J-School faculty and students win big this award season

Students, staff and faculty at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU)’s School of Journalism are always excelling in their craft—and are gaining much-deserved recognition for it too.

JHM Awards

At NASH87, a conference that brings together student publications across Canada to make connections and learn more about the industry, an awards ceremony recognized two of the many outstanding student-run publications at TMU: The Eyeopener and On The Record (OTR).

The Eyeopener made the shortlist in six of the JHM Awards categories, ultimately taking home three wins: the Humour Writing Award, for a piece written by 2024 J-School alum Fatima Raza, the Marginalized Community Reporting Award by fourth-year journalism student Jay Ashdown and Student Photojournalist of the Year Award by fourth-year journalism student Sammy Kogan.

Five members of The Eyeopener’s masthead attended the awards ceremony. There, Joshua Chang, the editor-in-chief, said they held hands at their table as each of their categories were announced. Each time they won, they leapt with joy.

“The feeling is so awesome just to be recognized for even a little bit of the work that we do,” Chang said.

Student journalist Laviza Syed, in her fourth-year of the program, won the Photo of the Year Award that she took for an article for OTR (external link)  on a rally held in solidarity with Lebanon and Palestine.

Syed was at home, in bed when she received the news that she had won. She said she hadn’t even realized she was nominated or shortlisted, when she received a text message from a member of The Eyeopener’s delegation to NASH87 congratulating her. When the initial shock wore off, Syed said she was honoured to have won for her photo.

“Being recognized for something that's in solidarity of Palestine and of the people of Lebanon and being able to raise awareness for their communities … was the best thing for me,” she said.

To make up for her absence at the ceremony, Chang said The Eyeopener’s delegation made sure they were the loudest supporters in the room.

For the J-School attendees, NASH87 was a time to network and get to know student publications—from British Columbia to Nova Scotia and in between—run their operations. 

“Listening to the other university newspapers speaking about their shift in social media strategy with the introduction of Bill C-18 was very interesting,” said Vanessa Kauk, The Eyeopener’s design director.

It was also a celebration of student journalism and the hard work of up-and-coming journalists who wield the power to shape the industry.

Sarah Grishpul, Fun & Satire editor at The Eyeopener and third-year journalism student, said, “At the conference, the student body on campus was compared to a small town. Local journalism is so important and I do believe that student journalism is an extension of that.”

Chang said it was not just about the awards or recognition but that he hopes student journalism can continue to tell uncovered stories that happen locally on campus.

Sports Editor and fourth-year journalism student Mitchell Fox similarly said his biggest takeaway was looking to the future and everything left to accomplish while he’s still in the student journalism space.

“[Student journalism] is a part of our lives where we get to pursue the things that interest us, get invigorated by subjects and types of reporting that we want to try our hand at and make valuable mistakes as individuals and as a collective,” he said. “I don't know if there is any other field, or any other time in our lives, where people can say that.”

TMU Teaching and Education Awards

For the 2025 TMU awards, five of the J-School’s professors and lecturers were recognized for exemplifying excellence. They each received an email notifying them of the recognition, after they were nominated by colleagues and students.

Assistant professor Eternity Martis was recognized with the Dean’s SRC Activity Award, for a research portfolio which makes vital contributions to our understanding of journalism’s impact on underserved communities, specifically Black communities.

“I’m filled with gratitude for being recognized for my portfolio of academic and creative research,” Martis said. “It’s such a meaningful award to me as a tenure-track faculty member.”

Her current research project, Reporting in Black Communities, seeks to create the first guidebook in Canada on how to report on Black communities with equity, fairness and dignity. She said the award is a reminder of the impact of this work, alongside other creative research work she’s undertaken.

Assistant professor Shari Okeke received the Dean’s Teaching Award (TFA), for her exceptional professionalism in teaching a range of journalism courses to undergraduate and graduate students alike. A journalism student was among the ones to nominate her for the award.

Okeke said it was an honour to be recognized, especially at this stage in her journey on the tenure track and that being nominated by a student “means the world.”

“It’s all about the students,” she said. “I’m so proud of the work we’ve done together to create the podcast We Met U When… (external link)  and I’m especially proud of the way my students are teaching each other through the production of our podcast.

Associate professor Janice Neil was the recipient of the Dean’s Service Award for her dedication in upholding institutional values and fostering a fair academic environment and her mentorship, which has led many student journalists to success.

Neil said it’s in her nature to seek out places to get involved, for instance, joining the Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ) in its early days when it was still under its old name and at TMU, participating on academic integrity councils.

“I was extremely honoured,” she said. She also congratulated her colleagues and thanked them for their support. 

“Nothing gets done without the collegiality and the support of colleagues, whether those are at the university or in other journalism organizations.”

Sally Goldberg Powell, a contract lecturer at the J-School, was recognized with the Dean’s Teaching Award (CUPE) for her innovative teaching strategies, commitment to student engagement, and dedication to equity, diversity, and inclusion in journalism education.

Goldberg Powell said being recognized with the award is a validating experience. As an instructor, she said her focus remains on finding ways to teach larger-size classes, like introductory journalism courses.

“More than anything, getting the recognition, getting to hear from some students [who nominated her] what they thought of my teaching, just some of the outpouring I've gotten since it’s been announced—that part’s more rewarding to me than anything,” she said.

Assistant professor Angela Misri received the Provost's Award for Teaching Excellence, for her exemplary record of service to the school, faculty and university, as well as in the profession. Misri’s breadth of knowledge, depth of planning and constant enthusiasm was recognized.

“I know the calibre of teaching that happens in this university, I’ve attended classes in various departments so I was floored to actually win this award,” Misri said.

She thanked Goldberg Powell for being among the nominators and for her guidance in transitioning from a full-time journalist to full-time professor.

“I love teaching and this is such an honour to be recognized for that love.”

From the J-School to all of our award-winning students and faculty: a huge congratulations!