Celebrating alumni recognized for outstanding achievements this year

Edward Burtynsky, Photographer, Image Arts ’82

Award: Outstanding Contribution to Photography, Sony World Photography Awards 2022 

“The World Photography Organisation announced the renowned Canadian photographer Edward Burtynsky as the Outstanding Contribution to Photography recipient of the Sony World Photography Awards 2022. Widely regarded as one of the world's most accomplished contemporary photographers, Burtynsky is best known for his sweeping images of industrial landscapes and the wider environmental crisis. Over a dozen large-scale photographs will be presented as part of the Sony World Photography Awards 2022 exhibition at Somerset House, London, from 15 April – 2 May 2022. The selection, made by the artist, highlights key bodies of work and themes over his 40-year career.” (World Photography Organisation (external link) )

Madelyn Chung, The RepresentAsian Project, Journalism ’11

Award: Women of the Year 2021: Canada's Most Incredible Women Leaders — Bay Street Bull

“Madelyn Chung is the creator of a media platform dedicated to "celebrating, advocating, and elevating Asian representation and voices" in culture—something that she didn't have to look up to growing up. It's a much-needed resource in light of pandemic-induced anti-Asian rhetoric and violence.” (Bay Street Bull (external link) )

Sabrina Craig and Andrew Young, Co-founder/Co-Directors Vaccine Hunters Canada, Business Technology Management ’11 and ’19 

Award: #1 Toronto Life's 50 Most Influential Torontonians 2021

“The Vaccine Hunters were scattered across the country. They were as young as 19 and as old as 90. They came from every imaginable background, with skill sets of comparable diversity: teachers, students, coders, financial people, former models, translators, doctors. Nobody received a salary or any kind of payment at all, but they spent countless hours navigating hospital websites, printing out flyers, knocking on doors, doing whatever it took to find elusive doses and book appointments. The founders estimate they helped some 1.2 million Canadians find vaccine doses—and brought us closer to herd immunity than the government ever could.” (Toronto Life (external link) )

Angelyn Francis, Equity Reporter — Toronto Star, Journalism ’16

Award: Canada's Top 100 most powerful women of 2021

“Angelyn Francis is a multimedia journalist, currently with the Toronto Star covering equity and inequality. Angelyn is a storyteller with several skills at her disposal to share compelling stories about marginalized communities—producing, photography, reporting, editing and hosting. Francis previously hosted the award-winning season one of HuffPost's podcast “Born and Raised” about second-generation Canadians and how food influences their lives.” (Women's Executive Network (external link) )

Wes Hall, Executive Chairman and Founder, Kingsdale Advisors and Chairman and Founder, BlackNorth Initiative, Toronto Metropolitan University Honorary Doctor of Laws ’21

Award: 2021 Lifetime Achievement Award, Ontario Business Achievement Awards

“Hall has dedicated his life to impactful charitable initiatives. In the face of a global crisis, he launched Black North Initiative in June 2020 to challenge Canadian businesses to end anti-Black systemic racism head-on with a business-centric approach. Recently, Hall became a Dragon on CBC'S Dragons Den with the goal of awarding opportunities to up-and-coming entrepreneurs who were Black, Indigenous or People of Colour. His success has not gone unnoticed, as he has been the recipient of many awards, including an honorary doctorate from the University of Ottawa (2021). He has also received an honorary doctorate as well as the Vice Chancellor's Award from the University of the West Indies. Most recently, Hall was awarded with an honorary doctorate from Toronto Metropolitan University.” (Ontario Chamber of Commerce (external link) )

Lavanya Hariharan, Team Lead compressor stations — Enbridge Gas, Masters in Electrical & Computer Engineering ’16

Award: Canada's Top 100 Most Powerful Women

“Lavanya Hariharan has more than five years of experience working in operational, engineering and safety leadership roles within Enbridge Inc. She currently works as a technicians team leader for two of the company’s major compressor stations and held previous roles as supervisor and advisor of the electrical controls and energy systems team. Lavanya is accustomed to managing multimillion-dollar projects, consistently ensuring compliance with safety regulations while exhibiting outstanding leadership, communication, problem-solving, and project management techniques.” (Women's Executive Network (external link) )

Tiffany Hsiung, award-winning filmmaker, Film Production ’07

Award: Best Short Documentary for Sing Me a Lullaby, Canadian Screen Awards 

Tiffany Hsiung is an award-winning filmmaker based in Toronto. She is listed as one of DOC NYC's 40 under 40. Hsiung recently won the inaugural Toronto International Film Festival's 'Share Her Journey Short Cuts Award' after the world premiere of her recent film Sing Me a Lullaby (2020), as well as a Directors Guild of Canada award for Best Short Film. Tiffany received the prestigious Peabody award for her debut feature, The Apology (2018), along with the DuPont Columbia Award and the Allan King Memorial Award.

