Mohawk grad earns Premier’s Award in technology

Paul Armstrong, Chief Operating Officer, Mohawk College and Cheyanne Hammell with her award at the Colleges Ontario Higher Education Summit in Toronto.

Cheyanne Hammell completed an Architectural Technology diploma in 2007 and is the third Mohawk alumnus to win in the technology category since 2018.

Cheyanne Hammell, who graduated from Mohawk College’s Architectural Technology program in 2007, says it was a shock and honour to receive a 2023 Premier’s Award in the Technology category. 

It is the third win for a Mohawk College graduate in that category since 2018. 

The Premier’s Awards recognize recent and past college graduates in seven categories who have made outstanding social and economic contributions. They were presented at the Colleges Ontario Higher Education Summit in Toronto in November. 

Hammell, a Special Projects manager at PCL Construction, Canada’s largest construction company, says she went to the large gala not expecting to win. 

“I looked at the list of nominees ahead of time, and they were all so impressive. I honestly went there assuming it was not going to be me. So when they said my name, I was definitely shocked to say the least.” 

Hammell says she’s proud that her win reflects well on Mohawk College, her employer and women in technology and trades. 

She has been dedicated to opening doors for women throughout her career through mentoring, speaking to students and volunteering with a variety of women in trades groups. She is only the third woman ever to win in the technology category, including fellow Mohawk College alumnus Kathy Lerette, who won in 2019. 

At PCL, Hammell leads highly customized and unique projects for premiere clients in the Toronto area, overseeing a team of 40 people undertaking 25 to 30 complex projects at any time. She led the design of the $135-million Lakeridge Gardens in Ajax, the first long-term care home built under Infrastructure Ontario’s Accelerated Build Pilot Program. It was completed in just 13 months during the pandemic and was recognised with local and global industry awards for from the Toronto Construction Association and Engineering News Record. 

She also led PCL’s implementation of a complex, $200-million baggage handling and sorting system for the Greater Toronto Airports Authority and a $16-million renovation of the CN Tower observation level in 2017. 

Hammell says her education at Mohawk prepared her with technical skills but also the leadership qualities that have helped her succeed. 

She was the PCL Toronto recipient of the prestigious Robert Stollery Leadership Award in 2020, given to one rising project management star per year who models excellence and inspiration for all of PCL. 

In 2022, she was named to On-Site Magazine’s Top 40 Under 40 in Canadian construction and is a Toronto Urban Land Institute (ULI) Women’s Leadership Initiative Champion. 

Hammell, who says she is inspired by her mother, a retired commercial pilot who also broke down gender barriers, is grateful for her time at Mohawk College. 

The College’s history of wins in the Premier’s Awards in the technology category, she says, “is a testament that we're well prepared to enter the industry and the way that we've been educated and prepped for that workforce entry has allowed us to set an example and start off on the right foot and work towards success and helping make a difference.” 

Rebecca Beatty, Program Coordinator of Architectural Technology and Architectural Technician, says the three-year technologist co-op program offers a broad and deep education. It covers all the building disciplines – architectural, structural, and building systems, and incorporates building science and sustainability, history of architecture, and management. 

Students choose from a design and construction management stream in their final year. 

“In the world of construction, there are fewer women. It's great that Cheyanne has been able to smash through that glass ceiling,” says Beatty. “I also think there's an acknowledgement among employers now that having diverse voices is beneficial and helps them grow.” 

Beatty believes Hammell’s Premier’s Awards win will encourage girls and women to join the sector and demonstrates that Mohawk provides the skills to achieve senior role. 

“It highlights the fact that we're producing graduates that have a set of skills that they can ladder up into management and senior roles. All of our Architectural Technology graduates complete a capstone project. And they have to each take on and lead one aspect of that project. That's where they develop some of those leadership, time management, communication, and presentation skills.” 

The three-year Architectural Technology program includes three terms of paid co-ops and that leads to 95 per cent of graduates being employed in the field within six months or pursuing additional credentials through our educational pathways, says Beatty. 

“We have very high employment rates compared to other architectural technology programs in the province right now.” 

This story originally appeared in Momentum Magazine.