager of EngLinks (the Engineering Society tutoring service), he doubled the organization’s revenues and expanded services.

2021 RECIPIENTS

Jodi Basch, Con.Ed.’16, PhD’22
Jodi, a professional counsellor, recognized the importance of mental health and helping her follow students as many struggled during the COVID-19 pandemic. She created resources that could be accessed without any financial pressures or long waitlists by offering free psychotherapy treatment sessions and anxiety support groups. She also reached out to various Queen’s community groups on behalf of students to provide extra support.

Shoshannah Bennett-Dwara, Artsci’21
Shoshannah has a long list of volunteer service focused on making the university more equitable, diverse, and inclusive. As co-founder of the Queen's University Advocacy Coalition, she met with student leaders to consult, conduct policy reviews, and brainstorm ways to amplify vulnerable people’s voices. She also worked with various organizations such as Queen's Student Diversity Project and Queen's Black Premedical Association, and served as the Queen's University Undergraduate Trustee.

Catherine Haba, Artsci’21
Catherine has devoted herself to improving student experience at Queen’s for people of colour by working with administrators to make the university more supportive for its most marginalized people. She has been actively involved in numerous organizations such as the Queen’s Black Academic Society and served on the Faculty of Arts and Science Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Indigeneity Implementation Committee.

Nicole Osayande, Cmp’21
Nicole aimed to create an inclusive campus by founding the Queen’s Student Diversity Project and collaborating with the Division of Student Affairs to help members of the university community, local high schools across Canada, and youth groups educate themselves on EDI issues. She served as president for three years and built up a team of more than 30 students that encouraged BIPOC students to consider applying to Queen’s. Nicole was also the first Black and female-identifying don for the Computer Science LLC floor in residence.

Michaela Patterson, NSc’21
Michaela is dedicated to supporting BIPOC students and creating a more inclusive community within the School of Nursing and Queen’s. She is the co-founder of EDI @ SON (Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion at Queen’s School of Nursing) and is also the co-creator of Cultural Humility and Racial Microaggressions (CHARM), a simulation game for students focusing on microaggression management in the clinical setting. She has also served as the Vice President of the Queen’s Black Academic Society.

Kelly Weiling Zou, Com’21
Kelly organizes programming for queer, racialized, disabled, and neurodiverse students to help them find a sense of belonging and community at Queen’s. Aiming to mobilize systemic change, Kelly founded the Instagram page @StolenBySmith to give a platform to unheard experiences from marginalized students. The social media account resulted in numerous changes at the school, such as the creation of needs-based scholarships, and a commitment by administration to address systemic racism.