Paul Armstrong, Chief Operating Officer, Mohawk College and Cheyanne Hammell with her award at the Colleges Ontario Higher Education Summit in Toronto.

Cheyanne Hammell completed an Architectural Technology diploma in 2007 and is the third Mohawk alumnus to win in the technology category since 2018.

Cheyanne Hammell, who graduated from Mohawk College’s Architectural Technology program in 2007, says it was a shock and honour to receive a 2023 Premier’s Award in the Technology category. 

It is the third win for a Mohawk College graduate in that category since 2018. 

The Premier’s Awards recognize recent and past college graduates in seven categories who have made outstanding social and economic contributions. They were presented at the Colleges Ontario Higher Education Summit in Toronto in November. 

Hammell, a Special Projects manager at PCL Construction, Canada’s largest construction company, says she went to the large gala not expecting to win. 

“I looked at the list of nominees ahead of time, and they were all so impressive. I honestly went there assuming it was not going to be me. So when they said my name, I was definitely shocked to say the least.” 

Hammell says she’s proud that her win reflects well on Mohawk College, her employer and women in technology and trades. 

She has been dedicated to opening doors for women throughout her career through mentoring, speaking to students and volunteering with a variety of women in trades groups. She is only the third woman ever to win in the technology category, including fellow Mohawk College alumnus Kathy Lerette, who won in 2019. 

At PCL, Hammell leads highly customized and unique projects for premiere clients in the Toronto area, overseeing a team of 40 people undertaking 25 to 30 complex projects at any time. She led the design of the $135-million Lakeridge Gardens in Ajax, the first long-term care home built under Infrastructure Ontario’s Accelerated Build Pilot Program. It was completed in just 13 months during the pandemic and was recognised with local and global industry awards for from the Toronto Construction Association and Engineering News Record. 

She also led PCL’s implementation of a complex, $200-million baggage handling and sorting system for the Greater Toronto Airports Authority and a $16-million renovation of the CN Tower observation level in 2017. 

Hammell says her education at Mohawk prepared her with technical skills but also the leadership qualities that have helped her succeed. 

She was the PCL Toronto recipient of the prestigious Robert Stollery Leadership Award in 2020, given to one rising project management star per year who models excellence and inspiration for all of PCL. 

In 2022, she was named to On-Site Magazine’s Top 40 Under 40 in Canadian construction and is a Toronto Urban Land Institute (ULI) Women’s Leadership Initiative Champion. 

Hammell, who says she is inspired by her mother, a retired commercial pilot who also broke down gender barriers, is grateful for her time at Mohawk College. 

The College’s history of wins in the Premier’s Awards in the technology category, she says, “is a testament that we're well prepared to enter the industry and the way that we've been educated and prepped for that workforce entry has allowed us to set an example and start off on the right foot and work towards success and helping make a difference.” 

Rebecca Beatty, Program Coordinator of Architectural Technology and Architectural Technician, says the three-year technologist co-op program offers a broad and deep education. It covers all the building disciplines – architectural, structural, and building systems, and incorporates building science and sustainability, history of architecture, and management. 

Students choose from a design and construction management stream in their final year. 

“In the world of construction, there are fewer women. It's great that Cheyanne has been able to smash through that glass ceiling,” says Beatty. “I also think there's an acknowledgement among employers now that having diverse voices is beneficial and helps them grow.” 

Beatty believes Hammell’s Premier’s Awards win will encourage girls and women to join the sector and demonstrates that Mohawk provides the skills to achieve senior role. 

“It highlights the fact that we're producing graduates that have a set of skills that they can ladder up into management and senior roles. All of our Architectural Technology graduates complete a capstone project. And they have to each take on and lead one aspect of that project. That's where they develop some of those leadership, time management, communication, and presentation skills.” 

The three-year Architectural Technology program includes three terms of paid co-ops and that leads to 95 per cent of graduates being employed in the field within six months or pursuing additional credentials through our educational pathways, says Beatty. 

