Tag: Students

Approved tag

Athletics awards return in-person at annual banquet

York University Athletics & Recreation hosted its 54th annual Varsity Athletics Banquet on April 6. The event marked the return of the in-person banquet following the live-streamed iteration of the 53rd award ceremony in 2021.

Jotam Chouhan portrait being presented with her Female Athlete of the Year Award.
Jotam Chouhan

Women’s soccer player Jotam Chouhan and men’s soccer player Soji Olatoye were named the Lions female and male athletes of the year, respectively. Chouhan also earned the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) West MVP award in 2022 and was named an OUA first-team. Olatoye likewise won the OUA West MVP and was an OUA first-team all-star along with being named a U SPORTS first-team all-Canadian.

A full list of award winners and MVPs named at the ceremony is included below.

Female Athlete of the Year

Awarded to one female who has exhibited outstanding athletic skill, character and fair play in their sport, and, as a result, contributed to the success of their team. Chouhan was named the female athlete of the year.

Male Athlete of the Year

Awarded to one male who has exhibited outstanding athletic skill, character and fair play in their sport, and, as a result, contributed to the success of their team. Olatoye was named the male athlete of the year.

Soji Olatoye, Male Athlete of the Year

Female Rookie of the Year

The recipient of this award must be compliant with U SPORTS and OUA rookie of the year sport-specific regulations, and be in their first year of eligibility in university competition. The award is presented to a female member of a York varsity team who exhibited outstanding athletic skill in their rookie season. Women’s soccer player Nia Fleming-Thompson was the female rookie of the year.

Male Rookie of the Year

The recipient of this award must be compliant with U SPORTS and OUA rookie of the year sport-specific regulations, and be in their first year of eligibility in university competition. The award is presented to a male member of a York varsity team who exhibited outstanding athletic skill in their rookie season. Badminton player Victor Lai was the male rookie of the year.

Bryce M. Taylor Award [Outstanding Female Graduate]:

Presented to a graduating female athlete, who has, throughout their undergraduate years, made outstanding contributions to Varsity Athletics at York University. Leadership, dedication, enthusiasm and participation in all aspects of Varsity Athletics will be considered qualifications for this award. Field hockey player Frankie St. Louis won this year’s Bryce M. Taylor Award.

Outstanding Male Graduate Award

Presented to a graduating male athlete, who has, throughout their undergraduate years, made outstanding contributions to Varsity Athletics at York University. Leadership, dedication, enthusiasm and participation in all aspects of Varsity Athletics will be considered qualifications for this award. Men’s hockey player Xavier Pouliot was this year’s outstanding male graduate.

Coach of the Year

Presented to a coach who has demonstrated leadership and earned the respect of both athletes and coaches in setting high expectations which have led to significant improvements and/or accomplishments over the past season for their program. Coach of the Year was presented to field hockey Coach Zeeshan Minhas.

Charles Saundercook Memorial Trophy

Presented to a student-athlete who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, enthusiasm for life and consideration of others. This trophy is open to male and female student-athletes. The Charles Saundercook Memorial Trophy was awarded to basketball player Prince Kamunga.

Most Valuable Players

Group photo of 54th varsity banquet MVPs
Group photo of 54th Varsity Athletics Banquet MVPs

Women’s Basketball: Lauren Golding

Men’s Basketball: Somto Dimanochie

Women’s Cross Country: Laura Peters

Men’s Cross Country: Abdullahi Abdullahi

Field Hockey: Frankie St. Louis

Football: Matt Dean

Women’s Hockey: Brooke Anderson

Men’s Hockey: Xavier Pouliot

Women’s Rugby: Erin Preston

Women’s Soccer: Jotam Chouhan

Men’s Soccer: Joe Mac

Women’s Tennis: Tamara Janev

Men’s Tennis: Max Tokarev

Women’s Track & Field: Ella Foster

Men’s Track & Field: Jeremy Elliott

Women’s Volleyball: Christina Piccinin

Men’s Volleyball: Andrew Tauhid

Women’s Wrestling: Willow Morton

Men’s Wrestling: Sabit Bin Mahir

YUeats introduces value menu to address food insecurity

Healthy food

York University’s campus food services provider, YUeats, has created a new $6.99 value meal meant to provide the York community with access to meals that are filling, nutritious and affordable.

