PRESS RELEASE
GEORGIAN COLLEGE
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Switching to a virtual competition from an in-person competition did not deter Georgian students from winning gold in the Skills Ontario competition held on May 12.

Erik Stinson won Georgian’s first medal – a gold medal – in the CAD Mechanical Engineering category. The 24-year-old Bond Head player is in his third year of the Mechanical engineering technology program. It was his first time participating in the skills competition.

Tanveer Sayed, faculty member and coach of the Georgian team, was extremely proud of Stinson’s performance.

“I was honored to be Erik’s mentor in the Skills Ontario competition,” said Sayed. “He’s been a student of mine for several classes and always came to class prepared, while also excelling at the tasks and projects he worked on. He shows maturity and professionalism beyond his young age. I am very happy for him; he has a great career as an engineer ahead of him.

Stinson said that when he started his program he was really impressed with the rigorous nature of computer aided design (CAD) courses.

“I spent a lot of extra time practicing my mechanical CAD skills to try and make the most of this opportunity and I really grew to appreciate it,” he noted. “My teacher encouraged me to enter the competition and provided me with lots of tips and practice materials, which helped me prepare. Skills Ontario was right in the middle of the last week of the semester, so there really was no time to prepare in the days leading up to it. I was satisfied to be strictly a competitor and to give the best of myself, so as you can imagine the victory was a wonderful surprise.

Stinson explained that the competition was split into two halves – each two hours. The first half required competitors to design, model and create designs for a longboard to given specifications. The second half asked them to design, model and create designs for splash guard for the wheels of the longboard. The design had to be identical for all four wheels, be attached without any additional fasteners and had to be 3D printable.

Stinson has an eight-month co-op internship starting in the fall and plans to continue his education with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, followed by his Professional Engineer (P.Eng.) Designation.

Georgian also won his first gold medal in the Hairdressing category.

Hairdressing student Emily Mills is in her final semester. “Throughout my childhood, I constantly practiced different hairstyles from videos I watched on YouTube,” said the 21-year-old from Newmarket. “One day I was talking to my grandmother and she asked me why I didn’t get into hairdressing. So I applied to Georgian’s Hairstyle program in fall 2020, and from day one I realized this was the career for me.

“We are very proud of Emily’s excellent work at Skills Ontario,” said Davina Hooper, Georgian faculty member and team coach. “This year’s competition was very different due to COVID-19 lockdowns and protocols. Emily is one of the most dedicated competitors I have ever worked with in preparation for the skills competition. She hasn’t let any of the pandemic’s struggles get in her way. She is definitely a role model for everyone. I am so proud of his accomplishments and I know this industry is going to take him to amazing places.

Mills explained that contestants had to complete three things in their virtual competition: a theory of cut, hairstyle and color with certain specifications. The cut was to be asymmetrical with the shorter part of the hair above the chin, styled smooth with a middle part. The hairstyle instructions weren’t part of the low bun with a twist and the color theory had to be something modern.

Mills said she learned a lot from competing, but the most important thing was learning to believe in herself, in her strengths and in knowing that she was more capable than she thought. “I am grateful to everyone who made this possible, and grateful for the opportunity to represent Georgian College,” she said.

Upon graduation, Mills plans to work at a salon in Newmarket to complete her apprenticeship and participate in future competitions.

Mills and Stinson both represented Ontario at Skills Canada’s national virtual competition, which took place May 26-27. The winners will be announced on June 15th.

Dr Bill Angelakos, Dean of Technology and Visual Arts at Georgian, said he was happy Georgian could continue to support and engage in his partnership with Skills during COVID-19.

“I am very proud of the hard work and dedication of our faculty, staff and students who have competed in Provincial and National competitions this year in the new virtual format,” said Angelakos. “It really illustrates their resilience and ability to overcome many different obstacles and our students had the opportunity to practice the skills that today’s employers are looking for, such as creativity, innovative thinking and problem solving. problems. “

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