Archives

Shixing Feng

FacetDescription
Graduation Year

  • HBSc 2017 Woodsworth College
Inside the Classroom

Switched programs from: Cognitive Science, Economics, Philosophy

Outside the Classroom

  • President, University Of Toronto Chinese Music Club (UTCMC)
Career Accomplishments

  • Venture capital in China, investing in early-stage technology, media, and telecommunications (TMT)/consumer/entertainment ventures
In the Media

nic headshot

Nic Weststrate

FacetDescription
Graduation Year

  • HBSc 2007 UTM

Inside the Classroom

Outside the Classroom

Further Education

Career Accomplishments

In the Media

“Every day, try to talk to someone who is very different from you. Ask open questions and listen to understand, not just to hear. You will learn much more from people’s stories than any textbook. (But also read your textbook… before class).”

Alyssa James

Alyssa James

FacetDescription
Graduation Year

  • HBSc 2011 Woodsworth College
Inside the Classroom

Alongside the Classroom

  • Summer abroad in France
  • Multiple research assistant positions (2007-2011)
Outside the Classroom

Further Education

  • PhD, Social Anthropology, Columbia University, 2024 (expected)
  • MA, Social Anthropology, York University, 2017
Career Accomplishments

  • English Teaching Assistant in Martinique from 2011-2013.
  • Moved to London, UK in 2013 and worked as a content writer for clients such as Jamie’s Italian, Legoland, House of Fraser, Barbour, momondo, and Aon Private Clients.
  • In 2014, began freelance writing full-time. Travel writing and reporting has been published in the Globe and Mail, The Local, MSN, Bustle, Porthole Cruise Magazine, International Living Magazine, and more.
In the Media

“Do what excites you, not what you think you’re supposed to do. When you follow your passion you’ll always end up exactly where you’re supposed to be when you’re meant to be there – even if the journey doesn’t look the way you think it should.

 

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.

 

Michelle Poon

FacetDescription
Graduation Year

  • HBSc 2005 New College
Inside the Classroom

Switched programs from Biology and Geography

Further Education

  • Credits completed in Human Resource Management
Career Accomplishments

  • Associate Director, Asia-Pacific Advancement Office, University of Toronto: Focus on alumni relations and development for the University, including engaging with our alumni in the Asia-Pacific region, fundraising, managing volunteers and boards and running a Foundation
  • Admissions Assessor, Enrolment Services, University of Toronto
New College Impact

My residence experience allowed me to develop friendships and networks. I was new to Toronto (having lived most of my life in Hong Kong) and New College Residence gave me a sense of community. I got a chance to volunteer for various positions/roles. I’m indebted by the services and resources provided by New College, including the writing lab, the registrar’s office, residence dons, etc.

“Enjoy and immerse yourself in the U of T and Toronto experience.

Know that you don’t have to have the answers for everything, and be open minded to new ideas and new opportunities.

Listen and trust your instincts.

Make mistakes – it’s how i learnt.”

 

Kenneth Godevenos

Kenneth B. Godevenos

FacetDescription
Graduation Year

  • BA 1969 University College
Inside the Classroom

Outside the Classroom

Further Education

  • BEd, 1971
  • MBA, 1981
  • Postgraduate education: Guidance and human resources
Career Description

  • Teacher, English, Journalism, Guidance Counseling (3 years)
  • Human Resources, Ontario Hydro: recruitment, labour relations, strategic planning, compensation and benefits, organization development, etc. at various structural levels
  • (first) Director, Policy & Research, Pay Equity Commission, Ontario Ministry of Labour (secondment)
  • Director, Compensation & Benefits, Rogers Communications Inc
“Join appropriate and relevant associations related to your choice of field(s). Become a member, volunteer, get on committees, work your way up the ladder as far as possible in those organizations. Take advantage of the opportunity to speak or present at their conferences, etc. Become well known. Write articles for their magazines. Teach their courses. Then when you’re ready, stop working for others and work for yourself.”

 

Marni Goldstein

FacetDescription
Graduation Year

  • HBSc 2015 University College
Inside the Classroom

Switched programs from: Chemistry

Alongside the Classroom

  • Guide-runner at Achilles Canada for HMB473 (Exercise and Mental Health)
Outside the Classroom

“Take breaks. I regret not taking a break between high school and university.

Exercise regularly for your mental health.”

 

Henry Beissel

 

FacetDescription
Graduation Year

  • HBA 1958 University College
Inside the Classroom

Switched programs from: Psychology

Alongside the Classroom

  • Interned as a Teaching Fellow at University College
Outside the Classroom

  • Student publications
Further Education

Career Description

  • Professor of medieval and modern English literature at various universities, including Concordia University (Montréal), the University of Munich (Germany), and the University of the West Indies (Trinidad and Tobago)
  • Founded and directed Concordia University’s creative writing program
  • Published poet, playwright, and essayist
  • Founded literary magazine EDGE
  • Active in Canadian writers’ organizations such as The League of Canadian Poets as its president, the Canadian Writers Union, and the Guild of Canadian Playwrights
“Follow your intellectual passions and study the humanities as widely as possible. They form the basis of any other course of studies and will put you ahead of the pack in whatever professional career you pursue. apart from your retirement years, Your undergraduate days are the only time in your life when you can afford to pursue knowledge and understanding for its own sake. In the course of doing so you will discover a passion, if you don’t have one already. Devote yourself to what you love to do and you will eventually succeed. Vocational training is best acquired on the job.”

 

Maggie Cheung

FacetDescription
Graduation Year

  • HBSc 2017 University College
Inside the Classroom

Switched programs from: Life SciencesNutrition and Food Science at Ryerson University

Alongside the Classroom

Outside the Classroom

Career Description

  • Design Consultant, Grantbook Inc.
  • Internship at an integrated marketing agency
  • Freelance work in web design and developing

“All of my past experiences put me in a really good position to enter a marketing/design role in the philanthropic sector – which is where I wanted to be, and where I am right now. I didn’t know that this was what I wanted to do all along; I just looked for a sense of satisfaction with both my work and the people I surrounded myself with.

I think the most important thing when you’re young is to not be afraid to try things out, but keep in mind that you want to learn something from each experience – even if all you learn is that something isn’t for you.”

 

Dave Hunter

FacetDescription
Graduation Year

  • B.A. University College, 1963
Inside the Classroom

Further Education

  • MBA, Human Resources and Organizational Change, Western University, 1966
Career Description and Accomplishments

  • Large corporation experience (CNR, Royal Bank, KPMG, Molson Industries, Transamerica)
  • External change agent with own consulting practise
  • Faculty at Humber College, York University and Brock University
  • Got operating managers to value human resource and organizational change skill set
  • Developed successful student mentoring programme in academic setting
  • Shared life goals conversations with hundreds of students

“Begin constructing your network, which sounds easy, but the devil is in the details of how to build outward from family and friends so as to avoid cold calls. Get a job, any job, to gain work experience – particularly if it is out of the retail sector where one gets little sense of what the larger organization is about. The difference between students with work experience and without work experience is visible.”