The new on-campus value meal program will launch in Central Square in Summer 2023, Winters and Stong Colleges in Fall 2023, and be available throughout the year at the University’s Glendon Campus.

Menus will rotate daily and offer a wide range of options that cater to different dietary requirements and preferences. “This initiative was launched to increase the availability of nutritious, culturally diverse and well-balanced hot meals to our York community,” says Dahlia Abou El Hassan, York’s in-house dietitian.

“Many students identified food insecurity in York’s recent 2022 Canadian Campus Well-being Survey as a significant challenge, and this concerns all of us. I’m delighted the Food Services team worked quickly to provide students and the community with a selection of cost-effective and nutritious meal options. It’s progress towards supporting our community,” said Nona Robinson, vice-provost, students. “We are continuing to work with partners across the University to provide additional food supports for students.”

Teaching & Learning seeks feedback on modes-of-learning language

An image of a women using a laptop to video conference with another woman

By Elaine Smith

Members of the York University community will have an opportunity to share feedback as the institution finalizes its definitions for the “Common Language for Technology-enabled Modes of Learning at York” document, beginning April 10.

Understanding learning modes and their differences will make life easier when registering for a course, planning a course or teaching one – but only if there’s clarity around their meanings (e.g., online asynchronous).

That’s why Will Gage, associate vice-president, teaching and learning, is asking community members to provide input any time from April 10 to 21, in one of three ways:

Will Gage
Will Gage

“Everyone needs to have some level of understanding about what modes of learning mean because the way we engage with students in their learning ends up reflected in the codes provided by the Registrar and used by students to make decisions about courses,” Gage said. “As the continuum of the types of learning experiences York offers has expanded beyond the standard in-person lecture, we want everyone to be clear what the options are. These definitions provide a clear and consistent way for all of us – students, instructors and staff – to communicate.”

York currently has a Common Language for eLearning document, established in 2014. However, the pandemic and the reliance on remote course delivery has meant there are now more options available to faculty and students. Gage struck a steering committee in 2022 to evaluate the options and provide language clarity. He, along with co-chair Peter Wolf, and eight faculty, students and administrators explored the possibilities that have led to the creation of this two-page document.

“We tried to clarify and differentiate modes of learning by identifying their key characteristics,” said Wolf. “We looked at when the teaching and learning happens, where it happens and the location of the assessment for the course. 

“It doesn’t capture all possible modes of course delivery, but it is a framework that can be extended into the future.”

Gordana Colby, associate professor of economics (teaching stream), said the task assigned to the steering committee initially seemed quite narrow to her, “but in the first meeting, it became quite apparent a common language was necessary, because we all defined various modes of learning quite differently.”

At first, committee member Pablo Ramos-Cruz, an international graduate student in social work and a teaching assistant with the Teaching Commons, was concerned that the University was planning to move more of its courses online – “most students don’t like that, despite its convenience” – but soon realized the intent of the committee was to set guidelines that would help everyone during the enrolment process.

“It aims to be practical, so people know the expectations,” he said.

“As a student, it’s so important to know beforehand what you’ll experience taking the course. You don’t want to be confused about the technology involved. Our main questions are about whether we need to go to campus, either for classes or for an exam, and how much technology we’ll need to use to pass the course. All those questions are taken into consideration when a student decides to enrol.”

Colby notes the language is also useful to faculty who are planning courses and to administrators who are assigning space for those courses, and Frankie Billingsley, associate registrar and director, student records and scheduling, agrees.

“Post-pandemic, there are a few new options that we want to be able to explain to people,” she said. “This document will provide a lot of clarity and simplify things, not only for the scheduling team, but for faculty and students. It is a foundational document that allows everybody to understand how we deliver content.”