“We have very high employment rates compared to other architectural technology programs in the province right now.” 

This story originally appeared in Momentum Magazine.

Homebuilder Steve Stipsits of Branthaven Homes is backing a five-year initiative through City School by Mohawk.

A distinguished alumnus is supporting City School by Mohawk and skilled trades training and recruitment at the college with a $1-million donation.

Steve Stipsits, president of local homebuilder Branthaven Homes, says the ongoing housing and housing affordability crisis cannot be solved unless the skilled trades shortage is addressed.

“There is an acute shortage already and a major wave of retirements is about to begin. We can’t build the housing we need without the skilled trades.”

Stipsits, who made the donation along with his wife, Elizabeth, says investing in City School will get more people trained – up to 1,200 individuals – while also tackling engrained poverty in some of the most vulnerable neighbourhoods in Hamilton.

The nationally recognized City School model, which offers tuition-free programs, breaks down barriers and makes postsecondary education accessible to those who need it most, says Stipsits.

“It’s the greatest vehicle I have ever seen to break the cycle of multigenerational poverty.”

Branthaven’s donation with matched funding from Mohawk College’s partnerships and government funding allows for a $2-million, five-year workforce development plan to create and accelerate educational and employment pathways for people in marginalized communities into the residential construction sector.

The investment means more students will be able to access the training and resources that can lead to meaningful, family-sustaining careers in the skilled trades.

“City School is the first step, a point of entry into what can be a direct career path or ongoing education or apprenticeship training,” says Emily Ecker, Associate Dean of Community Partnerships and Learning.

City School has trained more than 4,000 students since its 2015 inception.

Stipsits, who graduated from the Architectural Technology program at Mohawk College in 1984, has been named a Distinguished Alumnus and a Distinguished Fellow of Mohawk College. He now leads Branthaven, which was founded by his parents Albert and Judith, in 1971.

“I have a strong affinity for Mohawk College. I never cease to be amazed at how many at Mohawk College are doing the right thing. They go the extra mile to help people in our community. They see a need and step up to help.”

This story originally appeared in Momentum Magazine.

In this second Q&A in the series, Momentum invites a Mohawk College alumnus to speak with a current student to share advice, wisdom and understanding of how things change and how they stay the same. In recognition of the college’s focus on building success in its Athletics department, former MVP volleyball player (2003-2008) and Hall of Fame member Peter Sniuolis, who graduated from Architectural Technology in 2007 and then earned a Mohawk-McMaster Bachelor of Technology, speaks with current varsity player Turner Neame, who started at Mohawk in 2020. He has finished a two-year Construction Engineering Technician – Building Renovation program and is playing his third year on the volleyball team. He is an OCAA and CCAA all-pro academic player and plans to seek his Red Seal as a carpenter.

Peter to Turner: What was it like to be on the team during COVID? 

That was my first year on the team. We had a full pre-season but then got shut down. We did Zoom calls online as a team and played online video games together. We really got to know each other and then in the second semester, it was crazy. We played nine games in four weeks and we had quick playoffs. If anyone had any symptoms they had to wear masks on the bench but not on the court. Some practices we had to wear them, too.

Peter to Turner: What kind of equipment do you have access to?

Matt Ferreira, our athletics director, is pushing a culture of excellence. We have two full ball carts, a serve machine and our weight room is amazing. We just got new Mountaineers jerseys with new colours and the gym floor was repainted with the new branding. We have a varsity change room, an athletic lounge where athletes can study and have access to massage therapists and trainers.

Last year, at the start of the season we had a mental coach who talked to us about handling stress and on-court regulation. Those tips and tricks were definitely helpful, especially for first-years who are coming from high school or club volleyball. The mindset of excellence we have now isn’t all about winning, but always striving to win.

Turner to Peter: What was the equipment like during your playing time?

