Victoria College

Governing Council

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(image courtesy of Paul Huyer)

Paul Huyer, an alumni governor on the �ؿ�ζSM’s Governing Council, has added an impressive athletic feat to his long list of accomplishments: winning his age category at the Boston Marathon.

Huyer ran the 42-kilometre course in two hours, 58 minutes and 27 seconds, garnering the fastest time among men aged 65 to 69.

Huyer graduated from U of T in 1981 as a member of Victoria College before embarking on a 30-year career as a chartered professional accountant and senior financial professional. He retired from the TD Bank Group in 2011.

A self-described “exercise junkie,” Huyer said he relishes the challenge and competition of marathons. “I also hope that my training and race accomplishments as an older athlete inspire others,” he said.

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Alyssa Nurse wins student of the year accolades from provincial, national work-integrated learning groups

lanthierj — Thu, 04 May 2023 18:05:42 +0000

Alyssa Nurse wins student of the year accolades from provincial, national work-integrated learning groups

lanthierj Thu, 05/04/2023 - 14:05

Mississauga

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(photo courtesy of Alyssa Nurse)

�ؿ�ζSM student Alyssa Nurse has won student of the year awards from both Experiential & Work-Integrated Learning Ontario (EWO) and Co-operative Education and Work-Integrated Learning Canada (CEWIL).

The fourth-year student at Victoria College, who is majoring in economics and political science in the Faculty of Arts & Science, received the honours following an internship with the NATO Association of Canada.

Nurse says the accolades were made possible by a work-integrated learning course at U of T Mississauga, adding that enrolling in the ECO400Y Economics Internship was the best decision she made in her undergraduate program.

“It gave me practical experience, and it was designed with our own personal and professional growth and development in mind.”

During her eight-month internship, Nurse published several articles for the organization and served as a program editor and event co-ordinator. NATO Association of Canada president Robert Baines calls her work “simply outstanding.”

Nick Zammit, assistant professor, teaching stream, in the department of economics at U of T Mississauga, says Nurse is an exceptional student and a “positive force for women’s empowerment and racial equality.”

While doing her work placement, Nurse was also the editor of Caribbean Quilt, a student-run, editorial journal on Caribbean Studies, and the co-president of the Caribbean Studies Student Union.

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Student of the Year

Iakoiehwáhtha Patton named a Rhodes Scholar

Christopher.Sorensen — Fri, 18 Nov 2022 22:12:55 +0000

Iakoiehwáhtha Patton named a Rhodes Scholar

Christopher.Sorensen Fri, 11/18/2022 - 17:12

Department of Art History

Rhodes Scholar

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Iakoiehwáhtha Patton, an undergraduate student at the �ؿ�ζSM who also goes by Ioka, has received a Rhodes Scholarship to study at Oxford University.

The fourth-year student in the Faculty of Arts & Science and member of Victoria College is one of 11 Canadian recipients of the prestigious scholarship program this year.

A member of the Kanien'kehá:ka First Nations community, Patton says her identity as an Indigenous woman has informed her studies in art history, anthropology and Renaissance studies.

“I didn’t have Indigenous academic role models so I really had to pave my own path,” she told her college. “If I can help to create structures and pathways for other Indigenous women in academia, that would make me feel very happy.”

Patton is the president of U of T’s History of Art Students' Association, and a research assistant to Reid Locklin, an associate professor in the department for the study of religion, writing about the intersections of art history, Christianity, coloniality and Indigeneity for the online resource Teaching and Learning as Treaty Peoples.

Patton says she plans to study the depiction of North American Indigenous peoples in Netherlandish art when she goes to Oxford next year, where the costs of her degree will be covered by the Rhodes Scholarship.

“This achievement would be extraordinary for any student, but I think that it’s even more inspiring since Patton began her academic journey at Vic just before the pandemic started,” said Professor Rhonda McEwen, president and vice-chancellor of Victoria University in the �ؿ�ζSM.

“Within a few short months, she had to return to her community and learn remotely like so many other students. Patton overcame every obstacle and never missed the opportunity to contribute to the community at Vic and U of T.”

Jessie Stirling and Riley Yesno receive Outstanding Indigenous Student Awards

lanthierj — Fri, 12 Feb 2021 20:46:12 +0000

Jessie Stirling and Riley Yesno receive Outstanding Indigenous Student Awards

lanthierj Fri, 02/12/2021 - 15:46

Outstanding Indigenous Student Award

Faculty of Law

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From left: Jessie Stirling and Riley Yesno

Riley Yesno, a fourth-year student at Victoria College, and Jessie Stirling of the Faculty of Law are the winners of the President’s Award for the Outstanding Indigenous Student of the Year.

Stirling and Yesno were recognized for their contributions to the �ؿ�ζSM as well as to their broader Indigenous communities.

“You’ve brought a spirit of engagement and community spirit to our university, enriching our entire academic community, and you inspire us,” President Meric Gertler said during the ceremony, which was hosted via Zoom by U of T’s First Nations House.

Yesno, a member of Eabametoong First Nation, has been heavily involved in community advocacy for years. She has served on the Prime Minister’s Youth Council and addresses Indigenous, environmental, youth and LGBTQ2S+ issues in her work as a writer and public speaker.

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Ikran Jama named one of Canada's Rhodes Scholars for 2021

lanthierj — Tue, 24 Nov 2020 13:57:25 +0000

Ikran Jama named one of Canada's Rhodes Scholars for 2021

lanthierj Tue, 11/24/2020 - 08:57

Rhodes Scholar

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(Photo courtesy of Ikran Jama)

The �ؿ�ζSM’s Ikran Jama has been awarded a Rhodes Scholarship to study at Oxford University next year.

