News > 2012 > Five students awarded Lieutenant-Governor's Youth Medals

Five students awarded Lieutenant-Governor's Youth Medals

May 8, 2012

Two doctoral students, Frédéric Godin and Jean-François Harvey, and three MSc students, Alexandre Berkesse, Émilie Gauthier and Véronique Sergerie, were awarded Lieutenant-Governor’s Youth Medals at a ceremony on May 6. The distinction recognizes their academic excellence and exemplary community involvement.

Frédéric Godin’s marks are truly outstanding. He achieved a perfect GPA in his Master’s in Mathematics at the Université de Montréal (2010) and has earned a GPA of 4.13 out of 4.3 in the Management Sciences specialization in his doctoral studies at HEC Montréal. He has already won six scholarships and three awards of outstanding achievement, and co-authored a scientific paper. In terms of his involvement at the School, he helped organize a scientific seminar for financial mathematics students at HEC Montréal, along with his volunteer support for other students and his work as a tutor for college students. The doctoral student also finds the time to help youths by volunteering as a martial arts instructor and organizing music events and shows.

Jean-François Harvey (MSc 2009, Management option) can also be proud of his remarkable marks, with GPAs of 4.04 out of 4.3 in his MSc studies and, to date, 4.06 out of 4.3 for his PhD. He has received five scholarships and four awards of outstanding achievement, authored or co-authored two scientific articles and presented seven papers at seminars. In terms of community involvement, he has co-ordinated a management research and transfer centre, organized international symposia, co-ordinated several research projects, evaluated manuscripts, written Wikipedia articles, organized fundraising campaigns, managed a hockey team and organized chess tournaments.

MSc student Alexandre Berkesse has completed the first 27 credits in his Management option – which he represents in his student association – with an almost perfect GPA of 4.23 out of 4.3, five citations and two scholarships. To help students deal with the isolation they sometimes feel when working on a Master’s thesis or guided project, he created a self-help group for Master’s thesis students, which now has close to 75 members. He also initiated a partnership between the Strategy Department at Bombardier Aerospace and the HEC Montréal management consulting club. In January of this year, Alexandre was chosen to lead a program supported by the Université de Montréal Faculty of Medicine, to introduce a more humanistic approach into the training doctors currently receive.

Émilie Gauthier started her MSc after completing a trilingual BBA, a university exchange in England and a trade mission to Mexico as part of the mentorship program of the Regroupement des jeunes chambres de commerce du Québec (RJCCQ). She has now completed her course work in the MSc Marketing option, with a GPA of 4.17 out of 4.3, three scholarships for excellence or research support and two citations for excellence. She has been working as a research assistant for the RBC Financial Group Chair in E-Commerce and as Vice-President, Interactive Communication, with the RJCCQ. Émilie was a member of the HEC Montréal team that ranked among the top 15 in North America in the Google Online Marketing Challenge.

In recognition of her academic achievements, so far Véronique Sergerie has received seven major scholarships, including the prestigious graduate scholarship from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, an award for excellence and the Médaille d’honneur of the Quebec National Assembly (2007). She has an average of 4.09 out of 4.3 in the Management option of the MSc, after completing 21 credits. Véronique was chosen from more than 4,500 candidates to appear as one of the aspiring entrepreneurs on the La Franchise television show. Since 2010, she has been supporting young entrepreneurs in the BBA program at the School by helping them prepare their business plans, as a teaching assistant in entrepreneurship.

 

About the Lieutenant-Governor’s Medals

The purpose of the Lieutenant-Governor of Québec Awards Program  is to recognize Quebeckers who through their involvement, determination and desire to go beyond their personal bests, have had a positive influence on their community or Quebec. There are three honour categories:  

The Lieutenant-Governor’s Youth Medal is awarded every year to deserving graduates of high schools, CEGEPs and universities and vocational and adult education centres in Quebec.