St. Lawrence College Graduate Wins Provincial Premier’s Award

St. Lawrence College (SLC) is thrilled to announce that alumnus Saifullah Sanaye is the recipient of a prestigious provincial Premier’s Award in the Apprenticeship category. The announcement was made November 27 during a ceremony to celebrate Ontario’s outstanding college graduates in Toronto. 

A highly skilled Red Seal certified automotive technician, instructor, and entrepreneur, Saifullah Sanaye is blazing new trails as he develops electric vehicle (EV) maintenance curriculum from the ground up, not only for his alma mater SLC, but also for several other colleges. He is a leader in the Eastern Ontario automotive community and is considered an expert in advanced vehicle diagnostics, especially in hybrid and electric vehicles. Saifullah completed the Automotive Service Technician Levels one through three training at SLC’s Cornwall campus, between 2007 and 2009.  

The Premier’s Awards recognize college graduates making important social and economic contributions to Ontario and are administered by Colleges Ontario. Saifullah credits his college faculty, who gave him the drive, knowledge, and confidence to move forward in his career. He also credits the small classes that allowed him 1:1 interaction, which made a difference, and taught him how to look at a problem from a different angle, something he is instilling in other mechanics. 

“On behalf of the entire SLC community, I want to congratulate Saifullah on his incredible win, which recognizes not only his professional accomplishments, but also how he is innovating and partnering to advance automotive education and training for the next generation.” said Glenn Vollebregt, SLC President and CEO. “I would also like to congratulate all of the exceptional SLC graduates who were nominated, for their contributions to their communities. The strength of each one of our nominees speaks to how SLC prepares our students to make a difference when they graduate.” 

Saifullah Sanaye said, “It is an honour to receive this award. I am looking forward to helping others. The premier award bursary will help me accomplish this goal. Rise and help others rise.” 

“We are thrilled to be congratulating Saifullah Sanaye,” said Elizabeth Gorman, SLC’s Director, Development and Alumni Relations. “Saifullah is helping mechanics navigate the new types of batteries and diagnostics they need to be well-versed in to serve the needs of their communities. His recognition is a wonderful testament to how all SLC nominees bring positive outcomes and progress to the communities they serve and in the industrie, they work in.” 

St. Lawrence College congratulates all its 2023 nominees:  

-Business Award Nominee: Brenda Andress 
-Community Services Award Nominee: Natalia Hanson 
-Creative Arts & Design Award Nominee: Tim Warnock 
-Health Science Award Nominee: Amber Hultink 
-Recent Graduate Award Nominee: Uche Udoha 
-Technology Award Nominee: Grant Courville