SAIT
ALUMNI AWARDS
About the Alumni Awards
Introduced in 1988, the Alumni Awards are presented annually by SAIT and recognize the outstanding achievements of SAIT graduates.
SAIT is proud to recognize graduates - community builders, innovators and leaders in their industries - who are making an impact in the community, on the national stage and worldwide.
🚨 Nominations are now closed!
Thank you for your interest in nominating a SAIT graduate for an award. Nominations for the 2025 Alumni Awards is now closed. Please check back in early fall for an announcement on this year's recipients.
Awards categories and criteria
Established in 1988, the Distinguished Alumni Award recognizes a SAIT graduate who demonstrates:
- proven leadership skills
- exceptional achievements in business or industry
- outstanding contributions to the community
- a history of support for SAIT.
Established in 2009, the Outstanding Young Alumni Award recognizes a SAIT graduate who:
- has graduated from SAIT in the last ten years and is 35 years or younger
- has proven leadership skills
- exhibits exceptional achievements in their field of endeavour
- demonstrates outstanding contributions to the community.
Introduced in 2023, the International Impact Alumni Award recognizes a SAIT graduate who:
- has demonstrated a positive impact on SAIT’s reputation as a global education leader
- has exhibited exceptional achievements internationally and/or
- has demonstrated outstanding contributions in bringing positive global perspectives to SAIT and its surrounding community.
Established in 2019, the Clarence Hollingworth Alumni Employee Award of Excellence is awarded to a SAIT graduate who:
- is a SAIT staff or faculty member at the time of nomination
- has made a demonstrative and positive impact in the SAIT community through their work
- exemplifies a high level of excellence, professionalism and personal commitment to SAIT’s mission and core values, and
- embodies a spirit of enthusiasm and pride in being a graduate working at SAIT.
Please review the following exclusions before completing your nomination:
- self-nominations will not be considered in any award category
- current SAIT faculty and staff will not be considered for the SAIT Distinguished Alumni, International Impact Alumni or Outstanding Young Alumni Awards; however, Staff and faculty will be considered for the Clarence Hollingworth Alumni Employee Award of Excellence
- current serving Members of the Board of Governors or serving politicians at any level of government will not be considered for the SAIT Alumni Awards.
2024 Alumni Awards recipients
Self-discovery, resilience, kindness and a drive to give back are common threads woven throughout the stories of SAIT’s five 2024 Alumni Awards recipients. From overcoming adversity as a young person to mid-life fresh starts and late-in-life discoveries that changed everything, these award-winning alumni each perfectly illustrate the courage to rise above challenging circumstances, achieve great things and give back to their communities in incredible ways.
Terrance Malkinson
2024 Distinguished Alumni Award
Bachelor of Applied Information Systems Technology '01,
Information Technology Professional '99
Curiosity, discovery and kindness are hallmarks of Terrance Malkinson’s decades-long career as a medical researcher and journalist. His impact through more than 600 peer-reviewed publications is matched by his influence on the undergraduate, graduate and post-doctoral students he trained and mentored along the way. Retiring in 2011 didn’t slow Malkinson down — his drive to discover just took a new, more personal direction. He began testing his limits by training for outdoor expeditions and completing 11 full-distance Ironman triathlons. His research focus also shifted, trading a lab for the open road to study the health benefits of cycling.
