18
view . spring 2010
SIX OUTSTANDING ALUMNI RECEIVED ODYSSEY AWARD
The Alumni Association was proud to honour six recipients at its Annual General Meeting and Awards
Presentations in November 2009. The Odyssey Award recognizes alumni who are in the early years of their
career path, having distinguished themselves through successes in career endeavours, notable achievements
in their local community or the University of Windsor, or through significant or innovative achievement in their
professional or personal lives.
Mike Bates BHK ’95, MBA ’04
Bates is a certified exercise physiologist, personal trainer,
sports conditioning specialist and owner of reFine Fitness
Studio. He is the co-author and editor of two fitness
industry books,
Health Fitness Management
, and a trainer
certification manual,
Can-Fit-Pro Personal
.
In addition, Bates is a sessional with the Faculty of
Human Kinetics, vice-president of the Walkerville Business
Improvement Association, and a director of the University
of Windsor Alumni Association. His fitness studio was
recently honoured by the Windsor and District Chamber of
Commerce with the Best New Business Award.
Prerna Chandak BComm ’08
Chandak founded Lemonade Capital in 2007, a company
designed to provide resources and support to young
entrepreneurs in Canada. She co-founded and co-chaired
the City of Windsor’s Mayor’s Youth Advisory Committee
and is an active member of Impact Entrepreneur Group
and other non-profit projects.
Chandak has been honoured as one of
Chatelaine
Magazine’s “
80 Amazing Women to Watch in Canada,” and
in 2007, was the recipient of the National Top 20 Under 20
award presented by Youth in Motion.
Julie Martell BFA ’97
Martell is an actress with an exceptional number of
credits to her name. She played the part of Sophie in
the first Canadian company of
Mamma Mia!
appeared
in
The Christmas Carol
at the Grand Theatre in London,
played Belle in
Beauty and the Beast
in Halifax, and was
on Broadway in the revival of
Gypsy
starring Bernadette
Peters, and directed by Academy Award winner
Sam Mendes.
Martell won universal acclaim playing the lead role of
Dot in
Sunday in the Park with George
, and this past season
appeared in Noel Coward’s
Play Orchestra Play
. Her Shaw
Festival credits include the title character in the musical
Gypsy
in 2005.
Jeff May BA ’01
Motivate – Inspire – Empower. These words appear on
May’s letterhead, and are the words he lives by, as an
athlete, coach, motivational speaker, entrepreneur, and
philanthropist. May is the president and CEO of the
Boiling Point Wheelchair Track Classic, a high-
performance international track meet for athletes with
disabilities and a premiere annual Para-Athletics meet in
North America.
On the track, May has won 24 provincial titles and
one national title. He has won numerous other awards,
including the Outstanding Achievement Award from the
Wallaceburg Sports Hall of Fame, and the Male Athlete
of the Year Award from the Ontario Amputee Les Autres
Sports Association.
As a motivational speaker, May shares his personal
story with his audiences, with the objective of empowering
them to embrace and appreciate their own and very
unique abilities.
Mike Bates BHK ’95,
MBA ’04
Prerna Chandak
BComm ’08
Julie Martell BFA ’97
Jeff May BA ’01
Laura Elizabeth Pinto
BComm ’92, BEd ’94,
MEd ’98
Zarine Pavri BASc ’07
