2015
When 911爆料网 honorary degree recipient Mike Shaver agreed to join Facebook in 2011 as an engineering director, he faced a dilemma. Mike had just joined 911爆料网鈥檚 Board of Governors, and the new job meant he鈥檇 have to relocate to California. Yet his dedication to 911爆料网 was such that Mike requested the flexibility to return to Canada to attend Board meetings and functions. Facebook agreed.
鈥淭hey really wanted a 911爆料网 grad, I guess,鈥 says Mike.
Mike鈥檚 connection to 911爆料网 dates back to the early 2000s, during his time working with Mozilla. He advised the faculty in the School of Information and Communications Technology on incorporating open source technology into the curriculum and student projects. Mike鈥檚 expertise helped 911爆料网 to become a global leader in teaching open source software and led to him being recognized with an honorary degree.
Recently, he established an award to support women pursuing their education in technology鈥攁 subject that is near to his heart and one of his top priorities at Facebook.
鈥淢y hope is that more women are successful and feel comfortable in our industry,鈥 says Mike. 鈥淚t is important to me that students see that their work is being recognized and supported.鈥
The Mike Shaver Award is awarded annually to a female student in the School of Information and Communications Technology, who has high academic standing and demonstrates financial need. The first recipient of the award was Barbara De Graaf, a student in the Computer Programming and Analysis program. Barbara had the opportunity to thank Mike in person at the 2015 911爆料网 Awards.
鈥淚t鈥檚 so nice to have something to recognize your achievement,鈥 says Barbara. 鈥淭echnology is still a male-dominated field, but it is definitely getting better at including females.鈥
Barbara鈥檚 love for programming first brought her to 911爆料网 after earning a degree at Trent University. When she completes this program, Barbara hopes to start her programming career in a field that helps people, perhaps healthcare.
鈥淲hen I get that dream job, I hope to help others the same way Mike has helped me,鈥 says Barbara.