Hairstyling student Rikaya Santik from Niagara Falls brought home a gold medal win for Niagara College at the Skills Ontario competition in Toronto, May 6-7, and four fellow students earned bronze medals.

Bachelor of Arts Honours Game Design student Ben Cohen of Richmond Hill, Computer Programming & Analysis program student Doaa Awan of St. Catharines, Esthetician program student Kazzel Vibar, and Hairstyling student Trinity Ptashnyk of Chippawa joined Santik atop the provincial stage, winning third place in their respective competitions.

Santik will advance to the Skills Canada National Competition in Quebec City at the end of May.

“Competing at the provincial level alongside the top students in Ontario is an extraordinary experience for our students, and we are so proud to see them achieve success,” said Leo Tiberi, Dean of Media, Trades and Technology. “Their dedication, and that of the faculty and staff who support them, is remarkable, and their success a testament to the quality applied education they receive at Niagara College.”

Hairstyling

Santik, an aspiring celebrity stylist, showed off her creative flair and technical skill, completing an updo, cornrows, a colour and a cut as part of the competition.

“To compete in provincials was stressful, everyone was super good. Winning gold felt really good…. I didn’t even know that I could even get that far.”

Competing at Nationals will be a whole new experience for Santik – and her first time on a plane.

“…This is all new to me so I’m pretty stoked about it all. To approach the competition, I’m just going to keep my head held high and just focus on me. Do the best that I can, because this has been a wonderful experience,” said Santik. “NC has definitely helped me step outside my comfort zone and do things I haven’t been comfortable doing in my career.”

Fellow classmate Ptashnyk who placed third says the competition was a valuable experience.

“I had a lot of fun competing; I’ve always loved competitions,” said Ptashnyk. “I would love to open a salon and this program has taught me how to do so in the future.”

“I’m very proud of all our competitors; they represented Niagara College well,” said program coordinator Joe Abbruscato, who coached Santik and Ptashnyk. “We put a lot of hours into training and the results paid off. Rikaya has been putting in some extra time training for the nationals so she’ll be ready to complete against the country’s best.”

Web Design and Development

Earning a medal was a “delightful surprise” for aspiring software or web developer Awan, who admits she has a tendency to underestimate her abilities.

“I think this experience made me more aware of that and also reminded me of the fact that this is a trend that is prevalent among women, especially in male-dominated fields,” said Awan. “This unexpected medal has been a pivotal moment, reinforcing the importance of valuing my own skills… teaching me to recognize my potential and aim for the highest achievements.”

Preparation for the competition was “intense” for Awan, involving memorization of code. Competitors were tasked with coding a four-page website for the Toronto Aquarium, including a home page, about page, image gallery, and contact page, with the added challenge of choosing a colour palette, design elements and customizing a logo.

“I am driven by the desire to engage in work that excites me daily, allows me to leverage my potential, and contributes to solving real-world problems,” said Awan. “Financial freedom is also a major goal, along with the flexibility to work remotely, which would enable me to travel, have new experiences, and connect with diverse individuals.”

“My time at Niagara College has been instrumental in setting these goals… It has been a transformative experience, allowing me to combine my technical abilities with my passion for design, and preparing me to make a meaningful impact in the tech industry.”

3D Digital Game Art

Game Design student Ben Cohen is in his third year of the joint program with Brock University. His win at Skills Ontario comes on the heels of his team’s victory at Level Up for their game Reverex. Cohen’s specialty is technical art – the fusion of technical knowledge and artistic skill – an in-demand skill-set in the digital world.

Competitors in the 3D Game Art competition were given concept art from which to 3D model, UV unwrap, and texture a robot. Cohen’s final design named Rusty was completed under a time limit with strict technical parameters.

“Having the opportunity to compete against the top Game Art students in the province was an incredibly fulfilling experience and seeing the work that everyone produced was so amazing,” said Cohen, who says the competition honed his time management and technical skills.

Leveraging his experience at Level Up, Cohen learned to trust in himself and have confidence to compete in a high-pressure environment.

“Seven and a half hours isn’t a lot of time to make a 3D model, and have it packaged to go on Sketchfab, so I knew that I needed to be cool, manage my time well and trust in the skills I had gained from my last three years of practice…. Being recognized at a provincial level for my efforts and skills in this competition was an incredible honour.”

“The Game Design program has given me a lot of transferable skills to other industries, specifically with the specialized game technology I get to work with daily,” said Cohen, citing support from instructors Conor Macneill (Technical Chair for the competition) and Kevin Gordon.

Cohen hopes to return to the provincial competition next year as he completes his final year at Brock, after which he hopes to pursue “ambitious goals” for the future.

“It’s always been a dream of mine to work at Walt Disney Imagineering to develop attractions and experiences at their parks. Similarly, I’d also love to work for Walt Disney Animation developing animated feature films.”

Esthetics

Esthetician program student Kazzel Vibar placed third, earning a bronze medal at the provincial competition.

“Participating in the Skills Ontario competition was an incredibly fun and enriching experience,” said Vibar. “It provided me with an invaluable opportunity to enhance my skills as an esthetician. I am deeply grateful to have placed with a bronze medal, and I owe a great deal of thanks to Niagara College and my mentor for choosing me to represent the esthetics program. This experience has been a highlight in my journey and will always hold a special place in my heart.”

“Kazzel was very committed to the training for six weeks prior to the competition,” said Susan Paone, professor in the School of Hospitality & Tourism. “She dedicated an additional six to eight hours on top of her program commitments. We are super proud of all of her accomplishments.”

Niagara College has a full-time enrolment of more than 11,000 students from over 95 countries, who study in 130 diploma, certificate and bachelor degree programs at specialized campuses in Welland and Niagara-on-the-Lake. Niagara College is also involved in educational projects and partnerships around the world and is consistently ranked among Canada’s top 10 colleges for research funding. Learn more at niagaracollege.ca.