Celebrating university alumni who are making their mark

First created in 1998, the Alumni Achievement Awards have for more than 20 years shone a light on Toronto Metropolitan University’s (TMU) growing community of alumni change-makers, city-builders, risk-takers and problem-solvers.

Held at the end of October as part of TMU’s Alumni Month celebrations, the 2022 Alumni Achievement Awards took place on campus at the Sheldon and Tracy Levy Student Learning Centre — the first time the awards have been held in person for almost three years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The event was emceed by Krishan Mehta, assistant vice-president, engagement, with more than 130 attendees coming to celebrate and reconnect with their alma mater. The live stream telecast and the special video profiles of each of the inductees can be viewed on TMU Connections YouTube page (external link, opens in new window) . To date, the videos have had over 750 views. 

This year, seven alumni were honoured with an Alumni Award of Distinction, which recognizes outstanding professional and/or community achievement, and one 2017 alumnus received the Isadore Sharp Outstanding Recent Graduate award, which goes to an alum who has achieved distinction within 10 years of graduating. The honourees’ achievements covered the range of entertainment, social equity, fashion, health care, industry and law. All the recipients were united in acknowledging the career-oriented skills and inspiration they gained while pursuing their educations at TMU.

Andrew Young (external link, opens in new window)  (Business Technology Management ’11) founded Vaccine Hunters Canada (VHC) in March 2021, posting COVID-19 vaccination availability to Canadians on social media. With director Sabrina Craig (external link, opens in new window)  (Business Technology Management ’19) who helped to scale the volunteer-run organization, VHC helped more than one million people get vaccinated. Said Andrew, “We had this opportunity to make a difference in the country. The really rewarding thing about this is it gave everyone hope.”

In her role as CIBC’s senior executive vice-president and group head of technology, infrastructure and innovation, Christina Kramer (external link, opens in new window)  (Business Management ’90) leads large teams in innovating the banking sector, such as introducing the first mobile banking app in Canada. For nine years, Christina was the executive sponsor of the annual CIBC Run for the Cure to raise money for breast cancer. “We talk about being a caring culture and how important that is to bringing purpose to life,” she said. “In all, we were able to contribute over $30 million towards combating this terrible disease.”

Timothy Muttoo (external link, opens in new window)  (Chemical Engineering ’96) co-founded the international non-profit H2O 4 ALL, which works with communities in countries like Uganda, Cuba and Sierra Leone to access safe water and adequate sanitation. Timothy’s video story included H2O 4 ALL establishing a water system in a maternity centre, which resulted in the sepsis rate during childbirth dropping from 8.9 to nominal zero. “About 3,000 to 5,000 people every single year have been saved just by that one project,” said Timothy. “I think we, as a small organization, can have a large impact.”

Sangita Patel (external link)  (Electrical Engineering ’02) joined ET Canada in 2014 as a reporter and became the program’s co-host in 2022. Using her prominence in the media landscape as a platform to empower, Sangita spearheaded ET Canada’s 2021 HELP INDIA broadcast special, which raised more than $135,000 for emergency response efforts in India. Sangita noted, “To be able to say that we’ve taken a national entertainment show … to raise money for India, it was a moment I will never forget.”

The Honourable Justice Gregory Regis (external link)  (Journalism ’77) was appointed to the Ontario Court of Justice in 1999 and in 2007 became the first person of colour in Canada to be appointed a regional senior justice. A recipient of a TMU honorary doctor of laws in 2021, Gregory has always been an active community builder and remarked, “If we take time to think of our fellow citizens, to become passionate, to be respectful, to be patient, I think we will all land in a safe and healthy place.”

Amorell Saunders N’Daw (external link)  (Journalism ’88), a partner in KBRS’s national academic search practice, was recognized for her leadership in training many organizations to employ equity, diversity and inclusion in the recruitment process. “I’ve been advocating for equal rights justice for over 30 years,” Amorell affirmed in her video story. “I believe my role is to really change the face of academic leadership one recruitment at a time.”

The Isadore Sharp Outstanding Recent Graduate award went to Curtis Oland (external link)  (Fashion Design ’17), a fashion designer and interdisciplinary artist now based in Berlin, who travelled back to Toronto to join the celebration. In his award acceptance speech, the Indigenous Lil’Wat and Scottish-settler acknowledged the university’s new name. “To listen to all the collective voices asking for this name to be changed … I’m proud to be coming from TMU and to be an alumni.”

The Alumni Achievement Awards have now gone to 143 inductees who have changed the course of the city, the country and the world. 

Ian Mishkel, TMU’s vice-president, university advancement and alumni relations, was at the podium to congratulate the recipients alongside university chancellor Janice Fukakusa, and provided the award ceremony’s closing words. “The role of the university is to shape and empower the next generation to make a positive difference in the world. Tonight we witness and celebrate eight shining examples of this.”