News > 2011 > Six HEC Montréal Students Awarded Lieutenant Governor's Youth Medals

Six HEC Montréal Students Awarded Lieutenant Governor's Youth Medals

         

June 13, 2011

PhD student Marie-Claude Gaudet, MSc students Ariane Hélène Fortin, Félix Guinet, Charles Martineau and Geneviève Tougas, and BBA student Julien Cusson have all been awarded Lieutenant Governor's Youth Medals. The decorations, recognizing exceptional academic and community involvement, were presented at a ceremony on May 8.

After completing 81 credits, Julien Cusson has maintained a GPA of 3.90, making him one of our top students. He chose the Professional Accounting specialization and has earned excellent marks in the courses related to his major. He has received the “with great distinction” citation several times, and was selected to take part in our Passport to the World exchange program. As part of this program he spent one term at Tsinghua University, in Beijing, where he was particularly interested in economics and management. On top of it all, in addition to successfully pursuing a demanding program of studies, Julien has been actively involved in student life. He took part in the interuniversity Prudential SUM Business Case Competition in Singapore, in 2010. He also travelled to Ecuador as part of a humanitarian project aimed at encouraging international co-operation and eco-tourism. Julien is an accomplished young man, talented, serious, energetic, and open to today’s new economic and social realities.

Ariane Hélène Fortin began studying communications at university, and then switched into social work, before enrolling in the MSc in Administration (Management) program. She joined the HEC Montréal Pôle santé, a forum for knowledge transfer in healthcare management, where she met with close to one hundred healthcare workers and managers in order to gain an understanding of their situation and suggest management approaches aimed at improving the organization of care and services. She also carried out research for the Conseil québécois des rélations humaines en culture (CQRHC) in 2009 and for the CHU Sainte-Justine / Université de Montréal from 2008 to 2010. For many years now, Ariane Hélène has been involved in various volunteer community activities: as director of a condo owners’ association, as a judge for the regional finals of Expo-sciences Bell science fairs in Montérégie and Montréal for three years, and as a volunteer with Famille à Cœur, an organization that endeavours to improve the quality of life of families in the Haut-Richelieu RCM by offering a complete range of workshops and services for members of the community. In addition to her commitments at university and in the community, she can be proud of an impressive GPA of 4.13 out of 4.3 after 27 credits, marks that have earned her three “with great distinction” citations since she started her MSc.

Marie-Claude Gaudet is an outstanding student in the HEC Montréal PhD program. First of all, she has had an exceptional university career, in terms of both her superb marks and her research work. To date she has a near-perfect GPA of 4.24 out of 4.3 in her PhD studies, and has already delivered three papers at scientific congresses. Her achievements have been recognized several times by a number of scholarships and awards of outstanding achievement. Marie-Claude is not satisfied with excelling in academia, however, but also shines thanks to her personal commitment to the community. At the university, she has helped organize several scientific events, juries and university competitions and headed or co-ordinated various student associations. In terms of community action, she finds the time to help improve the lives of the needy (Salvation Army), promote excellence among her peers (Optimist Club) and share her talents with younger people (touch football).

Following his undergraduate degree at the École polytechnique de Montréal, Félix Guinet decided to enrol in the MSc in Administration (Management) program. His dedication to his studies has earned him the “with great distinction” citation every term in which he was eligible, two scholarships and a remarkable GPA of 4.2 out of 4.3 after completing 36 credits. His accomplishments won him a research placement with the Canadian Space Agency, an ideal opportunity to combine his knowledge in the fields of management and computer engineering. Félix also became wholeheartedly involved in the university community. Since 2004, he has sat on the volunteer PolyCultures student committee, established to promote and recognize the different cultures on the campus. He became Vice-Chair of the committee and today continues to work with it as an experienced volunteer consultant. At HEC Montréal, Félix and two other colleagues launched a free platform to simplify exchanges among international students at HEC Montréal, the École polytechnique and the Université de Montréal.

Charles Martineau is currently enrolled in the MSc (International Business) program. His GPA of 4.17 out of 4.3 has earned him two “with great distinction” citations. He has received many scholarships, including one from the Fonds québécois de la recherche sur la société et la culture (FQRSC) and another from the Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC), and has twice made the MSc honour roll. He went on a student exchange to Japan and took a course at the prestigious London School of Economics and Political Science. Aside from his remarkable academic achievements, Charles has also acquired valuable professional experience and been involved in a number of extracurricular activities. He is currently a research assistant with the School’s Department of International Business, and was a junior underwriter with Export Development Canada. In addition, he was a trainer and research assistant in the trading room at Concordia University. Since 2010, he has been involved in writing articles for publication on the Web, to help individual investors by providing information on personal finances. Charles took part in the Global Research Investment Challenge of the CFA Institute of Montréal in 2009 and was also responsible for recruiting speakers for a symposium on commercial sustainability at Concordia University in 2007-2008.

Geneviève Tougas has been enrolled in the MSc (Organizational Development) program since fall 2009, and is an exemplary and motivated student, with a GPA of 4.17 out of 4.3 after 12 course credits. She was the top student in her option in winter 2010 and has received the “with great distinction” citation twice now. Her professors describe her as altruistic and dynamic, with excellent interpersonal skills. In addition to her extraordinary academic achievements, Geneviève has given unstintingly of her time to the university and professional communities. She volunteered for the CV clinic organized by BBA (Human Resources) students in 2008. That same year, she was Vice-President of the Symposium GRH interuniversity competition. In the community, she has coached a volleyball team since 2006. Lastly, from 2005 to 2008, Geneviève sat on the Board of Directors of the Bedford Caisse Desjardins as a young trainee director.
 

About the Lieutenant Governor’s Youth Medal

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 students at high schools, CEGEPs, universities and vocational and adult education centres in Quebec.