“As the daughter of refugees, it’s hard to put into words how much this means to me, my family, and my community,” Jama said. “I’ve had to overcome a lot of barriers to even get to this stage in my studies and this award is a sign to me and anyone in the same position that we can always achieve incredible things.”

Now in her second term as president of the Arts and Science Students’ Union, Jama is completing a double major in criminology and socio-legal studies and international relations with a minor in African studies at Victoria College. A mentor for Somali youth, she is passionate about amplifying the voices of marginalized and underrepresented communities and interested in how the law affects the lives of immigrant and refugee youth. She hopes to apply her studies to advance criminal justice reforms at home and abroad.

At Oxford, Jama plans to continue exploring the relationships between migration and the law through studies in criminology and criminal justice. Joining her there will be fellow Rhodes Scholar Jeffrey Fasegha, also of the Faculty of Arts & Science.

“We are all incredibly proud of Ikran and Jeffrey, our newest Rhodes Scholars,” President Meric Gertler said. “Through their record of scholarly achievement, leadership and social engagement, they are an inspiration to all members of the �ؿ�ζSM community.

“We look forward to hearing about their accomplishments in the years to come.”

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U of T Libraries recognizes six students for outstanding research

lanthierj — Wed, 12 Aug 2020 20:00:52 +0000

U of T Libraries recognizes six students for outstanding research

lanthierj Wed, 08/12/2020 - 16:00

Patricia and Peter Shannon Wilson Undergraduate Research Prize

St. Michael's College

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Clockwise from top left; Emma Sullivan, Tegan Ridge, Kiera Farrell-Beaulieu, Colin Stewart, Sally Walker-Hudecki, Braden Zufelt

Six undergraduate students have won the 2020 Patricia and Peter Shannon Wilson Undergraduate Research Prize from the �ؿ�ζSM Libraries.

Open to undergraduate students from all campuses and disciplines, the $1,000 prize recognizes research conducted while completing course work. This year’s winners are all Faculty of Arts & Science students:

Kiera Farrell-Beaulieu (second year, Innis College)
Tegan Ridge (fourth year, St. Michael’s College)
Colin Stewart (fourth year, University College)
Emma Sullivan (third year, Victoria College)
Sally Walker-Hudecki (second year, Trinity College)
Braden Zufelt (fourth year, Trinity College)

“It is wonderful to see our talented students utilizing the wealth of information available at the libraries,” Vice-President and Provost Cheryl Regehr said. “I was particularly impressed by the students’ innovation at navigating the various resources, exemplifying the extraordinary undergraduate work happening at the �ؿ�ζSM.”

U of T Chief Librarian Larry Alford said he was deeply impressed by the winners' research.

“The students especially deserve to be commended for putting together their applications this year under the challenging circumstances of a global pandemic when the university had to quickly move online and classes were in the midst of transition.”

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Emma Sullivan receives 2020 Patricia and Peter Shannon Wilson Undergraduate Research Prize

lanthierj — Wed, 12 Aug 2020 19:40:26 +0000

Emma Sullivan receives 2020 Patricia and Peter Shannon Wilson Undergraduate Research Prize

lanthierj Wed, 08/12/2020 - 15:40

Patricia and Peter Shannon Wilson Undergraduate Research Prize

U of T Libraries

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Emma Sullivan is one of six winners of the 2020 Patricia and Peter Shannon Wilson Undergraduate Research Prize.

A Faculty of Arts & Science student in her third year at Victoria College, she won for her project on gene editing technologies and Pelizaeus Merzbacher Disease (PMD). Sullivan, who is pursuing a double major in cell and molecular biology and health and disease, completed the project for the course HMB 496: Research Project in Human Biology.

“During the entire project, Emma continuously learnt and updated herself by searching through the scientific literature… Every time she encountered a new challenge, she went back to study what was published on the topic and brought back the possible solutions to the lab,” said course supervisor Eleanora Maino.

Sullivan said the most important thing she learned throughout the process was to ask questions.

“It was such a unique and exciting opportunity to immerse myself in this project as I learned everything from scratch; both about PMD from the existing literature, and how to perform required lab techniques and software manipulations,” said Sullivan.

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Three students come to U of T as Loran Scholars

geoff.vendeville — Fri, 25 Oct 2019 14:45:05 +0000

Three students come to U of T as Loran Scholars

geoff.vendeville Fri, 10/25/2019 - 10:45

Undergraduate Students

Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering

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From left to right: Chan-min Roh, Abnash Bassi and Shiqi Xu (Photo by Johnny Guatto)

Three students who excelled in high school and demonstrated “character, service and the promise of leadership” are coming to the �ؿ�ζSM with Loran Scholarships.

Chan-min Roh, Shiqi Xu and Abnash Bassi were among just 35 students who were awarded the prestigious scholarship, valued at $100,000. More than 5,000 students applied.

All three come to U of T with an impressive track record of leadership and community service.

Roh, who comes from Regina, Sask., led the debate and soccer teams, and was on the leadership team of the Saskatchewan Youth Parliament. He is in the Faculty of Arts & Science at Victoria College.

Xu, from North Vancouver, B.C., has a passion for environmental issues and animal rights. She spearheaded a Meatless Monday campaign at her school that spread to her entire school district. She will be studying in the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering.

While still in high school in Delta, B.C., Bassi, who is also studying engineering, led environmental workshops for neighbouring elementary school and helped lead a sustainability campaign with other high schools.

Read the story at U of T News

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Alumna Margaret Atwood shares Booker Prize for her sequel to The Handmaid's Tale

s.anderson — Tue, 15 Oct 2019 15:15:38 +0000

Alumna Margaret Atwood shares Booker Prize for her sequel to The Handmaid's Tale

Community

s.anderson Tue, 10/15/2019 - 11:15

Alumni