Red Deer College advocate Brittany Lausen has been named RDC Foundation Outstanding Student Award recipient for 2021.
The annual award recognizes a student whose actions have significantly enhanced RDC, whether through governance, membership on committees and other meaningful contributions.
Lausen was nominated by her peers to receive the honour again this year due to her immense contributions to student leadership at RDC and far beyond.
“It’s very humbling to receive this award, and I am truly grateful for all the opportunities that being a part of the Students’ Association and Red Deer College have provided, allowing me to be as involved as I have been,” Lausen said in a news release.
Lausen has played an integral role on the Students’ Association Executive Team, serving as the VP Community & Wellness in 2018-2019 and as president for the past two years.
“I am so grateful to the students of Red Deer College for trusting me for the past three years to be one of their elected representatives,” she said. “It has truly made my time at post-secondary, and it is something I will miss dearly.”
She has also been on RDC’s Academic Council for three years and has served as a student representative on RDC’s Board of Governors since 2019, in addition to myriad other volunteering, committees and initiatives at the college.
Through her role with the Students’ Association, she became part of the Alberta Students’ Executive Council (ASEC), where – as the longest-serving student leader in the province – she was unanimously elected to be chair in June 2020.
Lausen also recognized a need for Western Canadian students to be better represented at the federal level. As part of her work with ASEC, she was elected to sit as one of the founding members of the Federal Student Advocacy Alliance. This alliance, representing ASEC, BC Federation of Students and Sask Polytechnic Students’ Association, allows students from the three western provinces to have a greater voice in advocacy issues at the national level.
“Brittany has continually demonstrated strong leadership in representing post-secondary students at all levels,” says Dr. Peter Nunoda, RDC president.
“In her two years on RDC’s board of governors and through her work with the Students’ Association, I have gained a great appreciation for her collaborative approach and also her determination to do what is best for students at RDC and for post-secondary students across the province.
“During her time at RDC, she gained a strong understanding of governance and student needs, and that has served RDC’s students well for many years.”
Lausen, who is currently interning with Amazon, will graduate in April 2022 with a Bachelor of Business Administration in general management, with minors in finance and economics, from RDC’s collaborative degree with Mount Royal University.
Following that, she is also looking to continue her educational journey by attaining a master’s degree, either in public policy or public administration.