CBIE honours the recipients of our Excellence Awards during the annual conference. Developed by the Board of Directors, the Excellence Awards Program recognizes outstanding achievement in the field of international education in a range of specialties.
Board of Directors Leadership Award
Karima Ramji, University of Victoria
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Karima Ramji is a leader in international education and work integrated learning (WIL) with more than 25 years of experience advancing global, Indigenous, and inclusive co op education in Canada. As Associate Director of Co operative Education and Career Services at the University of Victoria, she led the development of nationally and internationally recognized international WIL programs.
A pioneer in international co-op education, Karima has shaped sector wide practice through research, professional leadership, and collaboration with organizations including CEWIL Canada, ACE WIL BC/Yukon, WACE and CBIE. Her work integrates academic rigour, cultural intelligence, accessibility, and Indigenous reconciliation, and aligns international education with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Karima’s leadership has influenced institutions across Canada and beyond, making her a trusted voice and innovator in international education. Karima recently assumed the role of Executive Director, Co-operative Education and Career Services at the University of Victoria and looks forward to continuing to champion international WIL in the years to come.
Catalyst Award
BNU-QUT-UCalgary International Doctoral Research Seminar
Beijing Normal University, Queensland University of Technology, University of Calgary
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Left to right: Dr. James Davis, Queensland University of Technology ; Dr. Xiying Wang, Beijing Normal University; Dr. Michele Jacobsen, University of Calgary.
The BNU-QUT-UCalgary International Doctoral Research Seminar (IDRS), led by Dr. Michele Jacobsen (University of Calgary), Dr. James Davis (Queensland University of Technology), and Dr. Xiying Wang (Beijing Normal University), is recognized for its sustained leadership in mobilizing research and knowledge in international education.
Founded in 2006 and expanded to include UCalgary in 2015, the IDRS has become a model of tri-continental doctoral research collaboration. Each year, the initiative brings together doctoral students and faculty from Canada, China, and Australia for intercultural scholarly inquiry, collaborative writing, and cultural engagement.
Through its innovative collaborative academic writing program, the IDRS has produced more than 30 peer-reviewed publications co-authored by doctoral scholars and faculty across the three institutions. More than 200 doctoral students and 50 academic mentors have participated, developing intercultural research competencies, cross-cultural partnerships, and global scholarly networks.
The IDRS demonstrates the power of long-term international collaboration to advance impactful research, foster intercultural understanding, and strengthen the global community of emerging scholars in international education.
Elizabeth Paterson Award
Quazi M. Abrar Nafis, Memorial University of Newfoundland
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Quazi Mohammad Abrar Nafis is an international student leader, advocate, and community-builder whose work has transformed the experiences of international students at Memorial University of Newfoundland and across Newfoundland and Labrador. Originally from Bangladesh, Quazi has dedicated his leadership to creating more equitable, inclusive, and affirming spaces for international, racialized, and queer students through advocacy, intercultural programming, and grassroots community-building.
As President of the International Students Resource Centre (ISC), he founded several impactful initiatives, including ISC ASPIRE, an orientation and empowerment program for newly arrived international students; ISC RISE, which celebrates the achievements and leadership of international students; and the ISC Multicultural Fashion Show: My Culture on Campus, promoting cultural pride and intercultural dialogue.
Beyond campus, Quazi has served in multiple advocacy roles with the Canadian Federation of Students Newfoundland and Labrador, focusing on equity, anti-racism, accessibility, and student wellbeing. Through his leadership, scholarship, and community care, he exemplifies the positive contributions international students make to the social, cultural, and institutional life of Canadian higher education.
Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Award
Mehnaz Lamia, OCAD University
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Mehnaz Lamia is an international student from Bangladesh whose leadership and advocacy have advanced equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging through international education. Since arriving in Canada in 2019 to pursue a BFA in Creative Writing, she has collaborated with community and institutional partners to develop equitable frameworks that prioritize the experiences and needs of international students.
Through her work as a peer mentor, wellness educator, student leader, and advocate, Mehnaz has helped design programming that supports international student success, including orientation initiatives, language workshops, wellness programming, and intercultural events that foster belonging and cultural exchange. Her work is grounded in an intersectional, anti-oppressive approach that recognizes the diverse realities of international students and newcomers.