We had six balls in my initial year, including one that wasn’t round and had the outside peeling off, and we played in rejected Team Canada jerseys that were too big for us. Back then we didn’t have a serving machine, so we all have bad shoulders now because we were our own serving machine. Definitely didn’t have access to the resources that are currently available.

Turner to Peter: What was your record?

In my five years at Mohawk, I think we lost about six league games. We had a strong team every year and we pushed for provincials and nationals each season. We medalled once at nationals. This success can be attributed to our coach, James Bradley who shaped us into a perpetual championship team.

Peter to Turner: How is your team looking this year?

We came fifth last year and fourth the year before that. We are definitely going in the right direction with our program and our team. We are looking for a medal this year. We have five recruits this year who are looking solid. We have a decent number of veterans, which leaves the rookies time to get better. We know Humber College is going to be good, they always are. Fanshawe College is going to be good. They have a five-year setter who has come back for his last year after being CCAA player of the year. We lost both setters after the COVID year so I had to step in to be a setter. I’m only 5-foot-8, so blocking wasn’t fun. I’m now a libero, a back-row defensive specialist.

Turner to Peter: Do you keep in contact with your teammates? 

We were and still are extremely tight. I have a small family, and when I was getting married I invited about 25 people to the wedding, all from volleyball. We still go to the cottage together, we play rec volleyball, softball, and continue to do things together. They are probably my best buddies. You’ll never lose contact with these guys. You’ll be groomsmen at each other’s weddings and 
there for each other when you have kids. That was the greatest benefit of playing team sports in college.

Turner:

We are great friends and I think COVID made that even stronger. I was a groomsman for our team captain from last year. His groomsmen were all volleyball guys. Does that friendship help you on the court?

Peter:

I think it was the key to our success. We were always a smaller team but a lot of it came down to how close we were and how we played as a team. That relationship definitely allowed us to win games we shouldn’t have.

Turner to Peter: How did sports impact your career? 

I ended up as a Professional Engineer currently with the roads department at the City of Hamilton. Sports have been huge for me. My time there has gone a long way in the real world helping me understand people and how they work. Some people need constant reinforcement, others don’t. Some people need you to scream at them, others need a pat on the back.

Wherever you work you are going to be part of a team. Through sports, you learn to relate to people and how to talk to people. I was a quiet person before volleyball, but that changed after the first year. The intangibles you don’t get in school, you get in sports. You learn to work with people who are different than yourself. You can’t teach it, you learn it.

Peter to Turner: What has volleyball taught you?

There will always be conflict. You have to get over it quickly and problem-solve quickly and move on from it. I was also quiet in first year but I found myself being a veteran in second year. I had to step into a role of leadership and help guide new people. That was good for me.

How did you each manage the commitment of varsity sports with a college workload?

Turner:

You are so busy that you have to be efficient and take any time you have to keep up on your work. I did lighten my course load last year so I didn’t drown. Making lists and taking time on the bus (on the way to games) to do readings has really helped me. I use the athletic lounge to do some work in a quiet space.

Peter:

I knew I wanted to go into the BTech program so I had to work a bit harder to get my grades up following my first year. You give up a lot as a student athlete. We practised from 10 p.m. to midnight and then 
I was back up for an 8 a.m. class. There’s definitely sacrifices you make, but you gain friendships and social aspects through the team considering we’re always together. It was all worth it.

Turner to Peter: What was the old rec centre like?

We loved playing there. The roof was lower than it is now and there were stands only on one side. It was a great facility. But to see how far it’s come with the David Braley Athletic and Recreation Centre facility now, is really cool. The resources available to students is something I wish we had. Hopefully, we played a small part in pushing things in that direction.

How about the fan support?

Peter:

So in my first year, I remember the BlackBerry Bold with a screen for text messaging was just released, so we could text, which was strange. There was no social media and you had to build relationships in person. I’m happy that none of that was around when I played. I’m not a social media guy now so I think (all the social media attention on athletes) may have been a challenge for me. We had loyal fans come out to all of our games and lack of social media contributed to that. We didn’t need as many fans to come out to fill the gym and make it exciting.

