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Lauris Apse

Lauris Apse

FacetDescription
Graduation Year

  • BA 2004 Woodsworth College
Inside the Classroom

Outside the Classroom

  • Worked full-time while a student in digital and IT roles at The Score
Further Education

  • MBA at HEC Montreal.
  • Pursued additional graduate-level coursework in management strategy at Schulich.
Career Accomplishments

  • Currently the Senior Director of Digital Products at the CBC. Held several roles at the CBC from project and product management to team leadership.
  • Prior to working at the CBC, held digital and IT positions at The Score, a national sports broadcaster.

 

Cedric Ludlow

Cedric Ludlow

FacetDescription
Graduation Year

  • HBA 2017 Woodsworth College
Inside the Classroom

Switched programs from: Psychology, Statistics

Alongside the Classroom

  • Conducted fieldwork in Kapuskasing, Ontario on the Ontario Dialects Project conducting sociolinguistic interviews with the goal of documenting linguistic variation in English in the province
  • Fieldwork was also carried out in Kirkland Lake, North Bay, South Porcupine, New Liskeard, and Toronto on a related project
  • Research Assistant in VSLX Lab (Linguistics)
Outside the Classroom

Further Education

  • Master of Science, Applied Linguistics (focus on intonational success predictors in call centre customer-agent conversations), The University of Edinburgh
Career Accomplishments

  • Currently looking for positions in business analytics and speech analytics.

 

Pamela Uppal

FacetDescription
Graduation Year

  • HBA 2012 Woodsworth College
Inside the Classroom

Switched programs from: History, Spanish

Outside the Classroom

Further Education

Career Accomplishments

  • Over the past 10 years, Pamela has been connecting theory with practice, engaging on three fronts: research initiatives, front-line work, and policy dialogues. She led a nonprofit organization at UofT, was a frontline worker in family services, built diversity, equity and inclusion capacity in Peel region, and undertook multiple research projects exploring gender issues in the South Asian community. Currently, she is leading a project at The Ontario Nonprofit Network exploring women’s employment experiences in the nonprofit sector. Pamela is also a group facilitator and a board member of Laadliyan.

“Network more with professors and be involved in a variety of extra-curriculars.

 

Aamir Hajeeyani

Aamir Hajeeyani

FacetDescription
Graduation Year

  • HBA 2016 Woodsworth College
Inside the Classroom

Further Education

  • Current student in the Master of Public Service (MPS) program at the University of Waterloo. Specialization in Public Policy and Economics.
Career Accomplishments

  • After undergraduate degree, worked as a search consultant for a recruiting firm based out of New York City and Toronto. Profiled candidates for various finance and accounting positions within Canada’s big 5 banks.
  • Currently works as a research analyst for the Treasury Board Secretariat of Ontario in the Economic Infrastructure Policy unit in the Office of the Treasury Board. Analyzes, researches, and assesses the Province’s capital infrastructure investments across various sectors.

“If I could rewind back to my U of T years, I would try to get more involved! I regret focusing solely on my academics and not getting involved with clubs, activities and other extra circular activities.

One piece of advice for those students in political science and/or history, take as many upper year seminar courses as you can. The small class sizes and the discussion-based learning style is extremely engaging and rewarding. Seminar courses really helped me hone in on my communication skills and also allowed me the opportunity to connect one-on-one with my professors.

 

Jim Shedden

Jim Shedden

FacetDescription
Graduation Year

  • HBA 1986 Innis College
Inside the Classroom

Switched programs from: Specialist, Cinema Studies

Outside the Classroom

Further Education

  • M.A., Political Science, University of Toronto, 1990. Specialized in Political Theory.
Career Accomplishments

  • Coordinator, International Experimental Film Congress (1988/89)
    Film progammer/film curator, Art Gallery of Ontario, plus performing arts programmer and many other roles, 1989-1998.
  • Vice-President/Senior Creative Producer, Bruce Mau Design, 1998-2000 (ran the studio, developed business, produced the big “investment” projects for the studio, was managing editor of our own publications).
  • Curator and Publisher, Art Gallery of Ontario (2010-present): produce all exhibition catalogues, artists’ books, collection books. Curate film and visual culture-related exhibitions including Guillermo del Toro: At Home with Monsters; Outsiders: American Film and Photography, 1950s-1980s; working on new exhibition centred around home movies.
In the Media

“I’m really glad I studied Hegel, Rousseau, Dostoevsky, Shakespeare, Camus, Marx, et al. However, I’m equally glad that I’ve done all the extracurricular activities, part-time jobs, and self-initiated projects that I have. I started making fanzines when I was 14, and I’m still in publishing today. I got very involved in my own film and music projects back in high school as well and they have led me to where I am today. Do the best you can on your course work, but keep in mind that for most of us life outside the classrooms is just as important .

