An award of distinction, the Honorary Degree/Diploma is the highest honour Red River College can bestow upon an individual. This award recognizes individuals in diverse fields who are distinguished by their significant accomplishments and contributions – locally, nationally or internationally – and whose receipt of the award will bring honour and distinction to RRC.

Past recipients of this award have included Ace Burpee, Lisa Meeches, Gail Asper, and The Honourable Mr. Justice Murray Sinclair. Consider nominating an individual if he or she:

1. Has made significant contributions to either: (1) Red River College; (2) a particular field of post-secondary study; and/or (3) post-secondary education on a local, national or international level;
2. Has accomplished great success in either a paid or volunteer position that reflects the values of Red River College;
3. Enhances or promotes the College’s image/reputation in Manitoba or elsewhere; and/or
4. Serves as an inspirational example to the College community due to significant accomplishment or achievement.

More information on these prestigious awards is available on the Alumni microsite, including the online nomination form. The deadline for nominations is Friday, January 15.

If you have additional questions, please contact the Alumni Engagement office at 204-632-2359 or alumni@rrc.ca.

2014 & 2015 Alumni Award recipients April Slater with son Fox (centre), Sterling Matthes (first right from centre), Brenna Blackman (second right from centre) and Tim Stevenson (missing).

RRC’s Alumni Association presented four recent graduates with Alumni Awards on Thursday, November 19, 2015 at a luncheon held to celebrate their accomplishments and achievements since leaving the College’s hallowed halls.

The Alumni Award, an annual award of $1000, is given out to two applicants per year who have graduated from a certificate, diploma or degree program within the last 24 months.

Our 2014 recipients are April Slater and Sterling Matthes. April graduated from Community Economic Development in 2013 and is very active in her community, sharing her passion for traditional dance, beading and singing. Sterling graduated from Business Admin – Accounting in 2014 and has continued his studies at the University of Winnipeg where he aspires to complete his 4-year BA in Accounting.

Our 2015 recipients are Brenna Blackman and Tim Stevenson. Brenna graduated from Digital Media Design in 2015 and is now enrolled in RRC’s one year Advanced 3D Computer Graphics Program. Tim graduated from Community Economic Development in 2013, works with Food Matters and is currently in New Zealand presenting at the Healing Our Spirit Worldwide conference.

Congratulations to all of our award recipients! We wish you all the best in your future endeavours!

For more information on available scholarships, bursaries and awards through Red River College, please visit our Awards and Financial Aid page.

Red River College is excited to announce it’s new Business Technology Management program (BTM), a two-year diploma that gives graduates the knowledge and skill sets to analyze, design, and manage projects and businesses in the field of information technology.

January 2016 marks the first intake of students, and the program will involve a four or eight-month co-op beginning in May 2017. Employers interested in hiring a co-op student or learning more about the BTM program and co-op requirements are invited to contact Dan Greenberg at 204-949-8382 or dgreenberg@rrc.ca.

If you are interested in either the Business Information Technology or Business Technology Management programs from a student perspective, please consider joining us for a joint information session on Thursday, November 12 from 5:00 to 6:30 p.m. in Room P107 at the Roblin Centre.

Red River College is extending the VIP treatment to its graduates this spring, through a newly-launched promotional campaign that celebrates the achievements of not just our alumni, but also the diverse organizations where they find employment after graduating.

As part of the new campaign, RRC invited employers to partner with them on a creative, co-operative advertising blitz. The cost-sharing model provided an opportunity for industry partners to promote their own brands, while also showcasing a VIP (and RRC grad) within their ranks.

“RRC alumni are known throughout Manitoba and the world for possessing the necessary skills to be VIPs in their chosen fields,” says David Rew, interim president at RRC.

“It’s just one of the many reasons RRC Grads Get Hired. This spring, we’re celebrating the role our alumni play in driving Manitoba’s economy, and how they are leaders in their careers and their workplaces.”

Appearing this spring throughout Winnipeg and rural Manitoba, the new billboards, bus benches and digital ads feature more then 40 members of RRC’s accomplished alumni community.