Have your say. Attend the April 18 Virtual Open Meeting from 3 to 4 p.m; review the document and take the online survey; or email avptl@yorku.ca.

Donation from Mark and Gail Appel supports programs that counter antisemitism, racism

Kalman Weiser, Mark Appel, Gail Appel and David Koffman

York University has announced a new donation of $750,000 from long-time benefactors Mark and Gail Appel to support programs that foster deeper understandings of Jewish history and life, combat antisemitism and deter other forms of racism.

Their gift will support important collaborations between the Israel and Golda Koschitzky Centre for Jewish Studies (CJS) and the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies (LA&PS), and contribute to the advancement of decolonization, equity, diversity and inclusion (DEDI) at the University.

The funding supports two key programs. The first is the biennial Summer Institute on Teaching About Antisemitism – led by Kalman Weiser, associate professor of history and humanities, in conjunction with colleagues at the University of Toronto and Tel Aviv University. The program brings graduate students and faculty members from around the world to York to discuss pedagogies in teaching about antisemitism.

The second program is the Mark and Gail Appel Program in Holocaust and Antiracism Education, a study-abroad, experiential education and cultural exchange course to be held in Germany, Poland and Canada, taught by Sara Horowitz, professor in the Departments of Humanities and Languages, Literatures & Linguistics. The Mark and Gail Appel Program is a re-launched version of the Teach For The Future program which the couple funded several years ago at the University.

“York has a very diverse student population and some of our students come from places where oppression and discrimination are very real and dangerous forces. Those students understand that the Holocaust is something important to learn about more deeply. Students who have participated in this program in the past have told us, ‘This program was life changing,’” said Horowitz.

Group photo featuring (from left to right): David Koffman, Maggie Quirt, Allan Weinbaum, Mark Appel, Gail Appel, Kalman Weiser and Sara Horowitz
From left to right: David Koffman, Maggie Quirt, Allan Weinbaum, Mark Appel, Gail Appel, Kalman Weiser and Sara Horowitz

The positive impact of this new funding will be seen in new approaches and methods to be developed and refined on the teaching of antisemitism, and in the transformed perspectives of students who participate in the study-abroad course.

David Koffman, associate professor of history and acting director at CJS, said “Programs like these demonstrate that leaders like Mark and Gail… understand what our centre stands for: excellence in scholarship, inspired teaching, and the true importance of scholarly effort and insight out there in the world, helping shape minds and hearts, institutions, and policies for the common good. Gifts like these help make York the thoughtful and welcoming place for all it can be.”

The Appels recently met with representatives from CJS and the LA&PS dean’s office to celebrate this important donation. At that meeting, a video by York alumna Anna Veprinska – now an assistant professor of literature at Cape Breton University – who participated in the earlier iteration of the Mark and Gail Appel Program in Holocaust and Antiracism Education, was presented. “This program changed the trajectory of my life,” Veprinska said.

“The program teaches about antiracism, with antisemitism as an avatar of racist ways of thinking,” Mark explained. “Our societies seem to be in a re-run. Attitudes we had hoped were behind us in the 1960s and 1970s are showing up again. There have been recent setbacks. Too many people are trapped by uninformed opinions. Gail and I looked at each other, thought of our previous involvement with York, and said, ‘We need to do something again.’”

“People can acquire racist attitudes in childhood or as they grow older,” added Gail. “We’ve seen the transforming power of these programs in the past. We have seen people learn to set those attitudes aside.”

Mark and Gail Appel with Maggie Quirt, Associate Dean Programs, LA&PS and David Koffman, Director, Koschitzky Centre for Jewish Studies
Mark and Gail Appel with Maggie Quirt, associate dean, programs, LA&PS and David Koffman, director, CJS

“We are so grateful to Gail and Mark for this delightful contribution,” said J.J. McMurtry, LA&PS dean. “Now, another generation of diverse students can participate in this impactful study-abroad course in Poland and Germany with Professor Horowitz, and Professor Weiser’s work with the pedagogy of teaching about antisemitism can grow and expand. We could not be more grateful. The Appels are true partners.”