- 2023 — Janice Krissa-Moore (Business Administration '98)
- 2022 — Linda Olsen (Cinema, TV, Stage and Radio '88)
- 2021 — Shelley Kuipers (Petroleum Engineering Technology '87)
- 2021 — Mike Lamacchia (Emergency Medical Technology Paramedic '90)
- 2019 — Deanna Burgart (Chemical Engineering Technology '00)
- 2019 — Trevor Lamb (Petroleum Engineering Technology '97)
- 2018 — Connie De Sousa (Professional Cooking '00)
- 2018 — Ryan Scott (Business Administration '01)
- 2017 — Victor Buffalo (Chemical Technology '64)
- 2017 — David Sartorelli (Emergency Medical Technology Paramedic '82)
- 2016 — Jennifer Carlson (Business Administration '99)
- 2016 — Lorenzo Donadeo (Welding Engineering Technology '77)
- 2015 — Tom Sampson (Emergency Medical Technology Paramedic '85)
- 2014 — Stephen Harke (Avionics Technology '89)
- 2014 — Paul Rogalski (Professional Cooking '86)
- 2013 — Joanne Johnson (Cinema, TV, Stage and Radio '82)
- 2012 — Doug Ramsay (Petroleum Engineering Technology '77)
- 2011 — Dennis Chorney (Petroleum Engineering Technology '75)
- 2011 — Norma Carroll (Honorary Distinguished Alumni)
- 2010 — Pat Morrow (Journalism '73)
- 2009 — Tom Mauro (Carpenter '77)
- 2008 — Al Browne (Hotel and Restaurant Management '72)
- 2007 — Keith MacPhail (Petroleum Engineering Technology '81)
- 2006 — Bev Longstaff (Engineering Graphics Technology '78)
- 2005 — Clayton Carroll (Automotive Service Technology '40)
- 2004 — Al Short (Bachelor of Applied Technology Petroleum Engineering '99)
- 2003 — Heather Culbert (Computer Technology '79)
- 2002 — Murray Cobbe (Petroleum Engineering Technology '70)
- 2001 — Paul Caney (Cinema, TV, Stage and Radio '89)
- 2001 — Frank Duffin (Heavy Duty Mechanic '68)
- 2001 — Bill Hartman (Petroleum Engineering Technology '66)
- 2000 — Erich Binder (Building Mechanical Systems '74)
- 2000 — Roger Jarvis (Honorary Distinguished Alumni)
- 1999 — Don Gray (Building Mechanical Systems '71)
- 1999 — David Johnson (Petroleum Engineering Technology '76)
- 1999 — Hank Swartout (Petroleum Engineering Technology '72)
- 1998 — Doug Currie (Merchandising Administration '70)
- 1998 — Doug Fraser (Industrial Instrumentation '54)
- 1998 — Jay Westman (Business Skills '84)
- 1996 — Mel Svendsen (Automotive Service Technology '68)
- 1995 — Stan Grad (Petroleum Engineering Technology '67)
- 1994 — Ed Tickles (Electrical Engineering Technology '60)
- 1993 — Syd Loeppky (Surveying and Mapping Technology '65)
- 1992 — Dorothy Lawrence (Dental Assisting '80)
- 1991 — Gary Sawkins (Computer Technology '69)
- 1990 — Hugh Craig (Industrial Electronics Technology '30)
- 1989 — Ken King (Emergency Medical Technology Paramedic '82)
- 1988 — Art Dixon (Wireless Operator '42)
Shelby Banera
2024 Outstanding Young Alumni Award
Bachelor of Business Administration — Financial Services '21
Business has been part of Shelby Banera’s life since the tender age of 14, when she launched a professional bakery service from her parents’ kitchen. While studying at SAIT, she helped classmates succeed with math, tutored university students on the stock market, and published an e-book on investing. Today, as a commercial banking associate with TD and its Women in Enterprise team, she blends entrepreneurial experience with a knack for numbers and a passion for helping businesses succeed. She organizes fundraising events for shelterless animals, offers inspiration to young women interested in financial services and recently completed her first half marathon
Tyler Carr
2024 Outstanding Young Alumni Award
Radio, Television and Broadcast News '15
Combining his platform as a popular Winnipeg morning radio show host with a powerful social media presence, Tyler Carr is building community and celebrating the province he loves. A prolific content creator, his social media videos regularly go viral — in 2023, his TikTok account had 7.7 million views. Carr uses his following to raise awareness and funds for charitable organizations and to support local businesses. For the past three years, his “Sassy Summer Sundae” partnerships with Winnipeg ice cream shops have been a great success, supporting cancer organizations, mental health charities and children’s charities.
