The University of Windsor Alumni Association will confer its Odyssey Award on four graduates in the early years of their careers during its annual general meeting Thursday.

Vanessa Burns (BA languages and literatures 2006) co-founded the Emerging Leaders group for the Windsor-Essex Regional Chamber of Commerce to offer young professionals opportunities for networking, educational seminars, mentorship and career support. She helped it grow from two members to almost 100 in less than a year.

Sarah Clarke (LLB 2008) is principal of Clarke Child and Family Law. Her practice focuses on serving First Nation clients to protect the best interests of their children, defend their Aboriginal and treaty rights, and ensure that families stay together whenever possible. Her work with the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society earned recognition from Lexpert Magazine.

Nour Hachem Fawaz (BA 2010) manages pre-apprenticeship programs at St. Clair College, including an all-female industrial mechanic and millwright program. The Build a Dream event which she helped organize attracted more than 800 girls in grades 9, 10 and 11 and their parents to explore opportunities in fields under-represented by women, including skilled trades, sciences and technology.

Michelle Oliel (LLB 2007) currently serves in the trial chamber of the International Criminal Tribunal and as a lecturer at the University of Amsterdam. Her advocacy for vulnerable children led her to co-found the Stahili Foundation, which works with families and community to end exploitation, keep children together, and break the cycle of poverty.