Dr. Gordon Springate Sr. Award in Engineering empowers Ciana Dawydiuk-Clozza
Ciana Dawydiuk-Clozza is the 2026 recipient of the Gordon Springate Sr. Award in Engineering.
When a UBC Okanagan engineering student suffered a painful sports injury, she didn’t let it slow her down—instead, she found a way to turn a setback into support for others on the road to recovery. On graduation day, June 5, her efforts have earned her one of the School of Engineering’s most prestigious student awards.
Mechanical engineering graduate Ciana Dawydiuk-Clozza is the recipient of the 2026 Dr. Gordon Springate Sr. Award in Engineering. The award recognizes a graduating Bachelor of Applied Science student who has demonstrated real and significant impact in the world outside of their program of study.
Throughout her degree, Dawydiuk-Clozza has dedicated herself to building mentorship, support systems and opportunities for others.
Drawing on her own experiences as a student-athlete recovering from a serious ACL injury, she helped develop the ACL Buddy Program at BC Children’s Hospital, the first online peer mentorship platform of its kind in Canada designed to connect young athletes recovering from ACL injuries with others who have navigated similar journeys.
Her impact doesn’t stop there.
Dawydiuk-Clozza has also played a leadership role with the U&Me Mentorship Association, progressing from engineering mentor to President while helping expand programming that now supports more than 500 high school students across Canada through mentorship, workshops and educational resources.
“Engineering is ultimately about improving people’s lives, and Ciana has embraced that principle in everything she does,” says Dr. Will Hughes, Director of UBC Okanagan’s School of Engineering. “She identified challenges that she and others had experienced, then took action to create meaningful solutions.
“Through leadership, compassion and innovation, she has helped hundreds of people navigate difficult transitions and find support when they needed it most. We’re proud to call Ciana one of our newest alumni and we know this is only the beginning of the positive impact she will make on the world around her. We are also deeply grateful to the Springate family for this truly transformative support for our students.”
For Dawydiuk-Clozza, the award is both meaningful and deeply personal.
“This award means so much to me because it recognizes the time and effort I committed to initiatives that were important to me outside of my studies,” she says. “It feels really rewarding to be recognized for the impact I have had outside the classroom. This award is a reminder that those efforts matter, and that having a positive impact on those around you is just as important as academic achievement.”
The award is also fueling her next challenge: graduate studies.
This fall, Dawydiuk-Clozza will begin a Master of Engineering in Biomedical Engineering at UBC and join the Engineers in Scrubs program. Building on her experiences in healthcare, mentorship and engineering, she hopes to continue developing solutions that improve quality of life and accessibility for others.
“What excites me most about this next chapter is the opportunity to work at the intersection of engineering and healthcare, developing solutions that make a meaningful difference in people’s lives,” she says.
The Dr. Gordon Springate Sr. Award in Engineering is presented annually to a graduating Bachelor of Applied Science student who has demonstrated real and significant impact in the world outside of their program of study.