York launches production accounting micro-credential program

Film camera shooting an actor

York University and Cinespace Studios have partnered to create a production accounting micro-credential program in response to growing demand from the film and television industry.

$3.12 million in renewed support for York University Motion Media Studio at Cinespace
York Motion Media Studio

The new six-week program will launch June 2023 and be taught in person at the York University Motion Media Studio – an interdisciplinary space for learning, teaching and production located on Cinespace Studios Toronto’s Kipling campus in Etobicoke. The curriculum will teach students the important role production accounting plays in the film and television industry, as well as common systems, tools and techniques used in the profession. The course is also managed by Schulich ExecEd.

“Schulich ExecEd is excited to partner with the York University Motion Media Studio and Cinespace Studios for the Foundations of Production Accounting program,” said Rami Mayer, executive director, Schulich ExecEd. “Accelerated reskilling is the way of the future for mid-career professionals, and micro-credentials have become the way of acknowledging to employers that the new skill has been learned. This program is a wonderful example of its practical use for a real need in an important industry for Ontario and the GTA.”

This latest collaborative venture is part of an ongoing strategic partnership between the University and Cinespace, which renewed its commitment to York in 2022 with $3.12 million in support.

“York University is proud to extend our partnership with Cinespace Studios to deliver this innovative micro-credential in production accounting that fills a need for highly skilled professionals in a growing industry like film and television,” said Sarah Bay-Cheng, dean of York’s School of the Arts, Media, Performance & Design. “The production accounting micro-credential is testament to York University’s commitment to making quality education accessible to diverse learners while preparing the industry leaders to create positive change.”

“Film and television production accountants are in critically short supply globally and this micro-credential program will allow the industry to quickly fill a much-needed role as production volumes continue in the region,” says Ashley Rice, president and co-managing partner at Cinespace Studios.

Those interested in further information can review the micro-credential program’s details and curriculum here.

LA&PS writer-in-residence hosts conversation with author Miriam Toews

Black woman reading book

The Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies (LA&PS) and the Department of English will host Writer-in-Residence Karen Solie in conversation with internationally revered author Miriam Toews on April 17 from 7 to 9 p.m.

Miriam Toews portrait
Miriam Toews

As part of the conversation, Toews will read selections from her work which includes best-selling novels such as New York Times editors’ choice Fight Night (2021), Women Talking (2018), All My Puny Sorrows (2014), Irma Voth (2011), The Flying Troutmans (2008), A Complicated Kindness (2004), A Boy of Good Breeding (1998) and Summer of My Amazing Luck (1996). Toews has also published one non-fiction book, Swing Low: A Life (2000).

In recognition of her literary accomplishments, Toews has been inducted into the Order of Manitoba and throughout her career has won: the Governor General’s Literary Award for fiction, the Libris Fiction Book of the Year Award, the Atwood Gibson Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize and the Writers’ Trust Engel Findley Award. Toews’ work has been translated into many languages and is read in countries around the world.

Writer-in-Residence Karen Solie close-up portrait
Karen Solie

After a discussion focused on “writing, reading, fighting and talking,” Toews will take questions from the audience in a Q-and-A moderated by Solie, and will conclude with a book signing. This event is open to all members of the York community and beyond.

The LA&PS writer-in-residence program and its featured guest events are designed to supplement existing creative writing courses by providing students with access to working, professional writers for inspiration, feedback and support. Additionally, the program is dedicated to engaging the broader community by developing partnerships with local authors, North York libraries, schools and community organizations to connect the writer-in-residence with off-campus populations.

For more information and to register for the event, click here.

