When his colleagues in the Trent Financial Aid office reviewed the award criteria for the Canadian Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators’ (CASFAA) Award for Outstanding New Professional, they had no doubt that Christopher Rooney exceeded the requirements as much as he has exceeded expectations of students he interacts with.

In the past five years since moving from Recruitment to Financial Aid, Mr. Rooney has developed a sharp skillset that allows him to grow professionally, empower his team members to take opportunities that align with individual career goals, and connect with peers at the provincial and national level.

Mr. Rooney was awarded with the CASFAA Award for Outstanding New Professional on June 19, 2019 in Edmonton. When asked what motivates him to bring passion and dedication in his role as manager of operations and client services in the Office of the Registrar, he reflects on the transformative power of education.

“I am passionate about the ability that post-secondary education has to be transformative for people,” he notes, “It is really important to me that we work with partners to come up with programs that support [student] success.”

Mr. Rooney continues to pursue transformational growth through education as a staff person here at Trent, and has achieved his Master of Education degree with intentions to begin a Ph.D. in the fall.