- 2023 — Tejeshwar Grewal (Bachelor of Applied Technology Petroleum Engineering '18)
- 2023 — Danielle Murrison (Architectural Technologies '17)
- 2022 — Kyle Bukauskas (Radio, Television and Broadcast News '13)
- 2022 — Madeleine MacDonald (Hospitality Management '14)
- 2021 — Doug Braden (Mechanical Engineering Technology '11)
- 2019 — Gursh Bal (Electrician '16)
- 2019 — Kai Fahrion (Electrician '15)
- 2018 — Jenn Dalen (Radio, Television and Broadcast News '12)
- 2017 — Avree Bujaczek (Bachelor of Science in Construction Project Management '15)
- 2017 — Albert Myles Mejia (Business Administration '14, Aircraft Structures Technician '10)
- 2017 — Nicky Nash (Business Administration '08)
- 2016 — Levi Kuta (Mechanical Design Technology '12)
- 2016 — Ron Tarrant (Radio, Television and Broadcast News '08)
- 2016 — Josh Traptow (Administrative Information Management '11)
- 2015 — Sarah Erasmus (Digital Graphics Communication '10)
- 2015 — Matt Watterworth (Film and Video Production '08)
- 2014 — Rosalyn Ediger (Professional Cooking '05)
- 2014 — Adam Loria (Emergency Medical Technology Paramedic '05)
- 2014 — Catherine Oshanek (Journalism '05)
- 2013 — Cristi Adams (Geomatics Engineering Technology '10)
- 2012 — Des Nwaerondu (Business Administration '06)
- 2011 — Shiva Jahanshah (Cinema, TV, Stage and Radio '03)
- 2010 — Matt Squires (Hotel and Restaurant Management '01)
- 2009 — Smita Acharyya (Cinema, TV, Stage and Radio '00)
Matko Papic
2024 International Impact Alumni Award
Mechanical Engineering Technology '99
A 25-year career with the world’s largest mission-critical control room design and implementation company has taken Matko Papic to every corner of the globe. As Chief Technology Officer at Evans Consoles, he oversees its technical and strategic development. The company’s portfolio of 15,000 control room units worldwide spans military intelligence, critical infrastructure, oil and gas operations, 911 centres, air traffic control towers and space exploration. Papic brings his industry expertise back to his alma mater as an advisor for students in SAIT's Engineering Technology programs and, most recently, as a public member of SAIT's Board of Governors.
- 2023 — Roger Haddad (Automotive Service Technical '07)
Janis Rapchuk
2024 Clarence Hollingworth Alumni Employee Award of Excellence
Library Information Technology '95
Janis Rapchuk spent the first half of her 30-year career as a library technician in Western Canada’s largest aviation library and the second half with SAIT's Reg Erhardt Library. Empathy, flexibility and the courage to say 'yes' to opportunities have enabled Rapchuk to make a powerful impact, near and far. As a Client Accounts Technician, she helps connect SAIT students with the Library’s digital resources. Her many volunteer roles include reinvigorating a local retirement residence library and more than two decades working to improve the lives of women and children in Afghanistan through literacy and education.
- 2023 — Cindy Humphries (Medical Radiologic Technology '05)
- 2019 — Richard Stroobant (Cinema, Television, Stage & Radio)
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Contact us
SAIT Alumni
AA305, Heritage Hall, SAIT Main Campus
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Phone - 403.284.7010
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Phone - 1.888.284.8399
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Email - alumni@sait.ca
Oki, Âba wathtech, Danit'ada, Tawnshi, Hello.
SAIT is located on the traditional territories of the Niitsitapi (Blackfoot) and the people of Treaty 7 which includes the Siksika, the Piikani, the Kainai, the Tsuut’ina and the Îyârhe Nakoda of Bearspaw, Chiniki and Goodstoney.
We are situated in an area the Blackfoot tribes traditionally called Moh’kinsstis, where the Bow River meets the Elbow River. We now call it the city of Calgary, which is also home to the Métis Nation of Alberta.