Oshawa Celebrates Class of 2023
Convocation season is well underway in the City of Oshawa – the proud home of Durham College, Ontario Tech University and Trent University Durham GTA. These globally recognized institutions offer our community access to top talent, are home to world-renowned centres for research and development and generate innovative solutions for our region. With nearly 30,000 full-time students enrolled annually across Oshawa’s leading institutions, our community is brimming with opportunity for companies across many sectors looking to tap into talent. Today, the City of Oshawa celebrates those achievements through convocation ceremonies and the class of 2023.
Higher education continues to play a significant role within the Oshawa community; most notably with TeachingCity Oshawa. Launched in June 2017, TeachingCity brings together the City of Oshawa and its education and research partners – Durham College, Ontario Tech University, Trent University Durham GTA, and the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering. The partners address urban issues through innovation, collaboration, applied research and shared experiential learning opportunities with the aim of positioning Oshawa as a local, national and global community of urban research and learning. Today, we’re highlighting TeachingCity collaborators and Oshawa graduates to honour their many achievements during the convocation season.
Izzy Cossarin - Mechatronics Engineering - Ontario Tech University, 2023
Izzy had an incredible opportunity working on Project Arrow within Ontario Tech University’s Automotive Centre of Excellence (ACE). Project Arrow was home to a top-secret and visionary national engineering project. The mission was to build Canada’s first zero-emission concept electric vehicle.
Canada’s Automotive Parts Manufacturers’ Association selected Ontario Tech as the lead academic institution for Phase 2 of Project Arrow, an all-Canadian engineered concept funded by the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario.
Izzy got involved in Project Arrow in her second year after reaching out to the Director of ACE looking for opportunities. He suggested this project as something that was the perfect fit for her. Her role in the project included writing copy for the vehicle’s interface, co-ordinating the logistics of many of the vehicle components, working with the machine shop to manufacture parts, as well as project management to ensure tasks were on track.
Like many young professionals starting out in their field, Izzy knew the value of networking and building connections in her industry. “Within the university, I’ve gotten to work closely with a number of professors I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to work with otherwise. And then getting to work with people in the industry, different engineers and suppliers outside of the university—I just wouldn’t have had the opportunity to work with them at this stage in my career. It’s been a unique and once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for sure!” Looking to the future, Izzy is excited to be graduating this spring. She has already had some exciting opportunities come up, originating through a network bolstered by this experience.
Austin Bonke - Child and Youth Studies - Trent University Durham GTA 2023
During his time at Trent University Durham GTA, Austin completed his bachelor's degree in Child and Youth Studies with a specialization in the Teaching Education Stream. Throughout his four years, Austin took many courses that taught him valuable lessons he intends to take with him into his Teaching career. Courses covered topics such as children in arts, rights, legal issues and ethics amongst children and youth, child development as well as an independent research course where Austin worked on a 25 page research paper.
One of Austin’s most significant courses during his third year was Career Development Through Community Service. This class partnered with the City of Oshawa and opened up a number of great opportunities. The course was designed to work in collaboration with the City of Oshawa to determine the level of youth-friendliness within the city. Based on his performance in the class, Austin was offered the opportunity to continue his work with a summer placement between third and fourth year. During this time he worked closely with Jan McDonnell and continued to perfect the PlayWorks Application.
Austin considered all of these opportunities amazing as they offered many lessons that will be beneficial as he enters his teaching career. He is excited to see where the next chapter takes him.
Ryan Lounds and Tina Casey - Advertising and Marketing Communications - Durham College 2023
Ryan and Tina are thrilled to share that they will soon graduate from Durham College with Honours in the Advertising and Marketing Communications program. This transformative journey equipped them with comprehensive skills essential for success in the dynamic world of advertising and marketing. Throughout the program, they gained a deep understanding of strategic planning, market research, and brand management, enabling them to develop effective advertising campaigns that resonate with target audiences. They also honed their creative thinking and problem-solving abilities, allowing them to craft compelling messages and deliver impactful communication strategies. Durham College provided a solid foundation to thrive in the industry, combining theoretical knowledge with practical experience and fostering a strong work ethic. They want to thank Dawn Salter, David Barbuto and all other Durham College faculty members who supported and encouraged them to freach their full potential. Without them, they wouldn’t be on their current path.
Ryan had the fantastic opportunity to work for the City of Oshawa alongside Jen Plishewsky and the team at the Innovation and Transformation branch during his six-week placement. In addition, Ryan worked alongside professional mentors that helped make his time with the City of Oshawa a knowledgeable and informative experience.
He helped the Innovation and Transformation team create a full-year content calendar highlighting the days of significance, ensuring Oshawa's diverse community members feel supported and part of the city. By doing so, he created content and graphic designs for each significant day.
Ryan was honoured to have worked alongside Amanda Banning to help bring awareness of Red Dress Day to the community by creating memorable and impactful visuals. These designs were able to help the community learn about the significance of this essential Indigenous day.
While working for the City's Business and Economics department, Tina contributed meaningfully to the community by helping create content calendars for upcoming social media posts and using strategic planning to find target markets. It was a pleasure working alongside Brett Murphy, Hailey Wright, Mary Cousineau, and Taran Sambi, who were all instrumental in her development.
One of the things Tina loved about her program was the opportunity to give back to the community through city-related work. She particularly enjoyed attending grand openings for businesses like Florida Fades, an upscale barber shop in the heart of downtown, and Tracy Home Comfort, which sells high-quality fireplaces and barbecues.
Tina also visited the Oshawa Airport and the Ontario Regiment Museum, which was a unique and inspiring experience. While touring the facilities, she learned much about the history of the airport and its significance in the community.
Tyler Parsons - Mechatronics and Manufacturing Engineering - Ontario Tech University 2023
Tyler graduated with a MASc in Mechanical Engineering with a concentration in Mechatronics and Manufacturing Engineering at Ontario Tech University. During his studies, he was a part of the Autonomous Vehicle and Electro-Hydraulic Control (AVEC) lab directed by Dr. Jaho Seo. As a member of the AVEC lab, Tyler was able to apply his knowledge of optimization techniques to many real-world problems, one of which was a collaboration with The City of Oshawa through a TeachingCity project.
The collaborative project focused on optimizing service routes for the waste collection and street-sweeping operations in The City of Oshawa. The TeachingCity project allowed Tyler to expand on existing route optimization techniques such that the needs of the city were met. Through this project, Tyler worked closely with the City’s Operations team to ensure that all aspects of the routing problems were properly incorporated into the mathematical model. Some important aspects include the fuel capacity, debris capacity, and shift length constraints. Currently, Tyler is continuing research as a member of the AVEC lab specializing in path planning, route optimization, and applications of artificial intelligence.
Photo caption:
From left to right, Oshawa graduates Austin Bonke, Izzy Cossarin, Ryan Lounds and Tyler Parsons.