A memorable group of passionate and hard-working Athletics & Recreation student leaders were honoured for their achievements this morning at the Student Leadership Breakfast.

Throughout 2024-2025, these students contributed their time, energy, and passion to representing the Athletics & Recreation in a proud way; showcasing the Warriors brand to fellow students across campus, alumni, and the Waterloo community.

The 2024-2025 Student Leadership Award Winners:

Judson Whiteside Award Winner - Gurmehar Sachdeva

Gurmehar has held a strong presence across the department during his time with Athletics and Recreation. he began his journey with the Conditioning team in Spring 2022. Since then, he has worked with the @wloorec social media team, the Events team, the Conditioning team and the Staff Excellence Fund (SEF) program. A few of his titles include coordinator, coop student, and a personal trainer, among others.

Across all areas Gurmehar has shown his leadership through his organizational and programming skills, his creativity and reliability and his ability to create a positive and welcoming environment.  Gurmehar's passion has been evident since he started his journey with Athletics and Recreation. Gurmehar has been an invaluable asset, and we will miss his energy and welcoming demeanor around our spaces. Gurmehar, we have no doubt you have a successful future ahead.

Thank you for all the time, energy and enthusiasm you have brought to our programs. 

Event Staff Leadership Award - Preet Savla

After starting with Warriors Athletics as a Camp Counsellor, Preet brought his leadership and strong work ethic to the Event Staff team. His eager approach to expanding his knowledge of facility operations and event management has allowed him to grow into a strong leader for the team. Taking on the role of Student Lead – Training, he has contributed to the development of many of the newest cohort of staff, updating training documents and leading training sessions. His impact on this staff team will be seen for years to come. 

Facilities Staff Leadership Award Winners

Bella Videnovic

Bella has been an outstanding member of the facilities team since 2023, consistently demonstrating leadership, reliability, and teamwork. She goes above and beyond in ensuring smooth operations, assisting with set-ups, and supporting her colleagues. Her strong communication skills, proactive approach, and commitment to creating a positive work environment make her an invaluable asset to the PAC team. 

Connor McKellar

Connor has been a dedicated and versatile member of the arena team since August 2021, quickly mastering various roles, including edging, blade changing, laser calibrating, logo painting, and ice installation. As a senior student for the past two years, he has led staff training, scheduling, team meetings, and policy development while serving as a key point of contact for staff concerns. Beyond the arena, Connor has contributed to the Athletic Department through multiple work terms, taking on roles such as Golf Simulator Attendant and Game Day staff for varsity teams. His strong work ethic, leadership, and adaptability have made him an invaluable asset to both the Arena Team and Athletics. 

Game Day Staff Leadership Award - Rahel Benyam

Rahel was our Webcast Coordinator this past season and executed almost 80 games on OUA.TV for Football, Hockey, Basketball and Volleyball. Rahel was always up for the challenge of problem solving issues with the stream and made it a priority to communicate with our full time staff when things were going well or when support was needed. Rahel stepped up even more this term with her responsibilities when the department found themselves with a vacancy in the Communications and Game Day full time role and this was greatly appreciated. Whether uploading graphics, setting up the technology, communicating with external companies or hiring play by play and colour announcers, Rahel always made sure the job was taken care of.

Marketing Leadership Award - Erika Carlos

Erika Carlos, who began her journey with the Marketing team as a Recreation Practicum student in 2023, has quickly grown into a key member of the department. Her ability to take initiative and step into leadership roles when needed has made her an invaluable asset to the team. With a keen eye for detail and a strong work ethic, Erika has excelled as the Promotional Booth Coordinator, ensuring seamless execution at events. Beyond her contributions to marketing and promotions, she is also a leader on the women's football team, showcasing her dedication both on and off the field. Her hard work and passion continue to make a lasting impact, and we look forward to seeing her continued success.

Wellness Promotion Leadership Award - Natalie Garcia Munoz

Natalie has been a key contributor to the success of Warrior Recreation's social initiatives over the past two years. You may recognize her from the Givin' It a Shot campaigns, but to us, she has been an invaluable asset—consistently producing creative and engaging content that exceeds expectations. Always open to collaboration, she leaves a lasting impression on audiences through her outstanding presence and exceptional content editing skills.

Move Your Mind Volunteer Award - Victor Sae-Chu

Victor stands out as an exceptional volunteer with the Move Your Mind program. He began as a Buddy last fall, and has taken on working with multiple participants to help remove any barriers to participation they may be facing and to create a welcoming environment for his peers. His dedication and reliability are very much appreciated by program coordinators, and his ongoing support is greatly valued by the participants he works with.

Camp Leadership Award - Meagan Hobson

Over the past three summers, Meagan has dedicated herself to camp roles, progressively stepping into a leadership position as a Camp Coordinator last summer. Her experience and leadership were invaluable in this role, particularly as she guided counselors during the largest Multi-Sport camp to date, welcoming over a thousand campers for the first time. Meagan's presence will be deeply missed, as this upcoming summer will mark the first without her since 2022. However, we are excited to share that Meagan will be staying with the department and will be joining the Marketing Team for a co-op term.

