Student Leadership Award honours and celebrates Lesley Mounteer

LM-880x300.pngPhoto: Lesley Mounteer (centre) with Western Engineering alumnae and Co-Founders of EngGirlProblems Olivia Gillis (left) and Elaine Samuel (right) at the 2018 Leaders' Reception, held at The Globe and Mail Centre, Toronto.

Western Engineering News | April 26, 2021

For the past 26 years, Lesley Mounteer has been an invaluable and dedicated member of Western Engineering, holding multiple positions, and, for the last 15 years, serving as the faculty’s Director of External Services.

During her time with the faculty, Mounteer has worked tirelessly to support engineering student leaders and to drive Western Engineering forward. Many students even referred to Mounteer as their “University Mom” — someone they could always turn to for help, support, and guidance.

To celebrate Mounteer’s upcoming retirement and to honour her outstanding contributions to the faculty, members of the Western Engineering community initiated the Lesley Mounteer Award in Student Leadership.

For support in establishing the award, alumnus Michael Zawalsky, BESc/HBA ’14, UES President ’14, connected with those closest to Mounteer at Western Engineering, and on April 22, 2021, a virtual ceremony took place to honour Mounteer and present her with the award.

“Lesley is someone who has had a huge impact on my life, and I know she’s had a similar impact on many other students, particularly student leaders,” said Zawalsky. “So, we started to ask ourselves, ‘How can we honour that legacy and ensure Lesley has a continuing impact on student leaders?’”

To be given annually to a student who demonstrates exceptional leadership, this newly established award will ensure that Mounteer’s positive influence on student leaders will be recognized for years to come.

Mounteer’s official retirement will take effect in July 2021, and while her departure will be deeply felt across the Western Engineering community, she has undoubtedly left a lasting effect on those around her. In light of that achievement, we offer our collective thanks to Mounteer for her long-standing dedication to the Western Engineering family.