Hall of Fame
Wife, Mother, Professional and Mentor.
Following graduating from Mohawk’s Recreation and Leisure program, Michelle Harkness dedicated herself to a career at Mohawk that spanned over 35 years. Michelle spent her entire career in Athletics programming and advocating for our students to be active and have fun. Appointed the Manager of Intramurals and Recreation, she was driven to provide an experience for our students that inspired them to be involved, try something new with classmates and new friends, and be active. Michelle’s innovation in Recreation over the years included, offering new sports and adaptations, training student Referees and Sport Convenors, a year end Awards Banquet for Intramurals; culminating with Mountaineer Day, the Super Bowl of Recreation at Mohawk, were just some of her brilliant ideas. She was a tireless supporter of the Students Athletics Committee (SAC) inspiring leaders in student government.
Michelle believed in the power of positive relationships and built connections with people across the entire college. She continuously recognized the talents of others, often being describe as caring, compassionate and always showing interest in others. Extremely dedicated to her work, Michelle received the Mohawk College President’s Award in 1997, and was passionate about putting students first.
After her sudden passing in August 2017, Michelle’s family is dedicated to continuing and remembering her legacy of compassion, mentorship, and servicing others.