“This is an excellent opportunity to partner with RRC and recognize a valued member of our executive team,” says Paul Soubry, president and CEO of New Flyer Industries, whose vice-president of human resources, Janice Harper, is featured on one of this year’s billboards. (See above.)

“Red River College develops skilled grads who are driving Manitoba’s economy, and New Flyer is pleased to provide meaningful employment in our community.”

Visit RRC’s Marketing and Web Presence site for a sneak peek of the full campaign.

There’s only one week left to sign up for Red River College’s 2015 billboard campaign, which affords our grads and their employers a unique opportunity for cross-organizational promotion.

Showcase your proud RRC connection — or that of an employee, mentor or industry colleague — by nominating yourself or someone you know for our high-profile brand of VIP treatment.

As always, we’re committed to celebrating the success of our alumni, and the diverse, innovative organizations that employ our grads. Building on the momentum of previous  campaigns, we’re inviting you to join us this year for a creative, co-operative new advertising opportunity.

You pick the grad, and we’ll handle the purchasing and production work. Then we’ll split the hard costs — and share in the campaign’s success!

Deadline for submissions is Jan. 14, 2015. Only a few spots remain — get in on the action before they’re all gone!

Learn more about the new campaign →

Amber Balcaen has her sights set on NASCAR. And to make it there, she needs your help.

The 22-year-old Red River College grad recently launched an IndieGoGo campaign to help raise funds for a test run at the end of December, where she’ll be driving an ARCA (Automobile Racing Club of America) asphalt car for HARE (Hassler and Associates Racing Enterprises) Motorsports, at Daytona International Raceway.

“If I showed you a picture of an ARCA car, you’d be like, ‘Oh that’s a NASCAR’ because it looks identical,” says Balcaen. “Essentially that’s what it is, it’s just another form of pavement racing, it just mirrors NASCAR. It’s another gateway into NASCAR.”

This test run is vitally important for Balcaen’s career – completing it ensures she receives her ARCA license, thereby allowing her to race in 2015. To get there, she needs to raise $6,000 by Dec. 24.

“It’s very hard to show proof of return on investment for a test, because it’s not a race. There aren’t thousands of fans in the stands; you’re just testing a car. So it’s hard to really show the numbers that sponsors want ­– that’s why I thought that crowdfunding was [a good way to raise] money for the test.”

Balcaen has been racing for 12 years, but this will be her first time doing so for ARCA, a minor but professional league of stock car racing that’s used as a feeder series for NASCAR. She had her first chance to drive for NASCAR in November of this year, when she was one of only 20 drivers invited to participate in Rev Racing and NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity. Read More →

Showcase your proud RRC connection — or that of an employee, mentor, or industry colleague — by taking part in our 2015 billboard campaign!

We want to celebrate the success of our alumni and the diverse, innovative organizations that employ our grads. Building on the momentum of our previous billboard campaigns, we invite you to join us in a creative, co-operative advertising opportunity.

You pick the grad, and we handle the purchasing and production work. Then we’ll split the hard costs — and share in the campaign’s success!

Deadline for submissions is Jan. 14, 2015.

Learn more about the new campaign →

“#InnovateOrDie,” reads the motto on the walls at Bold Innovation Group, and it’s a message the IT company takes to heart.

“We took an old motto and we renewed it for our generation,” explains Yvan Boisjoli (shown above, at left), one of Bold’s four founding partners. “[The original was], ‘If you’re not growing you’re dying.’ So what we did was just refresh it to #InnovateOrDie.”

Since Bold launched in March 2012, this mentality has helped the Île-des-Chênes-based company quickly become one of the leading third-party suppliers of apps for ecommerce behemoth Shopify.

Founded by brothers Yvan and Eric Boisjoli, Stefan Maynard and Jason Myers, Bold has already put 15 Shopify apps on the market and plans to launch another two per month for the foreseeable future. In its short time in existence, Bold has served almost 15,000 clients, including Microsoft, Time Life and Cirque du Soleil.

The Boisjoli brothers, both graduates of the Computer Analyst/Programmer (now called Business Information Technology) program at Red River College, are self-described ‘Code Pirates’ – meaning they build the apps – while Maynard is a ‘Design Ninja’ and Myers heads up Marketing. The fun job titles go hand-in-hand with the company’s ‘Work hard, play hard’ mentality; their office includes a foosball table and arcade games and the founders endeavor to ensure it’s a workplace with lots of perks.