Climbing Wall Leadership Award - Michael Trytek

No one has spent more time at the climbing wall than Michael. His passion for the climbing community has been evident since his first day as a student staff member. Michael's willingness to adapt plans and assist in every area of the climbing wall has made a lasting impact. His creativity has consistently stood out, especially in leading numerous full wall resets. Michael's dedication to the climbing wall will be greatly missed and will be hard to replicate.

Esports Leadership Award - Elissa Chen

Elissa was one of the initial hires with Warriors Esports and has been an integral part of our organization since she joined. Over the past 5 years, she has helped shape Warriors Esports from a student club to a thriving organization. Her impact can be felt in every area she has worked in, from events and broadcasts to competitive team operations. Today we celebrate her achievements and the legacy she has created within our community.

Fitness and Instructional Leadership Award - Marina Simonovic

Marina has been a dedicated dance instructor with Warrior Recreation since spring 2023. She vibrantly shares her passion for dance, bringing enthusiasm, care, and attention to detail to every class she teaches. Marina has demonstrated exemplary leadership by providing valuable feedback to enhance instructional dance programming and piloting a performance class that performed at the Fall 2024 Dance Showcase on campus. Today, we recognize her achievements and celebrate her continued commitment to supporting the dance programming at Waterloo.

Intramural Sport Leadership Award - Ivy Yu

Ivy has been a volleyball and ultimate frisbee official for almost 10 terms now. She has officiated over 300 games as well as provided administrative support to new officials. She is always available to cover shifts and answer questions in the teams channel and chat when needed. Ivy is easily recognizable to all participants as she is deeply integrated into the volleyball community. You can always find her officiating games or fulfilling her current and previous roles as the SERVE Club executive and co-president. Ivy is not afraid to step into any role as she routinely volunteers for open shifts in other sports to ensure that all games can run and the participants have a great time. Ivy will be surely missed, but we are excited to see what the future hold for her!

Sport Club Leadership Award Winners

Nikhila Kalia

Outstanding leadership does not even do Nikki justice for what she has done for the Tennis Club. As the president of the club for the last few years, Nikki has poured out her heart and soul to the club. Whether it's organizing every session and the end of term tournament, initiating the club's push to improve their social media presence, or coordinating team socials, Nikki has had a great positive impact on the playing experience of our members and the cohesion of the executive team. Nikki facilitates a welcoming environment and has spent over 1000 hours helping other executives and participants.

Amber Simons

Amber has worked tirelessly to ensure the continued success of women's football at the University of Waterloo. Faced with challenges such as financial constraints, low turnout, and limited staffing, Amber never wavered. Instead, she took the initiative to strengthen the team, laying a solid foundation that will allow future players to thrive. As president, Amber has also been a leader both on and off the field. She upholds the high standards necessary for a safe and competitive team while fostering a welcoming, empowering, and family-like environment. She has a remarkable ability to bring together veterans, rookies, and coaches, ensuring that everyone feels valued and connected. Amber thrives under pressure and consistently rises to the occasion, whether it's making tough decisions, advocating for the team's needs, or handling conflicts with grace and composure.  

Strength and Conditioning Leadership Award - Ethan Baumgartner

Ethan started with Conditioning in Spring 2022 as the Conditioning Assistant, since then Ethan has worked many hours as a personal trainer, floor supervisor and completed a second coop term. Since his first day of employment Ethan brought a high level of professionalism and skillset. Most notably is Ethan's leadership. He has spent countless hours assisting and training incoming coop students who have followed in his footsteps. He is also a trusted leader who assists in the hiring and training of new casual staff. We want to thank Ethan for his steadiness over the last 3 years, for his leadership and commitment to our program.

Training Leadership Award - Adele Trunecek

Adele has grown within the department having started as a lifeguard and has now held the First Aid SPC role since the Fall 2024 term. Adele has supported our risk management team in ensuring our trainers have the necessary resources to engage our student staff in their termly trainings. By supporting our trainers, the department can run first aid courses smoothly, positively impacting our full-time staff and the general public.


Outstanding Graduating Student Leaders:

Facilities and Events
Juliana Bossom
Mikayla Cameron
Dan George
Carson Hepburn
Ethan Kalra
Ryan Kehoe
Alisha Mani
Connor McKellar
Joesph Pongonthara
Albert Ton
Sam Vero
Emmalee Waite

Marketing and Communications
Rahel Benyam
Connor McKellar

Wellness
Caitlyn Kwong

Recreation
Sophia Armstrong
Ethan Baumgartner
Jack Bergen
Jessica Bona
Alexander Carrillos
Eric Chea
Molly Chen
Elissa Chen
Gleb Ellik
Benjamin Emmanuel
Jack Griffiths
MK Han
Amy Jing
Nikhila Kalia
Spencer Lawley
Lionel Liu
Megan Logan
Alexandra Mizgala
Daniel Nairn
Nathan Pan
Evan Rossiter
Gurmehar Sachdeva
Nikita Secnik
Marina Simonovic
Amber Simons
Hannah Small
Mick Wang
Ivy Yu