About Writer-in-Residence Karen Solie

Solie is the author of five collections of poetry. Her third, Pigeon (Anansi, 2009), won the Griffin Poetry Prize, Trillium Poetry Prize and the Pat Lowther Award. A volume of selected and new poems, The Living Option, was published in the U.K. in 2013, and was a Poetry Book Society recommendation. The Road In Is Not the Same Road Out (Anansi, FSG, 2015) was shortlisted for the Trillium Book Award, and her most recent collection, The Caiplie Caves (Anansi, FSG, Picador, 2019), was shortlisted for the T. S. Eliot Prize and Derek Walcott Prize. Her work has been translated into seven languages and has appeared in journals and anthologies across Canada, the U.S., U.K., Europe, and Australia, including the sixth edition of The Norton Anthology of Poetry. Solie has taught writing for universities and writing programs across Canada and in the U.K. and was the 2022 Holloway Visiting Poet and Lecturer for the University of California at Berkeley. She is currently on the creative writing faculty with the University of St. Andrews in Scotland.

Watch Keele, Glendon Community Conversations online

Notes lecture workshop meeting

York University President and Vice-Chancellor Rhonda Lenton welcomed staff, students and faculty to join her in the York University Community Conversation: Keele Campus on Tuesday, April 4.

Key topics of interest included York’s continued commitment to increasing access to high-quality education, in accordance with United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 4 (UN SDGs); the sustainable  growth of the local and global communities in which York operates; and advancing the institutional goals outlined in the University Academic Plan 2020-2025: Building a Better Future. The Community Conversation also included a live Q-and-A with questions from the in-person and virtual audience.

A full recording of the Keele Campus Community Conversation is available online.

This event followed last month’s Glendon Campus Community Conversation on March 14, both of which focused on the University’s short- and long-term plans to continue to drive positive change and right the future. Watch the Glendon recording here.

To see previous Community Conversation events, visit https://www.yorku.ca/events/conversations/past-town-hall-webcasts/.

York students victorious at National Japanese Speech Contest

Flag Canada Japan

York students from the Japanese Studies Program in the Department of Languages, Literatures & Linguistics (DLLL) of the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies (LA&PS) garnered top prizes at the 34th Canadian National Japanese Speech Contest (NJSC).

NJSC contestants, who are the first-prize winners in each category of the year’s respective provincial Japanese speech contests, travelled from all across the country to compete together. This year, 25 contestants in four levels of proficiency faced off at the national contest, which took place at the Toronto branch of the Japan Foundation on March 26. The three York students who finished in prize-winning positions were:

  • Grand prize (advanced first): Risha Pelchat (AP/JP2010)
  • Intermediate first: Ava-karie Hislop (AP/JP2000)
  • Beginners third: Arman Ahmed (AP/JP1000)

Pelchat – a translation student who also won the grand prize at the Ontario Japanese Speech Contest (OJSC) at the University of Toronto on March 4 – flawlessly delivered her speech entitled “Me? ‘Mademoiselle’? ‘Xiao Jie’?” in which she emphasized the importance of small gestures that could evoke feelings of “gender euphoria” among transgender people.

Hislop, a School of the Arts, Media, Performance & Design student, presented her speech “Current Artists and Social Media.” She spoke about the negative influence of online reactions to, and evaluations of, art works, arguing that artists should – above all else – strive to maintain their integrity, originality and creativity.

Ahmed, a computer science student, delivered his speech titled “Break the Shell!” in which he used the metaphor of turtles and dragons to illustrate the experience of coming out of his shell following a long-COVID hiatus and discovering new friendships by taking up competitive dragon boating.

York students with awards won at 2023 National Japanese Speech Contest
From left: Ava-karie Hislop, Noriko Yabuki-Soh, Risha Pelchat, Arman Ahmed and Eri Takahashi

“York students in the Japanese Studies Program have won many top prizes at both the provincial and national speech contests in the past. This year is no exception,” said DLLL Associate Professor Noriko Yabuki-Soh.

Yabuki-Soh, along with department colleague Associate Professor Norio Ota and faculty members Kumiko Inutsuka, Akiko Mitsui and Eri Takahashi, coached the students leading up to the national contest. Yabuki-Soh also served on the 2023 NJSC’s organizing committee.

“We are so proud of those students who worked so hard for this competition,” she added. “I am sure they will endeavour to become ‘ambassadors’ of Canada to Japan in the future.”

Silver medal finish for Glendon at case competition

a man holding a trophy

La version française suit la version anglaise. 