Marci Ien, Member of Parliament for Toronto Centre, Minister of Women & Gender Equality and Youth, Government of Canada, Radio and Television Arts ’91

Award: Refinery29 Canada’s 29 Powerhouses list

“Marci Ien's 2020 victory made her the sole Black woman MP in the House of Commons; now, she's fast-tracked a path into the PM's cabinet. As Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth, Ien will play a key role in setting Canada's COVID recovery plan, supporting women (and racialized women in particular) who have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic. Her new portfolio also includes the LGBTQ2+ community. Not one to be satisfied with the status quo, Ien was quick to call out her party, the Liberals, on its lack of follow-through when it came to ending the ban on blood donation for gay men. She also plans to address the shadow pandemic of gender-based violence (way up since March 2020) by focusing on perpetrators rather than blaming victims.” (Refinery29 Canada (external link) )

Zahra Khan, Founder of Feya and DYCE cafes, Biology ’12

Award: Forbes’ 2021 30 Under 30 list

“Zahra Khan, founder of Feya (external link) , and DYCE (external link)  cafes in London, U.K., has been named to the Forbes 2021 Top 30 under 30 (external link)  Honorees list, making her one of the top emerging entrepreneurs and game-changers in Europe's retail and e-commerce category. Now a London sensation, Khan's baking career launched from a much more humble place: her Toronto Metropolitan University residence. "I had been baking since I was eight years old, and it was something that I was really passionate about, but I never took it seriously as a career path for myself," she says. "While I was studying at Toronto Metropolitan University, I just started my own business on the side, baking wedding and celebration cakes, and the response was really great." Some nights, Khan stayed up all night after her studies baking wedding cakes to deliver the next morning."” (Toronto Metropolitan University Today)

Mohamed Lachemi, President and Vice-Chancellor, Toronto Metropolitan University

Award: Toronto Life's 50 Most Influential Torontonians 2021

“When Lachemi was promoted from VP to president five years ago, he had no idea he'd be steering the ship through its choppiest waters ever. Even last fall, when he appointed a task force to examine the school's colonial ties (in general) and the legacy of its namesake (in particular), he could not have anticipated the discovery of hundreds of unmarked graves of Indigenous children that brought Canada's original sin into sharp, shameful focus. Calling the controversial decision an “important step” in moving toward a “better, more inclusive future,” Lachemi has emerged as a capable dismantler of systemic barriers.” (Toronto Life (external link) )

Deepa Mehta, award-winning filmmaker, Toronto Metropolitan University Honorary Doctor of Laws ’21

Award: Adapted Screenplay for Funny Boy, Canadian Screen Awards

Deepa Mehta is an Oscar-nominated filmmaker whose work is celebrated on an international scale. Her emotionally resonating, award-winning films have played every major film festival and been sold and distributed around the globe. Her latest feature film Funny Boy is based on the award-winning novel by Shyam Selvadurai. It has been released on Netflix through ARRAY and on CBC Gem in Canada, and received awards for Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Original Score, and Best Director at the 2021 Canadian Screen Awards. Additionally, the film has won Best Motion Picture and Best Supporting Performance — Female at the 2021 Leo Awards.

Lekan Olawoye, Founder of Black Professionals in Tech Network (BPTN) Inc., Social Work ’07

Award: Canada's Top 40 Under 40 — 2021 

“As a consummate business professional, Lekan intentionally honed his expertise in his roles spanning from local non-profit organizations to government advisory boards to corporate executive boardrooms. As lead executive, Talent Development at the MaRS District, Lekan helped ensure talent had the skills and adaptability needed to thrive in modern work environments. Throughout these roles, Lekan has earned a reputation for effective leadership and peerless vision, resulting in industry awards and accolades.” (Canada's Top 40 Under 40 (external link) )

Alice Rueda, Post-Doctoral Fellow, Electrical and Computer Engineering (Ph.D.) ’21

Award: Governor General's Academic Gold medal

“Alice Rueda is not only the recipient of the Toronto Metropolitan University Gold Medal (FEAS), she has also been awarded the Governor General's Academic Gold medal (external link) , one of the most prestigious awards presented to a student in a Canadian educational institution. Surprisingly, becoming a Ph.D. candidate in electrical and computer engineering was not always on her list of options. Instead, with an interest in urban big data analytics, Rueda had plans to pursue an MBA. (Toronto Metropolitan University Today)

Cynthia Weeden, Founder and President of FutureShield, Radio and Television Arts ’90

Award: Canada's Top 100 Most Powerful Women

“Cynthia Weeden is a passionate business leader with over 30 years of strategic experience. Her career includes senior management roles at global companies. She is currently the President and Founder of FutureShield Inc. Cynthia works directly with leaders in public safety and brings the best technology solutions to Canada from around the world to make our communities safer. Cynthia assists key players in Canadian Security and emergency management as they work to integrate innovative technology into their daily operations.” (Women's Executive Network (external link) )

Maayan Ziv, Founder/CEO of AccessNow, Radio and Television Arts ’12, Digital Arts (MA) ’15

Award: Award: Canada's Top 40 Under 40 — 2021 

“An entrepreneur and disability activist, Maayan launched AccessNow (external link) , a social enterprise that shares information about the accessibility of places worldwide. As CEO, she has created a powerful shift in thinking about the importance of accessibility, from accessible technologies to infrastructure, public policy, media and more. An internationally acclaimed voice for the disability rights movement, Maayan's leadership has been recognized with many awards, including the Governor General Innovation Prize and WXN's Top 100 Most Powerful Women.” (Women's Executive Network (external link) )