Alana Best

Senior Program Advisor
Ministry of Transportation

"...She continuously expressed confidence in my ability and supported my judgment calls allowing me the freedom to work independently whilst astutely intervening to clear potential roadblocks and keep my project on track..."

Nominated by: Eugene Stephen, Career Bridge Intern

Art D'Silva

Director - Enterprise Information Strategy
RBC

"...My Coach/Mentor has contributed for my professional growth by providing guidance on RBCs project management processes and procesdures, by involving me in regular weekly Project Management meetings monthly Project Review Meetings and by providing required training opportunities..."

Nominated by: Srinivas Sastry Gadepalli, Career Bridge Intern

Aswini Singh

Controller
Ministry of the Attorney General

"...During the internship I feel growth every day... By generously acting as my key reference he also paved my way to next job as the Business & Financial Coordinator in another Ministry...I just can not imagine he can go so far to support me a new comer which fully convinced me that OPS is one of the Top Employers in the world..."

Nominated by: Quinny (Qun) Yin, Career Bridge Intern

Ben Cowan

Manager Client Support
Telus Mobility

"My coach Ben Cowan has hired me as a contractor with the same role which is going to provide me a great opportunity to further enhance my skills and become a proficient RF professional."

Nominated by: Sukrit Chaudhary, Career Edge Intern

Bernadette Serrano-Flores

Statistics Clerk
Toronto Transit Commission

"Bernadette has been a tremendous mentor for me. The Mentor of the Year award would be a fitting way to highlight the contributions Bernadette has made to my career and the Toronto Transit Commission..."

Blair Ferguson

Chief of Staff
Computer Talk Technology

"My mentor always friendly says hello whenever and wherever we see each other. Her caring about how my work is doing and how my life is going makes me feel warm-welcomed in this great company."

Nominated by: Holly W. Cai, Career Edge Intern

Carolyn Moore

Growing Forward Program Coordinator
Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs

"...Because of Carolyn I have had the opportunity to work with many stakeholders and ministry staff. Now I am able to communicate consult and collaborate well and in a timely and appropriate manner... Now I have the ability to seek career opportunities at the OPS with confidence."

Nominated by: Rahulkumar Patel, Career Bridge Intern

Claude K Sam-Foh

IM Team Lead
Ministry of Government Services, Government Services Delivery Cluster

"I am so glad to meet my right mentor through this internship. He was excellent and very keen in interest of his interns. I really to work with him and during my internship he gave me lots of feedback that make a difference in my career life."

Nominated by: Mahesh Dalwadi, Career Bridge Intern

Daniella Molnar

Senior Policy Advisor
Ministry of the Environment

"Daniella had a significant role in my suceed to lunch my career in the Ministry of the Environment as a Policy Analyst. Her support helped me to get a job offer at the end of my internship."

Nominated by: Soheil Zahabi, Career Bridge Intern

Denise Sarazin

Associate Director - Marketing
Bell Business Markets

"...Denise is more than a boss to me. In fact I consider her a life-long career mentor. Even if I wasn't working with Bell I know Denise would be there to discuss any career-related subjects with me. Denise's contributions to intern development extend not only to the time she spends with her interns every day…her contributions also include daily insights into her experiences in both the Public Relations and Marketing industries..." "...With Denise's help trust in my abilities and guidance I have learned to balance multiple projects with direct accountability communicate effectively and co-ordinate many stakeholders to deliver projects on time and in line with the Bell vision and brand while considering the goals of each person involved...”

Nominated by: Nicholas Nunes, Career Edge Intern

Dev Ram

Chair PIC
Provincial Interministerial Council

"...He makes tireless efforts to make his branch such an inclusive place where every newcomer feels comfortable and able to gain valuable work experience that is the objective of this program. He always involved us in different projects and made us a part of various social groups and teams to enhanced confidence and provide opportunity to meet people from various specialties..."

Nominated by: Syed Naveed Hasan, Career Bridge Intern

Diane Montgomery

Specialized HR Manager
TD Bank Financial Group

"...Diane acknowledged the 12 years of human resources work experience and knowledge I had brought in (though from another country) at every possible opportunity which made me feel so welcome and wanting to perform my best...Diane is a wonderful human being filled with empathy, understanding and cultural awareness which made my internship an amazing experience..."