A silver medal finish at the 2023 National Public Administration Case Competition positions York University’s Glendon College as second in Canada for excellence in Canadian public administration programs.

Organized by the Canadian Association of Programs in Public Administration (CAPPA), the annual competition asked students to modernize transactions through a Central Bank digital currency, provide an assessment of the challenges and outline what their advice would be for decision-makers.

Teams presented their case to a panel of judges, spending 30 minutes sharing their research, analysis and outcomes of the scenario. The team was coached by Glendon Associate Professor Francis Garon, director of the Graduate Program in Public & International Affairs, along with Glendon instructor Andrew Mackey, senior policy and issues advisor, Deputy Minister’s Office, Ontario Ministry for Seniors and Accessibility.

The team of students included: Ruben Barragan Garay, Alicia Gordy, Vanessa Fecteau, Klausky Mathurin, Mathis Nouvelle, Taheera Sarker and Perry Sutton.

“Participating in the CAPPA Case Competition was an invaluable experience, not only because it provided me with the opportunity to hone key research, writing and presentation skills, but also because of the gratifying moments of collaboration shared with teammates and coaches during the intense week of preparation leading up to the competition,” said Sutton.

Barragan Garay said the experience was challenging but enjoyable, offering lessons about collaboration, teamwork and research skills.

“The experience also provided me with the opportunity to better understand how decisions are made,” said Barragan Garay. “It was very stressful at times with the tight time constraints and countless Zoom meetings, but our efforts were rewarded in the end. We had an amazing team and excellent coaches, and I am proud of our work.”

See a video of the Glendon team’s presentation:

Glendon remporte la médaille d’argent au concours national annuel d’études de cas en administration publique

La médaille d’argent au concours national d’études de cas en administration publique 2023 place le Collège Glendon de l’Université York au deuxième rang au Canada en excellence de programmes d’administration publique.

Organisé annuellement par l’Association canadienne des programmes en administration publique (ACPAP), le concours de cette année demandait aux étudiantes et étudiants de moderniser les transactions financières au moyen d’une monnaie numérique d’une banque centrale, d’évaluer les défis et de donner des conseils aux décisionnaires.

Les équipes ont présenté leur dossier à un panel de juges, consacré 30 minutes à l’exposé de leurs recherches, analyses et recommandations, et répondu aux questions. L’équipe de Glendon a été entraînée par : Francis Garon, professeur agrégé à Glendon et directeur du programme de Maîtrise en affaires publiques et internationales; Andrew Mackey, instructeur à Glendon et conseiller principal en politiques et en question d’intérêt au bureau de la sous-ministre du ministère des Services aux aînés et de l’Accessibilité (Ontario).

L’équipe d’étudiantes et étudiants comprenait : Ruben Barragan Garay, Alicia Gordy, Venesa Fecteau, Klausky Mathurin, Mathis Nouvelle, Taheera Sarker et Perry Sutton.

« Le concours de cas de l’ACPAP a été une expérience précieuse, non seulement pour l’occasion d’approfondir des compétences clés en matière de recherche, de rédaction et de présentation, mais aussi pour les moments de satisfaction avec les membres de mon équipe et mes entraîneurs au cours de l’intense semaine de préparation qui a précédé le concours », a déclaré M. Sutton.

M. Barragan Garay a dit que l’expérience était stimulante, mais agréable; qu’elle offrait des leçons sur la collaboration, le travail d’équipe et les compétences en matière de recherche.

« Cette expérience m’a également permis de mieux comprendre comment se prennent les décisions », a-t-il ajouté. « Malgré le stress généré par les contraintes de temps et les innombrables réunions Zoom, nos efforts ont été récompensés à la fin. Nous avions une équipe formidable et d’excellents entraîneurs, et je suis fier de notre travail », a-t-il continué.

Vidéo de la présentation de l’équipe de Glendon :

LA&PS students receive Aspiration Awards

Two dozen third-year Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies (LA&PS) students were recognized for their academic improvement and commitment to excellence.

