Carleen Kruschel
Carleen Kruschel, 4 Year BSc, Kinesiology
Highly accomplished in a several spheres, Carleen Kruschel will deliver the valedictory address for the Wednesday afternoon session of Spring Convocation, having earned accolades in the classroom and on the volleyball court. Growing up in Beausejour Manitoba with sport as a constant companion, Kruschel graduated from Edward Shreyer School with a 98% average as its Governor General’s Academic Medal Recipient and Female Athlete of the year.
With experience playing competitively since age 11, Kruschel entered The University of Winnipeg on a volleyball scholarship, playing for five years including her final two as Wesmen team captain. Along with her deep passion for staying healthy and being active, the study of kinesiology allowed her to explore the vast capabilities of the human body, and how to best care for it.
In addition to her stellar performance as an athlete, Kruschel graduates with a 4.381 GPA. She earned a place on the Dean’s Honour list from 2010-2014, Academic Proficiency Scholarships from 2010-2014, Academic All-Canadian Gold Medals from 2009-2013. That is in addition to other awards, including but not limited to the Tom Kendall Award for Top Academic Student Athlete on multiple occasions, the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology Undergraduate Student Award in 2012, the University Gold Medal in Kinesiology – 4-Year in 2014, and the Chancellor’s Gold Medal for Highest Standing in Science – 4-Year in 2014.
Off campus Kruschel has been employed in private and public sector positions, and volunteered as a volleyball coach, referee and scorekeeper, and volleyball camp instructor for children and teens. She has also volunteered her time as a recreation assistant at a personal care home, and as a day surgery assistant at Concordia Hospital. She plans to continue her volunteer work in volleyball and health while she pursues further training toward a career as an ultrasound sonographer, and will become nationally certified as a volleyball official in the fall.
Gregory Furmaniuk
Gregory Furmaniuk, BA Honours, Political Science
An award winning student essayist and passionate social justice advocate, Gregory Furmaniuk has been chosen to deliver the valedictory address on the Thursday morning session of Spring Convocation. Born in Winnipeg, he was first compelled to stand up against injustice as a self-described “scrawny kid who did ballet.”
Being able to channel that drive into helping others has served him well. Furmaniuk graduated from Kelvin High School with an International Baccalaureate Diploma, and chose The University of Winnipeg where he has built lasting relationships with professors and peers.
During his studies he has received numerous awards and scholarships for his high performance, including but not limited to the Marion and David Korn Scholarship in Politics (2013-14), the Bill and Helen Norrie Scholarship in Politics (2012-13), the Peat-Goodridge Prize in Political Theory (2013-14) and the International Baccalaureate Scholarship (2010). He has also been chosen as a Student of Highest Distinction on the Dean’s Honour List (2012-13), and earned two Academic Proficiency Scholarships (2011-12, 2013-14).
Outside of the academy, Furmaniuk has dedicated himself to affecting meaningful social change. He successfully led the organizing drive to unionize academic assistants, served as shop-steward for CUPE 500 as a City of Winnipeg Library employee, surveyed rooming houses in Winnipeg’s inner city for the West Broadway Community Organization, and served on the Canadian Federation of Students Executive Board. He is also proud of the work he performed at the Winnipeg Public Library, which included program development and facilitation for adults, youth, and children Furmaniuk was happy to make smile.
Furmaniuk has accepted a scholarship to pursue a Bachelor of Civil Law/Bachelor of Laws at McGill University, after declining the Joseph-Armand Bombardier Canada Graduate Scholarship to pursue research on Canadian multiculturalism.
Olena Vus, 4 year BBA, Marketing
With a keen interest in the forces driving consumer decisions and motivation to get results, Olena Vus has been selected to deliver the valedictory address for the Thursday afternoon session of convocation. In spite of being surrounded by a family of doctors growing up, Vus found herself drawn to math, economics, and humanities. She cites an entrepreneurial godfather and an aunt and uncle in sales with inspiring her business interest, and says she always knew an academic path was in her future.
After growing up in Lviv, Ukraine, Vus was selected to attend her final year of high school in America through FLEX, an exchange program financed by the US Government for youth from the former Soviet Union. Taking her first year of university at the Lviv Institute of Banking of the University of Banking of the National Bank of Ukraine, she decided to return to North America by transferring to the University of Winnipeg, where she has consistently earned a high GPA in spite of the challenges of adjusting to a different education system.
Since joining UWinnipeg, Vus has received an Academic Proficiency Scholarship (2012-2013), and the Chancellor R.O.A. Hunter Scholarship in Business and Administration (2013). She was selected to be on UWinnipeg’s first team ever to participate in JDC West; Canada’s largest business competition, and the Royal Roads University International Undergraduate Competition. She is also a member of the Golden Key Honour Society, and a volunteer tutor at UWinnipeg’s Global Welcome Centre.
Graduating with both an impressive professional sales record under her belt, and experience working as a teaching assistant in universities, Vus exemplifies the combined value of business academia and entrepreneurial skills. She is currently working in the banking sector while exploring her future options for graduate studies, with a long-term goal of obtaining her PhD.