Nominated by: Farah Azoor, Career Bridge Intern

Dianne James

Associate Director Project Management
Bell Canada

"Dianne has taken a personal and deeply vested interest in my internship at Bell Canada. Honest and straight forward feedback as well as invaluable advice and wisdom has been one of the main contributors of my successes at Bell."

Nominated by: Ali Fadhel, Career Edge Intern

Dimas Terron

Manager Ministry Performance Monitoring Unit
Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care

"...In my case I was lucky enough to have both a good employer and a perfect workplace with interesting projects and friendly atmosphere. All that happened because of Dimas Terron a mentor with exceptional personality. His universal working attitudes and individually tailored approaches guided me through my internship...I never could wish a better FIRST Canadian boss than Dimas..."

Nominated by: Davit Karapetyan, Career Bridge Intern

Dina Manoussogiorgakis

Branch Manager
RBC

"Dina recognised from the very start that I had the capacity to work in the role I was assigned and then she gave me the opportunity to prove that not only did I have the capacity but that I could perform in the role. I always feel that I can approach her to discuss anything related to the job as well as any personal matter I have. I admire her as a manager and the way she is able to balance authority and empathy in a high pressure environment."

Nominated by: Valerie Tappin, Career Bridge Intern

Dr. Zafar Bhatti

Sr. Review Engineer
Ministry of the Environment

"My mentor also provided me a coach Khalid Hussain P.Eng to me. Both of them contributed to enhance my environmental legislative knowledge modeling software awareness communication and negotiation."

Nominated by: K.Shahzad Baig, Career Bridge Intern

Emily Boylan

Rural Policy Advisor
Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs

"I receive from my mentor a guidance and helpful advice. She is knowledgeable. She is honest and candid and able to give me constructive feedback."

Nominated by: Pradip Kumar Dey, Career Bridge Intern

Eva Musso

Team Lead Project Green
Ministry of the Environment

"...She has been highly sensitive and extremely supportive of my needs and concerns as a new immigrant who has a limited knowledge of the local working conditions. As a mentor and team leader she has not only entrusted me with highly critical project responsibilities but also actively sought and relied on my advice..."

Nominated by: Pankaj Tripathi, Career Bridge Intern

Graeme Boyce

Sr. Bus. Intelligence Analyst Research & Business Intell. Enbridge East
Enbridge Gas Distribution

"My mentor provided me the needed encouragement in overcoming initially unsuccessful internal job posting applications and to to keep my head up in time of challenges."

Nominated by: Emilio Labra, Career Bridge Intern

Gregory Chin

Financial Officer
Ministry of the Environment

"...He showed me the ropes of working in the Ministry of Environment…In my opinion Gregory has taken the time, effort and gone beyond what was required of him to make my internship a meaningful and fruitful."

Nominated by: Sharath Somasundaram, Career Bridge Intern

Jeff Sholdice

Vice President Finance & Operations
Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters

"...As a new comer I got really good opportunity with CME to learn about Canadian culture with good support and as an internationally trained professional CME provided me the platform for my profession with good coaching."

Nominated by: Vijaykumar Prajapati, Career Bridge Intern

Jocelyne Samson

Chief Investigator
French Language Services commission

"My coach proactively identified my strengths and weaknesses in the Canadian context and systematically assisted me to overcome my limitations and enhance my strong points…Despite her busy and heavy schedule she was always available to me whenever I needed her..."

Nominated by: Sher Parahoo, Career Edge Intern

Lei Wu

Risk and Assurance Consultant
Minstry of Finance

"My mentor understand the difference and difficulties I have in the new environment and encourage me to take the challenge. She also shared with me her experiences in career development and tips on canadian working culture."

Nominated by: Lei Wu, Career Bridge Intern

Loretta Phippard

Manager Operational Risk and Support Services
RBC

"...As a mentor Loretta has a great eye for indentifying one's strengths…Personally I believe Ms Loretta Phippard is a great manager and mentor but a greater human being. She is one of those very few individuals who genuinely believe in making difference in your life..."

