St. Clair College Alumni Of Distinction Announced

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St. Clair College has announced this years Alumni of Distinction award recipients.

Will Bigelow, a 2006 graduate of Animation Tradigital is now a concept artist with Baron Championship Rings He began seven years ago as a Graphic Designer and has since been promoted to Technical Art Director. He was instrumental in designing the iconic rings that were made for the Toronto Raptors after the team’s NBA championship win in 2019.

Dave Merheje a Business Marketing graduate in 2003, is now an actor and comedian who won a Juno Award in 2019 for Comedy Album of the year, and is considered to be one of the most original stand-up acts on the comedy scene today. He has been recognized for several comedy awards and has made appearances on Comedy Network’s Match Game, MTV Live and CBC. His comedy special, Beautifully Manic, can be seen on Netflix as part of the Comedians of the World and he currently co-stars in the Hulu comedy series Ramy.

Flora DiMenna, a 1980 graduate in Interior Design is president and principal designer of Toronto-based FDM Designs, and has received numerous awards around the world for her luxurious interior designs. She garnered an award for Best International Design at the International Interior Design Awards 2017 held in London, England. She was the “World’s Best” interior designer in the same competition held in 2016 and has a number of other accolades for excellence in her lavish interior designs for luxury residences, model homes and suites, corporate offices and public spaces.

Lori Kempe, a 1991 graduate of the Sign Language Interpreter, deaf studies, program and is currently executive director of Children First, has a history of working in the non-profit sector. Skilled in nonprofit organizations, coaching, government, program evaluation and volunteer management, Kempe is a strong business development professional. She has worked as the manager of Chatham Kent Children’s Services, has been a program advisor for the Ministry of Community and Social Services and was also a social worker with the Windsor Essex Children’s Aid Society.

Anita Riccio-Spagnuolo, a 1999 Personal Support Worker graduate and currency works as the coordinator of fund development/mental health promotion with the Canadian Mental Health Association, was elected in 2018 as a town councillor in LaSalle. She was the director of fundraising for Harmony in Action for five years, having achieved success in raising $300,000 to build an accessible playground for the agency’s clients. She is a childhood cancer survivor, who beat terminal Stage 4 cancer. With her second chance at life, Riccio-Spagnuolo wanted to give back to others and make Windsor-Essex a better place. She has served on the T2B Action Committee for 15 years and with the help of her family, she has organized a gala for the past eight years in Amherstburg to help find a cure for cancer.

Elizabeth Moses, who graduated from CNC Precision Metal cutting in 2017 and Pre-Apprenticeship General Machinist in 2019 works as a machinist apprentice at Windsor Mold, is a recent graduate, having completed her program in 2019. She has been described as a trailblazer for women in the trades and is a mentor for young women with WEST, Build-A-Dream and St. Clair College. Born in a refugee camp in Sudan, Moses moved to Canada at age 5. In high school, Moses was inadvertently placed in a woodworking class, but her teacher recognized her technical potential and encouraged her to join the school’s robotics team. She soon realized that she enjoyed machining and making parts for the robot. Moses relishes being a role model for other young women and she is interested in supporting young women who may be unsure about their future.

They will be honoured on Tuesday, April 7th at a gala dinner at the St. Clair College Centre for the Arts. Tickets are $60 each with tables of eight or ten available. For tickets visit the chryslertheatre.com or contact the Alumni office at 519-972-2747.