Recognizing outstanding commitment to volunteerism, academic excellence, and student initiatives at the Faculty of Information, Jessica Mann (pictured left) and Lillian Rigling(right) share the FIAA Outstanding Student Contribution Award for 2016.
This award is presented to any Masters student(s) in the Faculty who have made significant contributions to student life within the Faculty and at U of T as a whole and/or is an active participant in professional organizations.
According to FIAA President, Jeannie An (pictured in middle), in addition to their strong academic performances, both Mann and Rigling were recognized for having held numerous leadership positions during their time at the iSchool.
As a Master of Information student with concentrations in Information Systems & Design (ISD) and Knowledge Management and Information Management (KMIM), Mann served as President of the University of Toronto Association for Information Systems (UofTAIS) Chapter this past school year. During that time, she guided the leadership team as they organized 12 student-run events including workshops and networking opportunities on topics such as Technology Skills for the iSchool, an U of T AIS iSchool Alumni Panel, Open Source Workshop, and Introduction to Axure.
“I couldn’t have asked for a finer group to work with than the AIS (now ACM) Chapter team, and it means a tremendous amount that they felt I was worth nominating for this award,” Jessica says. “There are so many hard-working students here who have done such good work for the school this year that to be chosen as one of the FIAA award recipients…well, I’m honoured.”
The award is much deserved, says Kelly Lyons, an Associate Professor at the iSchool. “As our Faculty builds strengths in the areas of Information Systems and Design, Knowledge Management and Information Management, and Use Experience Design, the AIS Student Chapter and Jess Mann’s leadership and enthusiasm in these areas have been indispensable to the continued growth and success of these concentrations in our program.”
Mann also served as a Master of Information Student Council (MISC) Class Representative and participated as a mentor for incoming students in the Mentoring @ iSchool program. She is the recipient of both a Dean’s MI Scholarship and Ontario Graduate Scholarship.
Within the Faculty, Rigling served as a 2016 Conference Co-Chair for the iSchool Student Conference and a Co-facilitator of the Faculty of Information Mentoring Program. During her time on the MISC, Rigling has served as a class representative and Graduate Student Union Representative. Most recently, she was the Academic Affairs Chair and Social Committee Co-Chair where she was instrumental in planning this year’s iBall.
In her nomination letter, Associate Professor Siobhan Stevenson says: “Lillian completed two reading courses with me, written a series of “A” papers, and participated as a partner in a large project analyzing 50 years of job ads. She has been a wonderful student and an inspiring research partner.” Her positive attitude, inexhaustible energy, and her hunger for knowledge is remarkable. Indeed, her scholarly excellence is evidenced by the coveted paid Fellowship she has been awarded in the University of North Carolina’s esteemed library system.”
As well as her involvement within the Faculty, Rigling has worked with University of Toronto Libraries as a Graduate Student Library Assistant within the Scholarly Communications and Copyright Office, and as an Institutional Repositories Graduate Student Library Assistant with Information Technology Services Electronic Resources.
Lillian says over the past two years, she has tried her best to take advantage of the many amazing opportunities the Faculty of Information offers. “I have become involved in the remarkable community that has been created by students, faculty, and alumni of the iSchool. It is an honour to be recognized by both my classmates and the alumni association, and it is wonderful to know that I have been able to give back to this fantastic community.
Congratulations to both Lillian and Jessica, and best wishes on their future endeavours!
