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Announcing the Winners of the 2025 President’s Capstone Award

Nov 12, 2025 by jessica
News RSM Students

Four summative projects from the University of St. Michael’s College’s Diploma in Social Responsibility and Sustainability (SR & S) have earned the President’s Capstone Award. The winners were presented with a plaque in recognition of their achievement at the convocation for Continuing Education’s SR & S Diploma program that took place on Saturday, November 8 in Charbonnel Lounge.

“The incredible quality of this year’s Capstone projects proves that St. Mike’s continues to lead as an institution dedicated to social justice and sustainability, whether environmental, social, or financial. The flame lit at the creation of Continuing Education’s Corporate Social Responsibility program in 2001—Canada’s first—is burning bright, and we’re proud our graduates are sharing its light with the world,” said St. Michael’s President David Sylvester.

This year’s winning projects addressed how the mining sector evaluates ESG; underrepresentation of women in medical research; community-based programs to deliver HIV services; and securing immigrants with employment that matches their skills and experience.

As part of the SR&S diploma, each student was paired with a mentor who is a practitioner and thought leader in the field of ESG, Sustainability, & Social Responsibility. Students receive guidance as they embark on a 16-month cumulative project designed to give them hands-on practical experience in promoting positive social change and have an environment impact in the greater community.

To be considered for the Capstone Award, projects were nominated by the mentors judged by a four-person panel, which included experts in the fields of corporate social responsibility and sustainability. Winners were selected in the following categories: Advancing Social and/or Environmental Impact; Advancing Social and Environmental Responsibility, Sustainability and/or ESG in their organization; and Advancing Innovative Practices in Social and Environmental Responsibility, Sustainability and/or ESG category.

The winners of the President’s Capstone Award:

Fayiz Nooraldeen and Saif Alotaibi’s project titled ‘ESG Rating Agencies: A Comparative Study of Rating Methodologies in Social Performance within the Mining Industry’ was selected as one of the winners in the social and environmental impact category. It examined the methodologies used by leading ESG rating agencies in the mining sector and overseen by Shahin Hirji, Founder and Principal Consultant at Distill Consulting.

Heather Creighton’s project on ‘Closing the Women’s Health Gap: How the IWK Foundation is Leading Transformational Change’ was also selected in the social and environment impact category. Using her own organization as a case study, she outlined ways to close the women’s health gap. She was guided by Shawna O’Hearn, Director of Global Health at Dalhousie University.

Tyler Morden received top honours in the Advancing Social and Environmental Responsibility, Sustainability and/or ESG in their organization category for his project titled ‘From Pilot to Permanence: A Framework for Community-Corporate-Government Engagement in HIV Services’. This project advocated for a community-corporate-government partnership framework to deliver HIV services. Willa Black, Founder of Connected North, was the mentor for this project.

Victor Huynh’s “From Waste to Worth: Designing a circular, zero-waste workforce integration model for skilled job seekers in Canada” won the advancing innovative practices category. This project demonstrated how economic principles can be applied to reduce unemployment and underemployment experienced by immigrants. His mentor was Andrew Robertson, Associate Director of Public Affairs at Novo Nordisk.

In all, eight students were nominated for the award and the remaining four projects received honourable mentions.

In the Advancing Social and Environmental Responsibility, Sustainability and/or ESG in their organization category:

  • Michelle Muise’s project on ‘Connecting Hearts At Home: A Strategic Framework for Employee Volunteering and Social Impact at Lilly Canada’; mentored by Rachel Baptiste.

In the Advancing Innovative Practices in Social and Environmental Responsibility, Sustainability and/or ESG category:

    • Alex Recio Greenwall’s project on ‘Beyond the Bottom Line: A Framework for Integrating ESG into Corporate Valuation Models’; mentored by David Rutherford.

    • Kaitlyn Salvador’s project on ‘A Marketing Framework for Social Change’; mentored by Trish Tervit.

    • Sage Mosgrove’s project on ‘Visualizing Change: designing data visualizations for impact in sustainability analytics’; mentored by Andrea McLeod.

Congratulations to our Capstone Award winners, honourable mentions and all who earned their Diploma in Social Responsibility and Sustainability on Saturday.