This year flew by and while a lot of it may have been rough — hello recession and more recently, the lovely bus strike — the holidays are about celebrating the good parts, which usually include a special person or two.

So here's to the teachers, friends, colleagues and perfect strangers who made our days, weeks and even year. These were chosen based on names submitted and on the newsworthy stories of this year.

Jabari Cooper, president of the Fanshawe Student Union
“Cooper has influenced and helped me and others grow in the past seven months. He's taught us to be diplomatic, resourceful and go-getters. He's not afraid to put us in our place and speak his mind in a positive and constructive manner. Cooper's more than just an athlete he's a strong leader who deserves some praise, he's a pretty humble guy though which makes it even easier to boast about him. He also puts up with me chirping him!” — Veronica Barahona, vice-president internal affairs of the Fanshawe Student Union.

“He's shown himself to be a true leader this year. Not only has he accomplished his goals, but he's allowed us to accomplish ours as well. He's also one of the most down to earth people I know.” - Joe Scalia, vice-president finance of the Fanshawe Student Union.

Eva Henning, mathematics technologist at the Learning Centre
She's been part-time at Fanshawe for approximately 20 years, always available to help students succeed.

Those who nominated her cite willingness to listen, her constant desire to help, and how she always manages to understand the questions thrown at her as reasons why she makes the list. She was also praised for her ability to recognize students' strengths and teach them the way they learn best.

She's got an enthusiastic personality and she applies it to her teaching — throwing in fun historical anecdotes and celebrating this “ancient language of math.” She succeeds in the seemingly impossible task of making math fun. Besides that, she partnered the Learning Centre up with the visual arts programs to cycle artwork through the centre each year — making the place vibrant and welcoming.

It's all in the name of making learning fun.

“I want it to be upbeat, happy, so people are like, ‘I love math! It's so interesting!'”

Adam Dick, manager of the Out Back Shack
“Adam, called simply ‘Dick' by his friends, has done wonders as the new manager of the Out Back Shack. Turning record profits on a weekly basis and managing to coax his employees into really enjoying their positions, the Out Back Shack has become a real leader in the world of college pubs. (Also) The Shack has been running very smoothly compared to previous years (and) they're also handling capacity crowds all the time with respect to both pub nights and food service. Basically, The Shack is doing really well and Adam is the man behind the wheel.” — Andrew Payne, vice-president of entertainment for the Fanshawe Student Union.

Women's soccer team
While the girls didn't come away with gold at the nationals, the real story is that they even made it there. Touted as the underdog throughout the season, the girls pulled together and beat Humber at provincials — a huge upset. Despite facing disrespect from other teams when they attended the national tournament, the girls kept their heads in the game and their integrity intact. It looks like this rookie packed team will be one to watch next year as they come back stronger than 2009.

Jesse Davidson
London mourned the loss of Davidson, who suffered from Duchenne muscular dystrophy, this past November, but also celebrated his life and his accomplishments. Davidson was a student at Fanshawe, touching the lives of many of his fellow students as well as college employees and faculty. He wanted his cause to be in the spotlight, not him. In 1995, Davidson embarked on “Jesse's Journey” with his father, John and traveled 3,300 km across Ontario in his wheelchair, raising a million dollars to help fight Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Later in 1998, his father embarked on an 8,000 km journey across Canada, raising an additional two million dollars. Thanks to Davidson's determination, many laboratories have been erected in his name and more than three million dollars has been raised for research.

The ladies at the Oasis
For those who have had the pleasure, nay, the privilege of getting your coffee at the Oasis know that you're always greeted with a smile. Also, not only do they have the best cookies and pastries — they're excited about them, making your morning coffee run, even on the grossest and rainiest of mornings, delightful.

Despite claiming that she's “not sweet everyday,” Oasis employee Shirley Draper has always got a great sense of humour no matter what hour of the day, even during rushes. “We've got fantastic students.”

So how do they manage to stay cheerful even in the face of the frazzled and coffee-obsessed?

“You just don't let things get to you,” said Pam Salazar, another employee.

Like we said, delightful!


The fashion design students
From designing wraps and knit tops for breast cancer patients, to putting on another fabulous fashion show to support My Sister's Place, these students make doing good, look good.

Prof. Dave Flook, the interactive design faculty
Back in February, we talked to Flook about his Not All Dads Are Deadbeats website. The site is a social network and free online resource for fathers fighting the current law system, which often favours the mother over the father in divorce proceedings leaving dads feeling left out of their children's lives, he had explained.

His website receives about 20,000 unique hits a day.

The Chatham Daily News recently wrote about Flook's move to the city to be closer to his daughter and his goal to make an impact on that community as well. His story is on this list because it's not one you hear very often.

The residents of Fleming and surrounding area
When September hit, a notable buzz started on the typical preparation for the crazies on Fleming but this year, the officials were proved wrong. Aside from the one issue in October — things were quiet this year and residences showed you can't judge a street from its past. While it's been suggested that efforts from the college and police have contributed to this result, it could just be that people have changed. Either way, it means less bad press and tarnished reputations, and more good things for the college and its students.

Alex Balch, president of the Fanshawe Social Justice Club
“He is a student at Fanshawe College who does an incredible amount of work for social movements. He is a key editor/designer/ writer for the local radical magazine “Iconoclast,” he's also currently the president of the Fanshawe Social Justice Club, and does a whole lot more than that. He is an inspiration and a force for change who puts all his energy into fighting for a better world.” - Darius Mirashi