London, ON – As Western returned to in-person convocation this year, it also provided the opportunity to present the Hon. G. Howard Ferguson Award. This year’s recipient is Amit Sayal of the Mustangs Men’s Volleyball team.
This recognition is awarded annually at convocation to a student who has shown the highest achievement during his or her university career in athletics, scholarship and university life.
Sayal has been with the Mustangs since 2018 and has been a leader both on and off the court.
“This award is undoubtedly a very special memento of my time at Western and truly a great honour.” said Sayal “Never did I imagine winning, especially when I heard about all of the other amazing individuals who have contributed so much to our community, it was a very big surprise indeed.”
The award is a true reflection of the overall student-athete effort as there are three key criteria to be eligible for the award:
- Demonstrated excellence within athletics at Western.
- A registered full-time student, with at least a “B” average in the previous year.
- Contributions to university life.
All three are factors Sayal has excelled in.
“One of, if not the best, student-athletes to ever represent Western Men’s Volleyball.” said Mustangs Men’s Volleyball Head Coach Jim Sage “He encompasses all the qualities and integrity of this prestigious award and sets an incredible example to his team members and coaches.”
Sayal has extensive community involvement both inside and outside of the volleyball community. He started the Men’s volleyball annual blood drive in 2019, he led the annual Movember campaign where we raised money for men’s mental health and hosted a March Madness 50/50 fundraiser for STEM2STERN, a not-for-profit institution that teaches underprivileged youth life skills through woodworking and construction that he has been involved with.
“I was very lucky to be connected to this organization through Western’s Scholar’s Electives program and learned so much from founder David Vine” said Sayal.
While the pandemic created several challenges for students, Sayal is hoping that another initiative that he recently started will flourish for years to come.
“The “Mustangs In the House” program is an initiative brings current Western varsity athletes to local high school and rep teams to teach them about the benefits and steps to becoming a varsity athlete.” said Sayal “The foundation for this organization was created and we look to reach many different sporting organizations in the coming year.”
Sayal graduated with a BA in Kinesiology.
We congratulate Sayal and all of the Mustangs who have celebrated their convocation over the past few weeks including the class of 2020, 21 and 22 graduates. We also thank the friends, family and supporters who have made graduation such a special time for all of our Mustangs graduates. We look forward to seeing all of our Mustangs alumni when they come back each year for homecoming to celebrate being #PurpleAndProud.