Turner:

I don’t use social media much either but I do love the highlight videos the Athletics department produces. It’s pretty cool to see them after a game. A lot of students now watch the games on livestream so there isn’t a crazy amount of fans at the games, other than parents and other athletes. But definitely, during playoffs, the gym is packed. It’s a big gym, so there is a lot of space to fill.

Turner to Peter: How was your transition from being a student to working?

My biggest advice is to remember you are a student first and an athlete second. If you do well in the classroom, you’ll play better and you set yourself up for success. It’s very difficult to play volleyball professionally, so the chances of making a living are slim, but you will make a living based on your academics. Sometimes it’s about finding something you don’t hate to do, rather than what you love to do. I studied engineering, became a Professional Engineer, and ended up initially designing roads and bridges and quickly found out it wasn’t for me. Now I’m in roadway maintenance and I enjoy it. Also, take care of your body now. My knees are giving out on me at 39 – it catches up to you. 

This story originally appeared in Momentum Magazine.

The Insurance graduate is the second Mohawk College student in a row to win honours at the provincial and national levels.

Adam Longboat’s initiative around Truth and Reconciliation activities at his co-op placement helped to earn him provincial and national co-op student of the year awards for 2022.

Longboat, who has since graduated from Mohawk’s Insurance program, earned the awards through Experiential and Work Integrated Learning Ontario and Co-operative Education and Work-Integrated 
Learning Canada.

Last year, Brittany Gaudet won both awards and Longboat is Mohawk’s third winner since the awards were instituted in 2010. Longboat, who is Indigenous, completed his co-op at Swiss Reinsurance in Toronto and made his mark there, said his nominator and supervisor, Dipika Deol.

“He surpassed the responsibilities of his role as a co-op student, contributing to other functional areas and to the evolution of our culture. Under our guidance as his manager and sponsor, Adam successfully applied himself, shaping his co-op term by proposing his own agenda, projects, and content for (inclusion and diversity) initiatives,” she wrote.

He played a key role in Swiss Reinsurance’s week of events to observe the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. He invited elders to talk about residential schools and the history of the Haudenosaunee people.

Longboat also shared his own experiences with anti-Indigenous racism. “I just want people to understand where Indigenous people are coming from, why people feel hurt,” Longboat said in a Hamilton Spectator story about his co-op awards.

“I just want my kids to grow up in a world where people understand.” Among his other accomplishments during his co-op, he prepared a briefing document about permafrost in Canada and engaged with a treaty client to understand the historical and present context around insurance products for Indigenous communities.

“Adam has been very easy to get to know. He’s friendly, approachable and shares his thoughts and questions. He’s a strong team player,” wrote Deol.

Longboat, a father of two, came to Mohawk as a mature student after working as a welder. He was forced to look for another career after suffering a serious injury in an industrial accident. He was selected by his professors to represent students on the program advisory committee due to his academic performance, contributions in the classroom, and the respect he earned from his peers.

The provincial co-op award comes with $500 and the national award comes with $1,500. 

This story originally appeared in Momentum Magazine.

In this first of a series, Momentum invites a Mohawk College alumnus to speak with a current student in the same program to share advice, wisdom, and understanding of how things change and how they stay the same. In this kickoff Q&A, and in celebration of 50 years of nursing at Mohawk College, 1970 Nursing graduate Jan Brimer speaks with Practical Nursing student Jess Mills, who finished her program in December. She has been hired at Joseph Brant Hospital to work in complex and palliative care.

What has been your path to nursing?