 

Mike Dror

Mike Dror

FacetDescription
Graduation Year

  • HBA 2011 St. Michael’s College
Inside the Classroom

Switched programs from Life Sciences

Further Education

Career Accomplishments

In the Media

“Seek internships and job shadowing opportunities. The more exposure you get to professional life, the better. Start networking, and start networking early. It’s most effective to network when you don’t need anything from them – when the pressure is off. If you start networking once you’re finished your degree and looking for a job, you’ll be too focused on that to make the most of it.

All that being said, cherish the theoretical courses that U of T has to offer. Once you do get out into the “real world”, it’s hard to find the time to reflect critically about your chosen field.

 

Nick Shah

Nick Shah

FacetDescription
Graduation Year

  • HBSc 2001 Innis College
Inside the Classroom

Outside the Classroom

  • Innis Residence staff
  • Intramural rugby
  • Charity work
  • Hypothesis journal
Further Education

  • PhD, Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto, 2008
Career Accomplishments

  • Postdoctoral Fellow, Stanford University: molecular neuroscience
  • Scientist, Flexus Biosciences: working to discover new cancer therapies
  • Scientist & Team Lead, FLX Bio: working to discover and develop new cancer therapies
  • Senior Scientist, DiCE Molecules: working to leverage novel technology to discover new therapies

“Enjoy being a student and living in Toronto. It’s a fantastic city and school and since I’ve moved away I miss it a lot. Don’t be afraid to try courses that aren’t on your critical path to a major, you’ll meet great people and learn something about a new topic or about yourself. Have fun, and try not to stress yourself out!

 

Vanessa Bart-Plange

Vanessa Bart-Plange

FacetDescription
Graduation Year

  • HBA 2017 New College
Inside the Classroom

Alongside the Classroom

Outside the Classroom

Further Education

Career Accomplishments

New College Impact

The minor in African Studies offered at New College complemented my International Relations and Political Science majors perfectly, thus allowing me to have the African focus that was absent in both of my majors. In retrospect, this has contributed to my interest in public policy and education in Africa during my master’s program.

The New College Writing Centre was also key in my academic development, as it helped me learn how to write academic essays, which led to A-grade averages throughout the four years.

Being a part of this multicultural college also allowed me to fit in and make friends from both home and other countries, thus allowing me to settle in better and faster in Toronto within my first year, and to create long-lasting relationships till today.

“Strive to be among the best, if not the best, in everything that you do. Do not compete with any other person but yourself. And while you are at it, make sure to enjoy yourself and your relationships, because time flies by.

 

Michael White

Michael White

I am also known by the name Mahkwa of the Anishinaabe Bear Clan (nindoodem).

FacetDescription
Graduation Year

  • HBA 2005 University College
Inside the Classroom

Alongside the Classroom

Outside the Classroom

Further Education

Career Description

In the Media

Nana Yaa Abrafi

Nana Yaa Abrafi Boa-Amponsem

FacetDescription
Graduation Year

  • HBA 2017 New College
Inside the Classroom

Outside the Classroom

  • Peer mentor, Economics
  • Peer mentor, New College Residence
  • Presented speech on behalf of the student body, Nelson Mandela Memorial Service, University of Toronto
  • Student panelist, University of Toronto yearbook redesign
  • Student representative and Gonfalon Bearer, Installation Ceremony of President Meric Gertler
  • Tutor and mentor for a secondary school female student living with a learning disability
  • Tutor, Math and English, Centre for Community Partnerships
Further Education

Career Accomplishments

New College Impact

New College played an instrumental role in my academic and leadership excellence. Firstly, my New College Registrars immensely supported me through course selection, deciding on my majors, and post-graduation plans. Moreover, the Equity Studies program of New College was the best option as a second major since it gave me a real-world perspective on Economics. Through this course, I was able to identify my interest in public policy and social justice. In my final year, New College awarded me with a scholarship for academic excellence, and also afforded me the opportunity to meet President Meric Gertler at a special New College Dinner.

Furthermore, New College organized various leadership training programs which were very essential to my success as a student leader at U of T. I partook in various floor and house activities that improved my teamwork skills. In my final year, I was given a priceless opportunity to serve as a Residence Peer Mentor where I provided assistance to residents in areas such as Academic Success, Career Preparedness, Mental Health and Wellness. I acquired a lot of great skills and knowledge in this position.

“Balance is extremely important. Get involved in the things you love. Take care of your mental health. Study hard but don’t forget to also learn. And keep God first in all you do.