Changemakers
Agent of Change Award
Thank you to everyone who joined us to celebrate our 2025 Changemakers!
Agent of Change - Individual
Tyler McGregor – Champion On and Off the Ice
Tyler McGregor, from Forest, Ontario, is the captain of Canada’s national Para ice hockey team and one of the sport’s premier athletes. After losing his leg to spindle cell sarcoma at age 15, he transitioned to Para ice hockey in 2011 and quickly rose to national prominence. Since joining the national team, he has earned multiple world championship medals, including gold in 2013 and 2017, and a silver medal at the 2018 Paralympics.
Inspired by Terry Fox, McGregor has been a lifelong supporter of cancer research. In 2021, he raised over $30,000 for the Terry Fox Foundation by skating 25 km in his sledge. He also founded the Sledge Skate of Hope to encourage young people facing adversity to chase their dreams.
Off the ice, McGregor is pursuing a Commerce degree at the University of Guelph and has been nominated for the prestigious Mark Messier Leadership Award, a testament to his resilience, leadership, and dedication both in sport and in life.
Agent of Change - Community
Climate Action Newmarket-Aurora (CANA) – Community-Driven Climate Solutions
In 2019, Teresa Porter co-founded Climate Action Newmarket-Aurora (CANA) with her friend Fran. What began as a small discussion group on global warming grew into a network of over 200 members, with a core group of 23 activists. CANA promotes science-based, non-partisan solutions to combat climate change through community engagement, educational events, and advocacy.
CANA’s mission includes influencing climate policy, fostering community collaboration, and growing its membership. The organization values respectful dialogue, integrity, and transparency. Through initiatives like community discussions, partnerships with local councils, and a monthly column titled "Power of Yes" in Newmarket Today, CANA raises awareness and drives meaningful change. The group also organizes educational events, including a successful provincial election forum.
Teresa emphasizes that the group's success is due to the dedication of its core members, who contribute through writing, organizing, and engaging with politicians. CANA remains focused on fostering collaboration and education to inspire change in the fight against climate change.
Agent of Change - Community
Foundation Counts – Purpose-Driven Philanthropy
The Yip family exemplifies the spirit of the Changemaker Award through their unwavering commitment to purpose-driven philanthropy. They believe that we are all called to be global leaders and see Pickering College as a place that nurtures this calling in young people.
For the Yip family, money is not an end, but a tool, a test, and a testimony—an opportunity to create a meaningful impact. Their charitable organization, Foundation Counts, reflects their belief that values should guide decisions and that giving should align with what matters most. They speak of the joy and privilege of giving as a family—of living their legacy together, not just leaving one behind.
Believing it takes a village to raise a child, the Yip family views Pickering College as a powerful example of that village. Their generosity, thoughtfulness, and values-based approach to giving embody the true meaning of changemaking.
Agent of Change - Community
Newbotics - Building Robots, Leaders, and a Better World
Newbotics is a non-profit community robotics team based in Newmarket, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 2019 by a group of high school students, the team was created to provide opportunities for hands-on engineering and leadership experiences that could only be achieved with a sizable budget and diverse team of experts in their field. Since its inception, Newbotics has participated in the FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) and has worked closely with the Newmarket community on various engineering-related projects.
Targeting high school students, Newbotics focuses on teaching engineering principles and leadership skills through real-world robotics projects. The team emphasizes practical learning, ensuring students engage in challenging projects that require more than just assembling from pre-made kits. Instead, students are mentored by engineers and professionals with technical backgrounds, which helps them rapidly develop essential skills in both engineering and teamwork.
One of Newbotics' first major achievements was the creation of a 125-pound robot, nicknamed 'Bertha', designed for the FIRST Robotics Competition. This robot was capable of manipulating dodgeballs and lifting itself entirely off the ground, showcasing the team's engineering capabilities. Through its projects, Newbotics continues to inspire and educate the next generation of engineers and leaders, fostering a strong connection between students, mentors, and the wider community.
Agent of Change - Community
Peace Echo – Youth Voices for Global Peace
Founded by Gloria Liu, Peace Echo is a youth-led nonprofit dedicated to amplifying the voices of individuals affected by war. Through storytelling initiatives like interviews and the Peace Hand Project – which collects student reflections on peace from around the world – the organization fosters global awareness, empathy, and unity.
Active in seven countries and partnered with over 20 schools, Peace Echo has engaged hundreds of students and gathered more than 250 symbolic hand photos representing hope and solidarity. In 2024, the organization further demonstrated its commitment to action by donating 40 bags of clothing and humanitarian aid to a local Ukraine organization.
With a focus on education, advocacy, and aid, Peace Echo ensures that the stories of those impacted by conflict are not only heard, but remembered – creating a platform for youth to be changemakers for peace.
Agent of Change - Community
Trees for Life - Planting Canada’s Future
Trees for Life is a national environmental organization dedicated to fostering a healthier, greener, and more sustainable Canada. Their mission is to inspire, empower, and mobilize Canadians in planting native trees and shrubs in the places they live, work, and play. Through community-led tree-planting initiatives, Trees for Life is working to create lasting change across the country.
