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The Dennis Mock Student Leadership Awards serve as a preview of the best and brightest who will be crossing the stage at convocation this year in June.

The awards recognize graduating students for their leadership and outstanding contributions to the life of Ryerson through extracurricular involvement. They’re named after former vice-president, academic Dennis Mock, who, in his 28 years at Ryerson, demonstrated a record of commitment to post-education education that is rarely matched. He played a central role in steering Ryerson through its most significant period of evolution when it earned its full university status in 1993.

“This truly is the highlight of my calendar for the year,” Mock said. “Ryerson has become an icon of higher education for relevant, innovative and quality cutting-edge programs. It is a great pleasure to watch it evolve and mature. All of the recipients are shiny examples of the magic that happens when the strengths of a Ryerson education are combined with your personal qualities.”

The awards are presented in two categories, program and university-wide, recognizing students’ extracurricular contributions either to the academic department or to the whole university.

Some students’ names are quickly recognizable because they’re so involved on campus from sports to academia to program achievements. Politics and governance student Stephen Kassim and fashion communication student Daniel Drak, for example, have used their love of Ryerson to empower others to create success across the campus. As the Ryerson Rams photographer, Kassim always came through with that quality shot that illustrated the Rams’ success so well. And in what seemed like no time at all, Drak immersed himself in the Faculty of Communication & Design, providing constant assistance in the School of Fashion office and working as the producer of Mass Exodus 2012.

Electrical engineering doctoral candidate Mehrnaz Shokrollahi was part of a unique first for the university. She graduated from the biomedical master’s program in 2009 with her siblings, Elnaz and Peyman. Their story was one of starting life anew in Canada and building success one step at a time with their family’s support.

Similarly social work student Peter Haastrup received his Canadian citizenship last year, confirming the new family and home he gained at Ryerson when his teammates joined him at the ceremony. As a star soccer player and mentor, Haastrup displayed leadership skills on and off the field, using his volunteer goals to help the community around him.

Business management student Parvinder Sachdeva exemplified the same ideals, seeing business as a progressive way to improve society. He first came to Ryerson’s attention when he organized the first annual TedxRyersonU event and started Ryerson’s first toastmasters club to help students learn effective speaking. Sachdeva made some noise on a national scale when he was chosen for the Next 36 in 2011, a Canadian scholarship program that aims to turn promising entrepreneurs into the business leaders of tomorrow.

“I’ve personally found everyone at Ryerson is highly dedicated and committed to student development,” Sachdeva said. “This kind of culture I believe got us here today. Our supporters and mentors have put their faith in us. The onus is now on us to prove our worth, make this university proud and put those recourses to good use. And when we all become successful in our prospective fields, let’s not forget where we came from.”

For a full list of Dennis Mock Student Leadership Award recipients, visit http://www.ryerson.ca/dennismockawards/.