The Aspiration Award was created in 2017 to help increase graduation rates by focusing on third-year students who have demonstrated academic improvement between their first and second years of study and face financial need. The idea for the awards fund was sparked by student Board of Governors member Elisa Alloul. Alloul expressed to the board that while entrance awards were helpful, it was important to put more emphasis on supporting students who were in the middle of earning their degree. As a response, then-board Chair, Rick Waugh, kicked off the fundraising effort with a gift of $3,000. Since then, LA&PS has made appeals to the alumni community, who also responded with generosity. As a result, the Faculty has established a permanent Aspiration Awards endowment fund that supports multiple students every year.

The 2022-2023 recipients – each awarded $1,500 – represent the wide spectrum of disciplines at LA&PS, including students of philosophy, anthropology, human rights and equity studies, cognitive science, and law and society.

Among this year’s recipients there were a range of positive reactions, indicating the impact the Aspiration Award has on their lives and studies.

“This award is really motivating and will continue to push me until the end of my degree. It is nice to be acknowledged for putting in the hard work, and I’m grateful to have received this award,” said Omead Khodashenas, a honours law and society student.

Fourth-year student Navjot Kaur Nagra, also in law and society, said the Aspiration Award helped boost her academic confidence. “Receiving this certificate is a humbling experience, as it serves as a tangible reminder of the progress I have made during my years studying at York University.”

John Lee, in his third year of philosophy, sees the award as a long-term investment in his academic success. “The LA&PS Aspiration Award has provided the opportunity for me to pursue my academic goals without the burden of financial stress,” he said. “Many people, including myself, view education as an investment into our future with the benefits revealed only after we graduate. However, this award has shown that there are benefits along your academic journey as well.”

“The award recognizes my work ethic which makes me more passionate about my field and the program I am in,” said Lindsay LeBlanc, a third-year majoring in anthropology and advocacy and minoring in public engagement training.

Religious studies student, Farhat S. Malik, credits the award with helping to relieve some of the financial stress he was experiencing. “I am thankful from the depth of my heart for the Faculty, LA&PS. This award has given me the utmost support to save my sinking ship in the financial ocean. Now I am worry-free, and I can entirely focus on my studies.”

Recipients must be Canadian citizens, permanent residents and/or protected persons and/or Ontario residents who demonstrate financial need. To be considered, students must complete a Student Financial Profile. The Faculty will confirm each student’s GPA increase to be deemed eligible for the award. The Aspiration Award will be available during the student’s third year, and is renewable for the student’s fourth year if a similar average is maintained between their second and third year. More information on the award, and how to apply, can be found here.

Here is the full list of this year’s award recipients and the degrees they’re working towards:

  • Abdul Muqeet Ansari, BA (Specialized Honours) in cognitive science
  • Vanessa Crystal Bajnauth, BA (Honours) in law and society
  • Jason Carneiro, BA, undecided major
  • Shinelle Destiny Sincere Grant, BHRM, human resources management
  • Orien King Qin Huang, BCom (Specialized Honours) in commerce (management)
  • Sarah Nael Humidan, BCom (Specialized Honours) in commerce (accounting)
  • Charos Khusheva, BA (Honours) in human rights and equity studies
  • Matthew Mei, BCom (Specialized Honours) in commerce (management)
  • Fatima Mirza, BA, interdisciplinary social science
  • Aman Hussein Mohammed, BA (Honours) in political science
  • Sarah Noor, BHRM, human resources management
  • Huda Hashi Nur, BA (Honours) double major in international development studies and English
  • Richard Mai-Dinh Huy Pham, BA (Specialized Honours) in English
  • Natalie Christine Royer, BA (Specialized Honours) in speech and language sciences
  • Sebastian John Cordeiro Sanginesi, BA, humanities
  • Abdullah Syed, BA (Specialized Honours) in information technology
  • Hajira Taimoor, BA (Honours) in business and society (global economy stream, social economy stream)
  • Tianchai Viboonmethakorn, BCom (Specialized Honours) in information technology (business systems analysis)
  • Justin Michael Walcott, BA, undecided major