April 17, 2020

Cameron Melle, a local alumni of Medicine Hat College (MHC), graduated among the top power engineering students in the nation and is being recognized with two awards in honour of his success.

Melle received notice that he placed second on the National Honour Roll and won third place in the 2019 Outstanding Achievement Awards, both for Third-Class power engineering. The National Power Engineering Student Awards are sponsored by PanGlobal Training Systems.

To be eligible for the awards, the top two students from each qualifying institution are nominated by an educator, with the top scores calculated using both the nominee’s school marks and the Standardization of Power Engineer Examinations Committee (SOPEEC) exam marks.

Given his perfect attendance and exceptional work ethic, the decision for Rakesh Kaushish, power engineering technology coordinator at MHC, to nominate Melle for the award was an easy one.

“Cameron was a very good student academically and was excellent in plant operations. He was always very respectful to the professors, as well as to his fellow students,” remarks Kaushish of Melle.

Melle’s passion for the trade began at a relatively young age following a tour of the power engineering lab at MHC in grade nine. He was intrigued by the equipment and desired to learn more about the process and how it all worked. Having grown up in Medicine Hat, along with the strong reputation of the power engineering program, MHC presented itself as the best choice for Melle.

Kaushish explains that the strength in the power engineering program lies in small class sizes and lab groups.

“Students benefit greatly from small class sizes in many ways, especially when they are operating boilers and other machines as they gain many hours of valuable hands-on experience. MHC’s professors are also very helpful and spend a lot of one-on-one time with the students to make sure they are successful.”

While Melle describes the program as challenging, he also highlights his experience as very rewarding.

“The program pushes you to learn many skills in a short time frame. It was very fast paced but it really helped put me ahead in terms of my future in this field. I was very fortunate to also make several contacts and meet new people with similar interests!” says Melle.

Melle adds that it means a lot to him to have his efforts being recognized.

“I am very honoured to receive this award and be on the National Honour Roll. I’ve put a lot of hard work into my studies throughout the past couple of years and I am grateful that it has paid off the way it has. I am also very appreciative of the support I received from my professors along the way.”

As the top nominee in Alberta for the National Honour Roll in the Third-Class category, Melle will receive a certificate, a voucher for discounted course material from PanGlobal’s web store, and his name engraved on the National Honour Roll plaque. For his third-place Outstanding Achievement Award, he will receive an honorable mention and a second voucher for discounted course material from PanGlobal.

For information on MHC’s power engineering program, visit Power Engineering Technology.