Nominated by: Asif Noor, Career Edge Intern

Louise Harding

Sr. Customer Service Rep.
RBC

"...She always encourges me. She always let me know about the other activites in the bank…I am thankful to her for her wonderful effort."

Nominated by: Jagmohan Singh Guru, Ability Edge Intern

Marc Viola

Senior Director
Loblaw Companies Limited

"He supported me in exploring other job opportunities within the organization. It has been 8 months and because of his encouragement I have received a job offer for a role that will provide more exposure and help me increase my business knowledge."

Nominated by: Sumaira Sadiq, Career Bridge Intern

Martin Mburu

IT Manager
TD Bank Financial Group

"My mentor is a good teacher and leader for me. He confirmed my efforts of working on the significant project and provided me with meaningful work experience."

Nominated by: Yi Li, Career Bridge Intern

Mary Ouroumis

Financial Assurance Program Support Coordinator
Ministry of the Environment

"...My Coach made it possible for me to attend all relevant OPS training courses that would enhance my professional development...Those training courses significantly assisted me in landing a job immediately after my internship within the OPS and I cannot be grateful enough to my coach for her role in my professional development..."

Nominated by: Dr. Collins Ugochukwu, Career Bridge Intern

Myrna Murphy

Associate Account Manager
RBC

"My Coach had shown a sense of trust in me which helped me to deliver best out of me. My mentor is really a wonderful person who supported me at every stage of my internship."

Nominated by: Urminder Singh, Career Edge Intern

Nafiseh Pourhassani

Senior Review Engineer
Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs

"During this first 3 months I am having the possibility to take part in many training program and information session thanks to my Mentor."

Nominated by: Alessandro Pellerito, Career Bridge Intern

Pamela Martell

HR business advisor
Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs

"...She does her best all the time to promote my efforts and highlight work I do. My mentor believes in me and in my potentials at times when I felt I don’t have an input I would find her praising the little I do and encourage me to continue..."

Nominated by: Wassim Abdelmalik, Career Bridge Intern

Peter Avgoustis

Manager-Stratgeic Business Managment Unit
City of Toronto, Toronto Water

"He was on of a kind mentor provided me with all support and guidance…He is an excellenct mentor and a team leader as well and has this vision and charisma that inspired all his team members..."

Nominated by: Doaa Mohsen, Career Bridge Intern

Shanir Jamal

Manager
Ministry of Government Services, Enterprise Financial Services Division

"It was exceptional experience working with Mr. Shanir and getting aggressive support to gain valuable support in a strange country. Thanks Career Edge for providing this opportunity."

Nominated by: Manoj Dave, Career Edge Intern

Tania Ternowetsky

Client Service Manager Team Lead
Bank of Montreal

"My coach provided valuable reading material that allowed me to enhance both my on the job training and my skills as a advisor to my clients... Tania exemplifies the characteristics of a trusted advisor and is always willing to assist me with my questions and concerns."

Nominated by: Simone King, Career Edge Intern

Wayne G. Nishihama

Manager Design
City of Mississauga

"My mentor provided me the flexibility to work with my creativity and to present my work in the departmental meeting; Treated me as a collegue not as an intern; Advised me to provide my opinions to the decision making time when it was required; Helped me to modify my resume in a professional way; and last but not least always provided me a supportive environment to work with other collegues."

Nominated by: Banani Afsana, Career Bridge Intern

Andrew Link

Toronto Transit Commission
Statistics Clerk Assistant, Career Edge

"... He has on more than one occasion proven his reliability professionalism and dedication to the Statistics Clerk role...Through his hard work we are able to maintain the new backlog criteria for each respective database...Andrew continues to conduct himself well beyond our expectations and we are very thankful for his continued diligence support and professionalism."

Nominated by: Bernadette P. Serrano Flores, Statistics Clerk

Béatrice Reitano

Ministry of Community and Social Services
Bilingual Project and Policy Analyst, Career Bridge

"Béatrice is a proactive and dedicated employee who was a great asset to the team. Not only very knowledgeable she was creative flexible and able to consult and engage all parties to build consensus on her projects... During her 9 months stay with the FLS Cluster Béatrice became a major member of our team taking on new tasks and blossoming as a professional..."