Jan Brimer: I graduated in 1970 from the Hamilton and District School of Nursing (HADSON). That was just before the colleges got involved and took over the nursing programs in 1973 and four local nursing schools became part of Mohawk. I was strongly influenced by my grandmother who was a nurse here in 1918, during the Spanish Flu epidemic. I was fascinated by her stories. I don’t remember deciding to go into nursing, I feel I was born to be a nurse. I worked for 20 years full time and part time at Joseph Brant Hospital before cutbacks came along and I shifted to home care. I retired about five years ago but I still carry my licence and I still do consultations and private visits for a local pharmacy.

Jess Mills: I am a mom of five and I live in Grimsby. I did a Pre-Health upgrade program in 2021 before going into Nursing. High school me said, ‘Who needs science?’ Turns out I did. I have wanted to be a nurse since I was 18 (my grandmother was also a nurse) but I started my family young and I wasn’t able to go back to school until now. I’m not sure how I did it, especially since I was studying online while trying to homeschool some of my kids during COVID, but I blinked and here I am. I just want to be a help to people.

Jess to Jan: When you first started out, what did a day in the life look like?

When I was really new, I was responsible for six or seven patients a day on the short-stay surgery ward. So many of those surgeries are day surgeries today. One of the big differences today is that drugs are administered through IV pumps. When I was starting out, nurses didn’t do intravenous, so we were giving analgesics intramuscularly (needles). It was time-consuming to deliver that way but I prided myself on the fact that patients didn’t feel it too much. Also, we worked eight-hour shifts, first seven days in a row, with two days off, and then five days in a row with four days off. We didn’t have 12-hours shifts like today.

Nurses are now thought of as part of the team but when I was starting out, there was a huge gap between doctors and nurses. Now nurses get the respect they deserve.

Jan to Jess: What has been your most challenging experience so far?

The confidence on placements to ask questions of the doctors and the seasoned nurses. They are rocking their jobs and it’s intimidating as a brand-new nursing student to talk to them. In school, it was the workload and the volume of material to cover in such a short time. Many times, I was up to 2 or 3 a.m. reading and trying to grasp the concepts.

Jess to Jan: When you were first going into nursing, what areas did you want to go into and were there any you never wanted to do?

I didn’t really know what I wanted to do coming out of training but I did know that I didn’t want to do psychiatric nursing. I wasn’t comfortable with that. I loved the surgical ward and the fast turnover there. I just always wanted to do hands-on care.

Jan to Jess: Where do you see your career in five to 10 years?

I know I have found my passion in complex and palliative care. There are so many options in nursing and I do also love mental health work. It’s a difficult but rewarding path there. I do know that I don’t want to be stagnant and stop learning. I see some people who are robots and don’t want to learn new ways of doing things.

Jess to Jan: What has been the hardest thing about nursing?

I never dreamed I would be laid off. It was sudden, devastating and very shocking. I had always been a nurse and I didn’t know what else I would do. I had a couple of odd jobs until a former co-worker got hired for home care and convinced me to apply. Home care staff don’t get enough pay or respect but I took every part-time course at Mohawk College about home care and I found I loved it. So, get experience in hospitals but look at other opportunities, too. There are so many things nurses can do.

Jess to Jan: In a career full of burnout, what’s your advice for a long-lasting career?

If you feel stuck or burned out, go somewhere different or go into something else. Look after yourself. Rely on your colleagues to help you through the tough times. Lean on each other. I still keep in touch with a lot of people I went to school with or who I nursed with early in my career. And make sure you take time to enjoy your family and your time off.

What inspires you about working with patients?

Jess: We see people on their worst day and when they feel their worst. But as a nurse, I am there for them and will do whatever I can to make them feel better. I just think of the patients and their perseverance and I know I can do whatever I have to do, too.

Jan: To see their appreciation at the end. They may not have always liked what you were doing at the time, but they know it was for the best. In palliative, I always just wanted to make it the best it could possibly be for the patient and for the families.

What advice would you give to others considering nursing?