Mehnaz brings extensive experience in international student programming across post-secondary institutions in both Quebec and Ontario and has contributed to institutional and sector-wide efforts to strengthen equity and support services for international students. She has also been an active contributor to national conversations on international education, advocating for more inclusive and student-centered approaches.
As a creative writer, migrant poet, and storyteller, she uses her artistic practice to amplify lived experiences of migration, identity, and belonging, fostering understanding and representation within Canadian higher education.
New World Award
Yar Malual, Memorial University of Newfoundland
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Yar Ayuen Malual is recognized for her outstanding contributions to international education, refugee student support, and inclusive campus leadership at Memorial University of Newfoundland. Arriving in Canada through the World University Service of Canada (WUSC) Student Refugee Program, Yar transformed her lived experience into a powerful commitment to supporting newcomer and refugee students in higher education.
As Chair of Memorial University’s WUSC Local Committee, Yar has led culturally inclusive orientation initiatives, newcomer mentorship programs, and advocacy efforts aimed at improving refugee student access to academic and settlement supports. Through her leadership, compassion, and community-building work, she has helped foster a more welcoming and globally engaged campus environment.
Alongside her leadership and volunteer contributions, Yar is a full-time student pursuing a Joint BSc/BA in Human Biosciences and Sociology and was recently awarded the prestigious NSERC Undergraduate Student Research Award in recognition of her academic excellence and research potential.
Panorama Award
Teaching Across Borders
Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary
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The Werklund School of Education team. Left to right: Benazir Rahman, International Facilitator; Caitlin Kane, Experiential Learning Facilitator; Dr. Stephen MacGregor, Director – Experiential Learning; Dr. Roswita Dressler, Associate Dean – International
Teaching Across Borders (TAB), a program of the Werklund School of Education at the University of Calgary, is recognized for its innovation and excellence in international teacher education. For more than a decade, TAB has prepared future educators through reciprocal international exchanges that develop intercultural competence, global awareness, and professional adaptability.
The program places Bachelor of Education students in partner institutions across Australia, Brazil, Germany, Japan, Scotland, Spain, and the United States, while also welcoming students from those institutions to Calgary. Through these reciprocal experiences, participants engage directly with different educational systems, cultures, and communities.
What distinguishes TAB is its emphasis on learning within unfamiliar contexts, encouraging critical reflection, pedagogical adaptability, and meaningful engagement with diverse perspectives. The program’s impact has been recognized through grant-funded research, peer-reviewed publications, and the University of Calgary Internationalization Achievement Award.
By embedding intercultural learning as a core element of teacher preparation, TAB serves as a model for high-quality international education programming and continues to enrich both participating students and local school communities.
Reconciliation and Internationalization Award
Danielle Kwan-Lafond, University of Toronto
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Dr. Danielle Kwan-Lafond is recognized for her outstanding leadership in advancing reconciliation through international education. Over nearly a decade of community-engaged, land-based teaching, she has built a sustained community-institutional partnership linking the University of Toronto Scarborough with TEC University, Resiliencia Indígena, and Indigenous communities in Costa Rica and Canada.
Her 2024 Global Field School: Indigenous Costa Rica and Manitoulin Field School created transformative learning environments where students studied Indigenous sovereignty, UNDRIP, land rights, settler colonialism, resurgence, and decolonization through direct engagement with Indigenous Elders, Knowledge Keepers, community leaders, students, and scholars. These courses are grounded in reciprocity, relational accountability, ethical partnership, and Indigenous-led learning.
Dr. Kwan-Lafond’s work has brought First Nations and Indigenous students from Canada into meaningful exchange with Indigenous students and youth from Costa Rica, including Bribri, Cabécar, Boruca, and Ngöbe communities. In 2025, she extended this partnership by bringing two Indigenous Costa Rican graduates to Canada to participate in the Manitoulin Island field school, where they learned alongside UTSC and UTM students in Sheshegwaning First Nation and Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory.
Her contributions also include scholarship, knowledge mobilization, and ongoing support for Indigenous student leadership. Dr. Kwan-Lafond’s work demonstrates how international education can move beyond mobility toward reciprocal partnerships, Indigenous self-determination, and transformative cross-border learning.