Wider Horizons

Every spring, as Lethbridge College grads prepare to move from the campus to their new Cam Mandelcareers, they have inspiring examples to emulate.

The four people chosen by Lethbridge College and celebrated on these pages are among the many accomplished alumni who credit their time at Lethbridge College as one of the secrets of their success. By their dedication and excellence, they distinguish themselves and the entire Lethbridge College community. We are proud to call them ours. They, along with this year’s honorary degree recipient Steve Meszaros, are the 2015 Honouring Excellence award recipients.

DISTINGUISHED ALUMNUS
Cam Mandel { Heavy Equipment Technician 1984 }

Cam Mandel is the owner and President of Taber Diesel Service Ltd. and has been hailed as one of Canada’s leading diesel injection and light/medium duty diesel vehicle power train specialists. Mandel has been recognized for his outstanding contributions to his industry and was recently awarded the Canadian Merit Award from Associated Diesel Specialists. In addition to his career success, Mandel is dedicated to his community and has acted as a co-chair for the Taber Charity Auction on behalf of STARS Air Ambulance and has been involved with STARS for more than 14 years. Mandel has also been active with Lethbridge College for more than 23 years. He was appointed and has held the position of Chair of the Agricultural and Heavy Equipment Advisory Committee for more than 22 years. He helped shape the college’s Agricultural and Heavy Equipment program and to date this program continues to have one of the highest waitlists every year. Mandel has distinguished himself in all award criteria areas and has made a significant contribution to his community. Lethbridge College is thrilled to honour him as the college’s first apprenticeship program graduate to receive the highest alumni award.

CAREER VIRTUOSO AWARD

Superintendent Jeff Sim { Law Enforcement 1982 }
Jeff Sim is the Superintendent of the Operations Division with the Vancouver Police Department and is in charge of the South Command and its approximately 400 police officers. Sim began his policing career with the Lethbridge Regional Police Service and, after four years, joined the Vancouver Police Department in 1986. He started as a Patrol Constable and was then selected to join one of the Vancouver Police Department’s Emergency Response Teams. In 2006, Sim moved into an inspector role and was responsible for all four emergency response teams and served as the critical incident commander. He has pursued additional education throughout his career, earning a variety of certificates and degrees over the years. Sim was also recently inducted into the Order of Merit of the Police Forces. His career has been a steady rise toward success and he is recognized by his peers for his hard work and dedication.

COMMUNITY LEADER AWARD

Vernon Oickle { Communication Arts – Print Journalism 1982 }
Vernon Oickle lives in Liverpool, Nova Scotia, and is the sales manager for Queens County Community Radio, the owner and operator of Privateer Promotions and Communications, and a columnist for The South Shore Breaker published by The Chronicle-Herald. Oickle is a successful writer and journalist and is the author of more than 20 novels, some of which have been on Canada’s bestseller’s list. He is recognized for his ongoing dedication to the betterment of his community and continues to be a voice for the east coast. He is the Chairman of the Liverpool Regional School Advisory Council and is also a member of the South Queens Chamber of Commerce, the Queens County Historical Society, and the Friends of Hank Snow Society. He is an advocate and activist for many other community organizations. Oickle shows his devotion to his community through his career successes and through his personal interests on a day-to-day basis.

RISING STAR AWARD

Jordan Jensen { Business Administration 2009 }
In the six years since he graduated from Lethbridge College, Jordan Jensen has moved from being a sales associate for SilverBirch Hotels and Resorts to founding his own company and working on a unique provincial program. One of his successes at SilverBirch was to secure an account for the Warner Bros. film crew who came to southern Alberta to film the movie Interstellar. In March 2013, while he was still at SilverBirch, Jensen started his own marketing business which is now known as ProDynamic. As he navigated those two jobs, he was also recruited to pilot a unique government-funded program known as the Sustainable Farm Families program. This program originated in Australia and focuses on providing farmers, their workers and their families with knowledge, skills and resources they need to better manage their health, well-being and safety. Jensen has already shown great success in his profession and has demonstrated his drive to work hard and to innovate.
Lethbridge College’s Distinguished Alumni award was established in 1992 to commemorate the college’s 35th anniversary and recognize college graduates who have distinguished themselves in their chosen careers and their communities. The other three categories – Career Virtuoso, Community Leader and Rising Star – were established in 2009 to recognize alumni at different stages of their lives. Since 1992, more than 70 graduates have received alumni awards from Lethbridge College. Further information on award categories and nomination forms for the 2016 awards are available online at lethbridgecollege.ca/alumni/nominate.

Wider Horizons
Megan Catalano
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