Jess: There is no shame in asking for help when you need it. I was doing my placement at Brantford General Hospital and my child was sick. I had to ask for help. I had to ask for help when I needed a study group. We have to swallow our pride and ask for help. And also, when it’s your passion, you just keep going. I would tell myself it doesn’t matter how much I have to read or write, I’m going to get it done because this is what I want to do.

Jan: Don’t ever stop learning. When I moved to home care, I didn’t like it because I had to work on my own. But I took specialization courses in wound care and I really loved to see patients through their journey from pre-op to post-op and back home again. I did a lot of palliative care, too. And I found that very rewarding. But when I first studied wound care, I felt so intimidated. There was so much I didn’t know. Then I took an ostomy course and that was worse. At that time, I was working and dealing with my kids. But I got through somehow.

What sets a nurse apart in the health care system?

Jess: For me, I have a huge passion for advocating for my patients. Nurses have an ability and drive to advocate because they have the knowledge and spend the time with the patients. If we have to repeatedly go to a doctor or a manager, then we will.

Jan: I was also going to say advocating. In a home care setting, we are always trying to get more services and resources for patients and families at home. It’s always about getting your patients the care they need. If you have to step on some toes or tick someone off, so be it. You have to know how to get what the patient needs. Whether it’s 52 years ago when I graduated or this year when you are, the nurse is at the heart of the system.

50 years of Nursing at Mohawk College

The Mohawk College Nursing program began in 1973 when four schools of nursing – Brantford General School of Nursing, Hamilton Civic Hospitals School of Nursing, St. Joseph School of Nursing and the Hamilton and District School of Nursing (HADSON) – came under the College’s oversight.

That move, initiated across the province by the Ontario government, had the support of the College of Nurses. It reflected the growing belief that nurses would have more professional status and career opportunities with a post-secondary college education.

Those predecessor schools had been training nurses for more than 100 years. Three were directly attached to hospitals, while HADSON was an independent school sponsored by the Hamilton Health Association (formerly the Mountain TB Sanatorium) and was located on the Hamilton Mountain brow.

It was an enormous task to bring those four schools, still operating in their existing locations, into one program, says Rosemary Knechtel, who was teaching at the HADSON school at the time of the transition.

She went on to be Mohawk’s Dean of Health Sciences and Human Services and then Vice President Academic before retiring in 2010 after a 39-year career at the College.

“All of the schools had very good reputations. The programs were rigorous and nurses took a lot of pride in where they had gone to school, so there was a sense of loss and a grieving process at first. But bringing the programs together with Mohawk College meant building on all their strengths to create something new and highly successful.”

In 1978, a newly renovated HADSON facility became home to all of Mohawk College’s Hamilton-based nursing students and was named the Chedoke campus. The Brantford site continued until it was eventually closed.

Faculty and staff from all the predecessor nursing schools established careers at Mohawk College, says Knechtel.

She was a graduate of HADSON and took advantage of a “sandwich” program in which students went to Western University for a year, then to HADSON for two years and then back to Western for a final year. They earned a nursing diploma, along with a bachelor’s of science in nursing.

“It was a very innovative program and there were only a few of them in Ontario at the time,” says Knechtel, who went on to earn a master’s degree at McMaster University.

The merger of the four schools into Mohawk College built on their great programs and paved the way for what came later, including a problem-based curriculum, new programs in Practical Nursing and Personal Support Worker, a Practical Nursing partnership with Six Nations Polytechnic, and a great deal of global outreach to improve nursing programs.

It also laid the foundation for a partnership with McMaster University on a Nursing degree program – the first in Ontario – and a new joint facility in the Institute for Applied Health Sciences that is home to Mohawk’s nursing programs, says Knechtel.

“It has been a very deep and productive relationship between McMaster and Mohawk and it’s been a model for others,” she says.

“The Nursing programs at Mohawk College are well recognized and so respected for graduates who provide top-notch care because they were founded on these strong predecessor schools, the enthusiastic support of Mohawk College and later on the partnership with McMaster University in 2001.” 

This story originally appeared in Momentum Magazine.