The ‘Work hard’ part is also vitally important, as demonstrated by the company’s growth and success. Starting with just the four co-founders in 2012, Bold now has a staff of over 40. And they’re receiving accolades, winning the Young Enterprise category of the Entrepreneur Prizes handed out by the St. Boniface Chamber of Commerce, along with a national award for economic development and employability from Réseau de dévelopment économique et d’émployabilité (RDEE) Canada, the nation’s Francophone economic and employability network. Read More →

Casey Ludwick helps at-risk youth find a voice.

“Who’s there for these children when everyone they care about or look up to… is ignoring them or not there?” says Ludwick, a 24-year-old graduate of Red River College’s Applied Counselling program. “You can’t tell a child to ‘Just get over it,’ because a child takes what they’re experiencing and accommodates it into how they think and see the world.” 

According to Ludwick, the best way to help kids find their voices is to avoid labeling them.

“We’re so quick to label children in a certain way due to diagnoses or what we see presenting, and then we set the tone for them. How often do you think a child gets undivided attention to really speak and tell the world who they are without being told who they are first?”

Ludwick works as the girls coordinator and youth counsellor at Wahbung Abinoonjiiag Inc., a North End-based domestic violence support centre for children and families. The facility provides opportunities for holistic healing using culturally appropriate teachings.

“It is a safe, positive place where girls who live in the North End can come to have fun, relax, and learn more about themselves and their culture.”

Despite the challenging nature of the work, Ludwick loves her job; she utilizes a strength-based perspective and sees resiliency and positivity in all of her clients, who range in age from nine to 13. 

“Rather than seeing these kids [according to the negatives] – they could be involved with criminal activity, they’re lacking basic food and shelter, they’re involved in tons of maladaptive behaviours – you can either focus on that, or you can look at them for their strengths.” Read More →

Big rigs and bite-sized burgers drove a road-worthy crowd to Red River College’s 2014 Alumni Reception, where former grads, current students and RRC supporters celebrated decades of success and forward momentum.

Certainly no one minded the traffic at the College’s Heavy Equipment Transportation Centre (HETC), where this year’s “GO!”-themed event — with its focus on transportation trades — gave our growing network of grads a chance to re-connect with old friends, while toasting the achievements of their peers.

Held Sept. 27, the event drew an estimated 250 guests to the HETC space, where the centerpiece was an elevated semi cab put on display by presenting sponsor Maxim Truck & Trailer. Manshield Construction (Yellow Light Sponsor) and Assiniboine Credit Union (Red Light Sponsor) also came on board to help make this year’s signature celebration a success.

Guests enjoyed performances by local artists Luke Reimer (RRC grad), Rhia Rae (current Creative Communications student) and Matt Worobec (RRC grad who’s part of the group Alyx Knight).

During the evening, they also sampled culinary creations by RRC Chefs of Distinction Craig Guenther (Urban Prairie Cuisine) and Barbara O’Hara (Dessert Sinsations Café).

Also on tap: beverage tastings courtesy of Banville & Jones Wine Co., Crown Royal, Farmery Estate Brewery, De Luca’s Coffee, and Green Carrot Juice Company, and the much-anticipated Slider Contest, featuring mouthwatering mini-burgers created and served by industry partners from Freightliner, Bison Transport, Turk Enterprises, Custom Transport and Payne Transportation. The winner of the contest was Freightliner’s Ken Talbot, whose smoked meat slider won his team top honours.

Click here to see a video of the event, or here to see a photo gallery.

Shown above, from left: Angela Chambers, alumni council member; Tom Payne Jr, President of Payne Transportation LP; David Rew, Interim President and CEO of Red River College; Dave Tyrchniewicz, President of Turk Enterprises; Harry Dornn, Vice President of Marketing, Maxim Truck and Trailer; Ken Talbot, President/Dealer Principal of Freightliner Manitoba Ltd.; Steven Orbanski of Bison Transport; Kirk Warren, President/Owner of Custom Transport.