The Certified General Accountants Association of Canada (CGA-Canada) congratulates recipients of its student awards. Based on results of the 2005-06 academic year, 18 awards were presented to 17 new CGAs and students.

The awards, recognizing outstanding academic achievement, were presented at provincial admission to membership ceremonies.

Sajitha Radhakrishnan, of Toronto, Ontario, is the recipient of the ENCON Group Inc Insurance Public Practice Award. The $5,000 award is granted annually to the new CGA who earns the highest average mark on the Financial Accounting 4, Auditing 2, and Taxation 2 examinations in the public practice career option of the CGA program. Radhakrishnan is a tax auditor with the Canada Revenue Agency and is currently part of a project team implementing the Real Time Quality Assurance Pilot at the Toronto North Tax Services office.

Nancy Turgeon, of Longueuil, Quebec, is the recipient of the $1,500 Porter Hétu International Award. It is presented to a newly certified CGA graduating from the public practice career option who obtains the highest final course mark in Auditing 2. Turgeon is currently senior rulings officer at the head office of the Canada Revenue Agency in Ottawa, Ontario.

The Carswell Taxation Award, which is granted to the student who earns the highest mark in Taxation 2 on the first attempt, is shared this year by two students who achieved the identical score. Yixue Wang of Toronto is an accountant at a Toronto area accounting firm. Blandine Nganso, a student of the Ordre des CGA du Québec, is currently a junior auditor for Ernst & Young in Paris, France.

Awards of Excellence are presented to the students who receive the highest overall marks in each of the five levels of the CGA program. Jin Feng of Toronto earned the Award of Excellence for the professional level, the final level of studies prior to certification. Feng is a senior finance associate at Sears Canada Inc.

Awards of Excellence were also presented to students Rong Cao of Mississauga, Ontario (Level 4), Lynn Patricia Dollar of Hamilton, Ontario (Level 3), Sherri-Lyn Scott of McCreary, Manitoba (Level 2), and Ana Karina Paterson of Prince George, B.C., (Level 1).

CGA-Canada’s Top Ten Recognition Award is presented to the 10 new CGAs who score the highest overall marks on their certification level examinations, excluding the Professional Applications examination. The Top Ten Recognition Awards were presented to: Sajitha Radhakrishnan, of Toronto (first place); Jin Feng, of Toronto (second place); Alan Tung, of Vancouver (third place); Benjamin Liva, of Maple Ridge, B.C.; Amy Shen of Etobicoke, Ont.; Surinder Bola, of Brampton, Ont.; Rajalakshmi Atmanathan, of Toronto; Rebecca Anne Duncan, of Don Mills, Ont.; Andrea Driscoll, of Ottawa; and Agnieszka Zebrowska, of Victoria, B.C.

“These 17 CGAs and students reflect well the diversity of the CGA designation,” said CGA-Canada chairman Jackie Poirier, in a news release. “They come from diverse backgrounds, they are different ages and at different stages in their careers, and they work in various sectors of the economy. What they have in common is an unwavering commitment to excellence.”