�첥��Ƶ Alumni Archives - Division of Advancement - Alumni and Friends

2022 �첥��Ƶ Alumni Awards

mj112 — Fri, 01 Mar 2024 15:25:43 +0000

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Global Alumni

mj112 — Thu, 16 Feb 2023 18:39:24 +0000

There are approximately 385,000 York alumni working to right the future locally, across borders, and around the globe. You can stay connected to �첥��Ƶ, wherever you are, by joining a regional alumni network, attending local events, or participating in virtual activities.

If you're located outside the GTA, update or change your info and communications preferences to receive relevant event invitations and news.

Our Regional Networks

Alumni networks are led by alumni, for alumni, and we are grateful to our dedicated alumni volunteers who devote their time, expertise, and resources to building a vibrant global community. Our network leaders coordinate social events, organize networking opportunities, assist with welcoming incoming and prospective students, and much more.

Whether you have recently moved to another country and are looking for practical advice or if you wish to network with like-minded individuals in the same industry, our friendly global network will always be glad to assist you.

Check out our networks to see if there’s a group near you. Don’t see your region listed? If you’re interested in starting a network where you are, we’d love to hear from you. Contact Prikankshit Mor, Manager, Alumni Communities, to express your interest: morps@yorku.ca.

�첥��Ƶ Hong Kong Alumni Network (YUHKAN)

�첥��Ƶ UK Alumni Network (YUAAN)

Glendon Montreal Alumni Network

Glendon Ottawa Alumni Network

�첥��Ƶ Vancouver Alumni Network

�첥��Ƶ New York Alumni Network

�첥��Ƶ Singapore Alumni Network

�첥��Ƶ Malaysia Alumni Network

�첥��Ƶ Middle East Alumni Network

�첥��Ƶ Bay Area Alumni Network

Upcoming Events

Global Alumni Spotlight

Meet some of the alumni finding success across the globe and read their stories below.

Gabriela Gonzalez

(BA ’10, MPIA ’13)

Location: Calgary

Rowena Tan

(BA ‘17)

Location: Montreal

Farah Motani

(BES ’14)

Location: Vancouver

Elizabeth Sahadeo

(BA ’07)

Location: New York

Yaakov Greene

(BSc ’17)

Location: New York

Shant Joshi

(BFA ’17)

Location: Los Angeles

Ingrid Chu

(BFA ’93)

Location: Hong Kong

Alokananda Dasgupta

(BFA ’09)

Location: Mumbai

Anabel Maldonado

(BA ’11)

Location: London, UK

Stay Connected

�첥��Ƶ Alumni Book Club

In this online community, alumni can enjoy books related to lifelong learning, social issues, literature, psychology, and other user-submitted ideas. There is no cost to participate – you just have to get a copy of the book to enjoy.

Learn more

What have you been up to since graduating from �첥��Ƶ? Have you received a promotion or an award, published a book, started your own business, recently married or had a child? Submit your update to be included in the Classes section of the �첥��Ƶ Magazine.

�첥��Ƶ Alumni Newsletter

Our monthly �첥��Ƶ Alumni News e-newsletter (formerly Alumni Matters) has great stories about alumni and community members, with stories about upcoming activities you might want to join. It’s an easy way to find out about events, opportunities and campus news, and stay in touch with York!

Learn more

Join our very first networking and mentoring program, Connecting YU. Students and alumni of York can leverage our virtual network to establish meaningful relationships, find valuable mentoring opportunities and cultivate professional and personal relationships that will enhance their learning and development.

LinkedIn Groups

Expand your network by joining one of our regional LinkedIn groups! Each group aims to bring together alumni in a specific location and provides a space to showcase the accomplishments, talents and expertise of our community. If you'd like to create a group for your region, Contact Prikankshit Mor, Manager, Alumni Communities to express your interest: morps@yorku.ca.

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Alumni Spotlight: Brandon Hay (MES '16)

alucches — Mon, 08 Feb 2021 17:48:49 +0000

In 2001, Brandon Hay (MES ’16) discovered he was going to be a dad for the first time. After visiting community centres seeking out help for Black fathers, he realized there were no resources available for him. While working at his factory job overnight, Hay came up with an idea in response to the isolation he felt as a new Black father as well as to the lack of spaces for Black men to discuss parenting issues and concerns facing the Black community as a whole. He wanted a place where Black men could go to discuss their emotions and struggles in a safe space. In 2007, that’s how The Black Daddies Club (BDC) was born.

“At first, we created small events with community agencies where we could gather for free, like the Malvern Library, my friend’s hair salon in Brampton, and Uprising in Kensington Market. And people started gravitating towards us,” said Hay. “That’s when I realized there were a lack of spaces for Black folks to talk in the city.”

It was 16 years ago that Brandon’s own father was found murdered in Spanish Town, Jamaica. Experiencing a cycle of anger, sadness and regret, Hay struggled with believing it could be real, and likens it one of the hardest things he’s ever experienced. Raised by a single mother and without the presence of a consistent father figure, he was filled with anxiety and fear about his own ability to be a good dad. The main goals of BDC are to change the image of the “absent Black father” that is prevalent in the media and to assist young Black men to become better fathers. In so doing, the organization aims to support Black children, families and the larger community.

After the creation of BDC, Hay brought his insights and experience to York. In May 2013, Hay, along with Dr. Carl James, Senior Advisor on Equity and Representation to the University at York, and Dr. Lance McCready at the University of Toronto, began a unique research project to collect information about the issues, challenges, roadblocks, opportunities and successes associated with Black fatherhood in the Toronto. The project, Gathering Our Voices, was designed to address the scarcity of information on the lived experiences of Black fathers in Toronto.

