Management student wins most prestigious award
Juan Ma, a BBA graduate who specialized in Economics for Management Studies, won the 2011 Governor's General Silver Award for the highest marks among all arts students graduating this year. Even more impressively, Ma also won the John Black Aird Scholarship for being the top graduating student overall among all three University of Toronto campuses and undergraduate programs for 2011. This is the most prestigious academic award available to undergraduates at U of T at convocation.
Ma said she was "totally surprised" to win both of the awards, as her convocation took place in November 2010. "I know I did well, but I didn't know I did that well," she said. "I'm just so proud and so happy."Ma is set to go to Harvard this summer for her PhD in their Doctor of Business Administration program. While classes don't start until September, she has chosen to begin doing research with faculty in July.
UTSC's dean and vice-principal academic Rick Halpen is also thrilled with the news. "The awarding of two of the three GG silver medals to UTSC students is something that the entire campus should celebrate," he said. "It is indicative of the excellent quality of our students, our teachers, and our academic programming. Ms. Ma and Mr. Al-Khindi have done us proud and we know they will make valuable contributions to their respective programs at Harvard and John Hopkins."
The University of Toronto only hands out three Governor General's Silver Medals per year. Each department submits nominations for their top students at the end of the Winter term and awards are presented at convocation. Only two other UTSC students have won the John Black Aird Scholarship, Mark Lee in 2009 and Matthew Fellion in 2007.