The organization's roots lie in the success of two pioneering projects: the Highway of Heroes Tree Campaign and GrandTrees Climate Solutions. These projects collectively raised over $12.4 million, resulting in the planting of more than 2 million trees. The achievements of these initiatives sparked a desire to expand the vision on a national scale, leading to the founding of Trees for Life.
Building on the lessons learned from these earlier efforts, Trees for Life partners with community-based organizations to plant trees in locations where they will have the greatest impact. As a trusted partner in the Canadian government's ambitious 2 Billion Trees program, the organization launched in 2021 with a $2 million seed funding investment from the program, which was further bolstered by generous contributions from their donors.
Through their work, Trees for Life is committed to expanding Canada's tree canopy, aiming to make a significant contribution to the nation's goal of achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2040. By cultivating a greener future, Trees for Life is not only enhancing communities but also playing a pivotal role in mitigating climate change for generations to come.
Alumni Keystone Award
Nicholas LaValle '14 - Bio-Tech for a Cleaner Tomorrow
Nicholas H. LaValle '14 is the founder and visionary behind Clean Valley, a venture focused on combating the microplastic crisis through innovative bio-filtration technology. With over eight years of experience as an Environmental Technician at his father’s company, Valley Environmental Services, Nicholas conducted pollution monitoring across Canada and the Caribbean, including collaboration with Equilibrium Environmental Services in Trinidad and Tobago.
He studied Entrepreneurship at Dalhousie University’s Norman Newman Centre and completed co-op terms with Shoppers Drug Mart and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. His international experience includes an Erasmus term at HAN University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands, where he was awarded a full scholarship and recognized for his caring leadership.
Nicholas developed the initial concept for Clean Valley, conducted early customer discovery, led prototype development, and consolidated extensive academic research. He has represented Clean Valley at major events like the Global Entrepreneurship Summit in the Netherlands, winning awards such as silver at MassChallenge Switzerland (2023) and securing investment from HCi3. Passionate and persistent, Nicholas is dedicated to building solutions at the intersection of environmental health and aquaculture sustainability."
Capstone Project Finalists
Ian Cheung and Kate Zhou
Ian and Kate developed a program to connect high school students with medical professionals and volunteer opportunities to increase interest in STEM and health sciences.
Adrian Hammell and Lucas Lucchese
Adrian and Lucas led workshops for Grade 6 students to teach them how video games and apps can build habits that encourage gambling addictions in their future, and how they can circumvent this.
Shianne Liang
Shianne hosted a series of dance workshops to connect vulnerable youth with each other and community organizations and their resources.
Krypton Ni
Krypton trained a specialized AI model solution for smart glasses to enhance mobility and independence for individuals with visual impairments.
Impact Incubator Projects
Yasmin Hiranandani
Wrote and published the children's book, Devi’s Big Dream, to advocate for education in India.
Dasha Krymchuk
Created and distributed The Comfort Bracelet, a bracelet designed to reduce anxiety and promote relaxation.
Wako Mizuno
Produced Our Diary, a tool to support young patients during long-term medical treatments. Our Diary has been picked up for distribution at Toronto SickKids.
Jannat Naseem
Created Cash or Crashout, a financial literacy board game for young women.
Ethan Robinson-Vincent
Created an app so hockey scouts can easily access Indigenous player statistics.
Queen's University and Pickering College Post-Graduate Certificate Recipients
We are also honouring our first graduates of the Queen’s University and Pickering College Post-Graduate Certificate in Experiential Education. This certificate, offered jointly by Queen’s University and Pickering College, inspires teachers to design student learning that transcends the curriculum, giving students purpose and agency to deeply understand the world around them and effect positive change.
2024 Award Recipients
2023 Award Recipients
Agent of Change Award criteria
Award Winners have made significant global or local impact in their communities in the following areas:
- Community Engagement
- Environmental Stewardship
- Social Justice
- Truth and Reconciliation
- Advocacy
- Other meaningful contributions to the community
Pickering College was founded by Quakers in 1842 and while non-denominational, strives to uphold the Quaker values of simplicity, peace, integrity, compassion, equality and stewardship. Nominees demonstrate these values in their work to make their community a better place.
Alumni Keystone Award criteria
The Alumni Keystone Award recognizes the outstanding contributions Pickering College young alumni make in their fields to leave our world greater, better, and more beautiful than they discovered it. A keystone is the wedge-shaped piece at the crown of the arch, something on which associated pieces depend on for support. Similarly, our young alumni are emerging community leaders who others depend on for inspiration, guidance, and action. Nominees are a minimum of 5 years out since having graduated from Pickering College and are younger than 35 years old.
Award recipients are individuals who strive to go above and beyond in the following areas:
- Demonstrate excellence in their field of endeavour, either in their career or in a volunteer service, exemplifying: “Learning for Life. Creating the Future.”
- Demonstrate Quaker values, supporting the vision and mission of the Global Leadership Program, to be: “creative, innovative and courageous agents of ethical and positive change, true to Quaker values.”