Nominated by: Dominique Guillaumant, Education and Community Services FLS Cluster

Collins N. Ugochukwu

Ministry of the Environment
Environmental Program Support Coordinator, Career Bridge

"...Collins' level of education and work experince have made him a great fit for the internship at the Ministry of Environment. Collins has been able to assimulate right in with the Canadian work culture...he has received the necessary Canadian work experience and has been able to obtain employment in Canada. Well done Collins!!"

Nominated by: Mary Ouroumis, Financial Assurance Program Coordinator

Davit Karapetyan

Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care
Consultant, Career Bridge

"Davit was a tremendous asset to our unit. The knowledge and experience he brought to the table was invaluable. He simplified complex issues and introduced new methods on developing and improving various documents, procedures and existing frameworks....He consistently embraced any challenge that came his way and provided value-added improvements to the unit's deliverables..."

Nominated by: Dimas Terron, Manager Ministry Performance Monitoring Unit

Edgar Silva

Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration
Information Management Assistant, Career Bridge

"... He is a self-starter needs little direction and takes initiative to locate online resources to learn the organizational structure/mandate of each ministry... Edgar excels both professionally & socially, always assists office colleagues & uses his IT skills to help resolve problems...He accepts each situation as an opportunity to learn & he would be an asset to any team."

Nominated by: Pat Naylor, Assistant FIPPA Coordinator

Eduardo Villaroel

St. Michael's Hospital
Telecommunications Intern, Career Edge

"Eduardo realized that we have many important initiatives on the go and he would stay late to finish work. He took it upon himself to create very professional documents relating to the various projects that he was on."

Nominated by: Sabah Dattu, Manager Technical Services

Emad Toghi

Bell Canada
CSE Intern, Career Edge

"... As an intern he stood out and many in the organization noticed him. He was hired as a full time employee after six months of internship and since then he has continue to excel in his work on some of the most difficult accounts and projects..."

Nominated by: Willy Sun, Associate Director

Ikram Ataullah

Bank of Montreal
Administrator Accreditation Programs, Career Edge

"...He made an immediate impact by tackling a project involving the validation of accreditation data held in a database that had become corrupted... Ikram learns quickly and forges productive working relationships across a wideranging cross section of the organization...He has become a very integral member of the group bringing energy and enthusiasm which infects the whole team."

Nominated by: Val McPhee, Accreditation Program Manager

Kan (Vincent) Guo

RBC Insurance
Client Assistance Officer, Career Edge

"... I am very fortunate to have him here for the months to come. His positive attitude, friendliness and willingness to learn are wonderful attributes that will ensure him a bright future and career here in Canada..."

Nominated by: Herman Chan, Branch Manager

Katie Tsang

Bell Canada
Cove Lab Manager, Career Edge

"...Katie got involved right away and except any challenges I gave her... she was 100% dedicated and focused.... With her technical skills and leadership skills she has the ability to get a job anywhere in our industry."

Nominated by: Andrew Chessell, Bell Manager

Mark Binkley

Hydro One
HR Controls Assistant, Career Edge

"...His dedication professionalism drive and ambition have been an exceptional asset to our team and organization. He has far exceeded our expectations and continues to impress us daily."

Nominated by: Elisa Piserchia, HR Controls Analyst

Marziya Nazarova

Ministry of Government Services
Information and Research Coordinator, Career Edge

"... Marziya applies creativity to successfully deliver on her key commitments especially those with tight deadlines or few resources...If creativity, resourcefulness and ingenuity mixed with a good sense of humour are award criteria, I can think of no better candidate than Marziya Nazarova."

Nominated by: Anne Bermonte, Manager I&IT Strategy Policy and Planning Branch

Nicholas Nunes

Bell Canada
Content coordinator, Career Edge

"From day 1 of his internship Nick started adding tremendous value to our organization. He has uncanny ability to understand exactly what is needed with very little direction and is always committed to delivering impeccable results..."

Nominated by: Denise Sarazin, Associate Director - Marketing

Patrick Farrer

Toronto Transit Commission
Statistics Clerk Assistant, Career Edge

"... He has gone above and beyond the responsibilities he was hired for. He has on more than one occasion proven his reliability professionalism and dedication to the Statistics Clerk role...He continually performs beyond our expectations."