“I think barber shops have been these traditional spaces for Black men to talk and
to get therapy, and it's good for Black men to talk – but your barber is not a
trained therapist. And we were suffering in silence.”

Hay, who now has three sons, has also served as an instructor at York. In 2017, he started the course along with Nigel Barriffe, president of Urban Alliance on Race Relations, with a series of critical thinkers, educators, artists, agencies, institutions and many others to co-create a curriculum that is relevant to the Black and African Canadian community in the GTA. The workshop explored the field of planning from an anti-oppressive, anti-racism and inclusive lens, in investigating and harvesting various narratives within Black communities.

Since the creation of BDC, opportunities and gatherings have included “Daddies and Me” events where fathers take their children to events like Cirque du Soleil and the Annual Family and Friends BBQ, and their Breaking Bread program has expanded to several locations. They discuss topics like “Is love important?”, “Why does fatherlessness equate to more violence in our communities?”, and “How safe do you feel in your community?” It has provided programming and community where, for Hay, there wasn’t any.

“I think barber shops have been these traditional spaces for Black men to talk and to get therapy, and it's good for Black men to talk – but your barber is not a trained therapist. And we were suffering in silence. I think the struggle is definitely ongoing, but BDC has been an immense change in the way I parent. My children are definitely informed. Over the 14 years there have been a lot of changes within the community, but also a lot of changes within me. The saying really is right – it takes a village.”

For more information on Black Daddies Club, .

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York alumni at the 2020 Toronto International Film Festival

abaccari — Tue, 08 Sep 2020 18:33:26 +0000

There will be no shortage of York alumni at the 45^th edition of the Toronto International Film Festival. While this year’s festival, which takes place from Sept. 10-19, will be slightly reimagined to meet COVID-19 guidelines, the show will go on. Many of the talented directors, actors, producers and cinematographers behind the much-anticipated selection of films are proud York graduates.

Filmmaker Madeleine Sims-Fewer (BFA ’08) co-wrote, co-directed and stars in , a provocative psychological horror about a woman pushed to her vengeful limits after traumatic betrayal. The film will screen as part of the Midnight Madness programme. “I was hoping for this section,” says Sims-Fewer about her feature film debut. “It’s my favourite one at TIFF!”

Sims-Fewer shares the writing, directing and producing credits with her creative collaborator, Dusty Mancinelli (BFA ’07). While the pair moved in similar film circles as undergraduate students at York, they didn’t officially meet until 2015 as part of the TIFF Talent Lab. “We immediately decided to work together,” she says, noting they shared similar creative visions and later pursued an MFA in Directing at York together.

For Violation, they collaborated with Adam Crosby (BFA ’08), director of photography and Sims-Fewer’s friend from her days at York. (Award-winning director and screenwriter Deepa Mehta (DLITT ’18), an honorary alumna, is an executive producer.)

Violation will premiere on Monday, Sept. 14 at the TIFF Bell Lightbox, where Sims-Fewer and Mancinelli will be on hand for the Q&A session after the screening. “I’m excited to sit with the audience and see their response to the film,” she says.

Read on to meet some of the alumni whose names you’ll see when the credits roll on this year’s must-watch films.

Chase Joynt (MA ’11, PhD ’16) – Director,
This documentary explores that legacy of 20^th-century American jazz musician Billy Tipton, whose trans identity was revealed after his death in 1989. It’s co-directed by Chase Joynt (MA ’11, PhD ’16), a transgender moving-image artist and writer. His latest film, No Ordinary Man, and is already generating early acclaim ahead of its premiere at TIFF.

David Findlay (BFA ’07) – Director, (part of Short Cuts Programme 01)
A young man discovers the world of underground wrestling in the dead of winter. You can view the trailer for director David Findlay’s (BFA ’07) sweeping short .

Sofia Bohdanowicz (MFA ’20) – Director, (part of Short Cuts Programme 02)
Award-winning Toronto filmmaker and recent graduate Sofia Bohdanowicz (MFA ’20) explores themes of loss, remembrance, and perception in this elegant short.

Igor Drljaca (BFA ’07, MFA ’11) – Director, (part of Short Cuts Programme 03)
This short film by Bosnian-Canadian film director and producer Igor Drljaca (BFA ’07, MFA ’11) stars Schitt’s Creek actor Noah Reid, as well as Bahia Watson, and Maxwell McCabe-Lokos as three musicians who discover an old vinyl album in an abandoned home and attempt to reimagine it.

Nicolas Pereda (BFA ’05, ’07) – Director,
This is director Nicolás Pereda’s (BFA ’05, ’07) ninth feature film, all of which have premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival over the years. His latest, Fauna, offers a comedic take on how violence in his home country of Mexico has infiltrated popular imagination.

Chris Romeike (MFA ’13) – Cinematography, and Gordon Henderson (BA ’72) – Executive producer,
This highly anticipated documentary by director Michelle Latimer is based on Thomas King’s award-winning book of the same name, which explores the cultural colonization of Indigenous peoples in North America.

Sophy Romvari (MFA ’20) – Director, (part of Short Cuts Programme 01)
Filmmaker Sophy Romvari (MFA ’20) made the short film Still Processing while completing her MFA in Film and Video at York as a way to investigate the possibilities of cinema as therapy. In the short film, Romvari documents her experience of navigating through her father's unseen archive of family photographs and videos.

Are you a York alumni appearing at this year’s festival? We want to hear from you. Email us at alumni@yorku.ca to let us know what you’re up to.

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