Nominated by: Bernadette P. Serrano Flores, Statistics Clerk

Paul Hundal

TD Waterhouse
Operations Officer, Career Edge

"Paul has received several sunshine letters and acknowledgement from our team members and Management. He proved to be such a strong attribute to our overall team dynamic and I would like to nominate him as a star for the Intern award!"

Nominated by: Meghan Pedros, Team Manager

Ronkey Idji

Bell Canada
Marketing Loyalty Coordinator, Career Edge

"Ronkey has well integrated the team. She is a fast learner and very professional in her approach. She is dedicated to learn and produce quality work in a timely manner. I believe having Ronkey is a good asset for the team and she is supporting adequately the tasks given to her..."

Nominated by: Reine Khairallah, Marketing Loyalty Manager

Sharath Somasundaram

Ministry of the Environment
Junior Financial Analyst, Career Bridge

"The intern was able to use his past experience in excel and financial skills to link numerous reports in one spreadsheet. His contribution saved us time and more professional reports to our stakeholders within the Ministry."

Nominated by: Gregory Chin, Mentor

Silva Yelda

Toronto Transit Commission
Purchasing Assistant, Career Bridge

"...She always manages to keep smiling and contributing to the positive work culture within our team as evidenced through her interactions with her colleagues. Silva is a team player who helps others to achieve personal and departmental goals. She is truly viewed as an ambassador to Career Edge and its program."

Nominated by: Joe Di Ceglie, Superintendent-Purchasing

Sumaira Sadiq

Loblaw Companies Ltd.
Recruitment Coordinator, Career Bridge

"... Sumaira has taken initiative to learn about the Loblaw organization and in the last 8 months has taken 30 courses as part of our Learning & Training Curriculum!.. Sumaira clearly demonstrates the building blocks of the Career Edge organization, as well as the mission, values and behaviors of the Loblaw organization. She is a true asset to Loblaw and my team..."

Nominated by: Marc Viola, Senior Director Talent

Tahereh Mokhtar

Financial Services Commission of Ontario
End User Support Analyst, Career Edge

"The internship program is/was great for both the emplyer and the employee. In the diverse environment we work and live in already this enhances our mutual understanding and collaboration for the future."

Nominated by: Denis Balakai, Sr. Technical Analyst

Ufuk Ural

RBC
Account Manager Trainee, Career Edge

"Ufuk demonstrated his commitment when he actively participated in a branch after hours client event that was held within a month of his joining us. He helped with getting ready and hosting clients at the event"

Nominated by: Ada Agi, Branch Manager

Umme Namdarkhan

Ministry of Community and Social Services
Bilingual Project and Policy Analyst, Career Bridge

"Umme is a very talented employee who brings to the FLS Cluster a wealth of knowledge in program management stakeholders relations and communications... Umme is an important member of a team of professionals who appreciate her ability to work independently and in team as well as her knowledge and ongoing contributions..."

Nominated by: Dominique Guillaumant, Education and Community Services FLS Cluster

Valerie Tappin

RBC Insurance
Customer Assistance Officer, Career Edge

"... She joined our branch as our CAO in October and has exceeded all expections we had of her. She quickly took to the role as well as the team and the branch has not been the same since she got here!..."

Nominated by: Dina Manoussogiorgakis, Branch Manager

Yvonne Faldas

Ministry of the Environment
Approvals Assistant – Renewable Energy Team, Career Edge

"... She quickly and effectively adapted to the new fast paced work environment. She has exhibited her abilities beyond our expectation as an ITI. She is a true team player and has demonstrated great enthusiasm for learning performing and delivering the new tasks..."

Nominated by: Mohsen Keyvani, Senior Waste Review Engineer

Zahid Ishtiaque

Ontario Public Service
Database Analyst Intern, Career Edge

"Zahid has been an asset in moving a key project forward within our region. His technical knowledge has been invaluable to the project team and he is up for any user requirements we throw at him. Without him the project would not be this far along and so close to implementation stages. It has been an extreme pleasure working with Zahid!"

Nominated by: Jennifer Boyer, Human Resources Advisor