Meet TMU’s Spring 2023 gold medal winners
Nursing graduate and Gold Medal recipient Samin Barakati says one of her most rewarding experiences was the chance to work as a sexual health advisor, empowering women with sexual health education and counselling. (Photo: Alyssa K. Faoro)
From championing issues involving mental health and EDI, to devoting their lives to helping others, all while excelling in their fields of study, below, meet eight Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) graduates who have been recognized with a Gold Medal Award.
TMU’s Gold Medal is awarded to one student in each school or faculty each year who has demonstrated academic excellence and outstanding involvement within the university, their profession, and/or their community.
Below, learn more about these remarkable graduates.
Samin Barakati
Nursing
Faculty of Community Services
Nursing graduate Samin Barakati says receiving the Gold Medal affirms the value of her volunteer efforts. (Photo: Alyssa K. Faoro)
Spotlight on Barakati
When nursing student Samin Barakati first immigrated to Canada, she worried about how she would fare.
Four years later, she more than exceeded her own expectations - Barakati recently earned the university’s highest honour: the Gold Medal Award.
The nursing graduate is incredibly grateful.
“When I started my journey at TMU as an immigrant to Canada, I always questioned, ‘Would I fit in?’ Now as I finish this milestone in my life, I feel well established in this community. I’m really proud of that, and to me this award attests to that,” she said.
“Moreover, many times in volunteer and advocacy work, it can be discouraging when you face rejection or your work goes unnoticed. Receiving this award also affirms that what I’m doing matters and that my community values what I work toward, and it motivates me to push harder to reach my goals,” she added.
Learn more about Barakati here.
Shayan Barary
Civil Engineering
Faculty of Architectural Science and Engineering
Civil engineering graduate Shayan Barary is driven by a passion to help others. (Photo: Alyssa K. Faoro)
Spotlight on Barary
Shayan Barary is proof that when you put others first and work hard, good things can happen.
Over his time at TMU, the Faculty of Engineering and Architectural Science (FEAS) student excelled. He published two research papers, won numerous competitions and special academic awards, and received international recognition from engineering associations. However, his passion for helping others is what may leave the greatest impression on his peers and professors.
He says being selected for the Gold Medal Award is gratifying.
“The Gold Medal validates a lot of effort and hard work. It also serves as a reminder that it’s always good to pursue helping other people. At TMU, my experience was driven by helping other people and not worrying about anything else. It was about helping each other solve problems and adapting to new working environments,” he said.
Julia Bayne
Lincoln Alexander School of Law
Lincoln Alexander School of Law graduate Julia Bayne received the Gold Medal Award in recognition of her leadership, compassion and humility. (Photo: Alyssa K. Faoro)
Spotlight on Bayne
Julia Bayne’s path to law wasn’t exactly direct - but it was the best decision she could have made.
Having always wanted to help people and the environment, the profession is a perfect fit for her passion. But before enrolling in TMU’s Lincoln Alexander School of Law, she pursued other callings - one, a PhD in organic chemistry, and the other - opening a fitness facility.
As a former scientist and entrepreneur, she says TMU’s law school was a top choice since it gave her the chance to gain hands-on experience right away.
Receiving the Gold Medal is a proud achievement, she says.
“I am still in a bit of disbelief. This moment reaffirms that I made the right choice… and it demonstrates that you do not have to sacrifice everything to succeed in one area of your life. In fact, I would argue that a healthy balance is likely going to help you succeed,” she said.
Jacqueline Chung
Business Technology Management
TRSM
TRSM Gold Medal recipient Jacqueline Chung has devoted much of their time to helping women and minorities in STEM-related fields.
Spotlight on Chung
Passion for environmental sustainability, mental health and diversity has led Jacqueline Chung to tremendous feats.
It’s no wonder that in addition to receiving several awards related to their advocacy work, including the 2021 Ted Rogers School of Management Leadership Award, the 2022 Alan Shepard Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Award and the Women-in-Technology Scholarship by Adobe Research in 2022, they were selected as winner of the Ted Rogers School of Management’s 2023 Gold Medal and the TMU Board of Governors Leadership Award and Medal.
Among their many involvements, Chung has mentored minorities and young women interested in careers in technology. “I wanted to support other women and marginalized groups who want to enter the STEM and business fields, giving them advice, providing guidance and passing on information,” they explained. “I wished I had that when I was younger, so I could have explored more roles in and around the STEM field.”
Helen Melino
Medical Physics
Faculty of Science
Helen Melino excelled not only in her medical physics program - but also as captain of the 2022-23 Dance Pak. (Photo: Alyssa K. Faoro)
Spotlight on Melino
Helen Melino has been a standout student in the Faculty of Science not only for ranking among the top one per cent of her peers in the medical physics program - but for the huge impact she’s had in various other endeavours - including co-founding and becoming an executive committee member for the Women in Physics Student Group, co-chairing TMU's first Canadian Undergraduate Physics Conference, being an active member of the Medical Physics Course Union, and leading Dance Pak as the captain for the 2022-23 team.
Receiving the Gold Medal is an accomplishment not only for her, she says, but for everyone who has helped and supported her in her journey at TMU.
“It’s for the friends who supported me through coursework, my teammates who persevered through COVID restrictions, and my family who encouraged me to try my best in everything I do. Being recognized (in this way) shows me how far I’ve come and how much I am able to accomplish - first-year me would never have believed I would be where I am now.”
Omar Taleb
Creative Industries
The Creative School
Creative Industries graduate and Gold Medal Award recipient Omar Taleb says he thinks of himself “as a writer above all else”. (Photo: Harry Choi)
Spotlight on Taleb
A remarkable list of both academic and professional pursuits and achievements - along with a passion for writing - made Omar Taleb a standout at The Creative School and recipient of the faculty’s Gold Medal.
He says his education and experience at TMU have been invaluable, and he shares advice for aspiring students who seek to excel both in and out of the classroom.
"Make your classes work for you. Each course holds its own value-add, and it's essential to seek out opportunities within them that align with your goals. Assignments can become stepping stones for job applications or serve as the foundation for future research endeavours. Academic excellence comes when you can think a few steps ahead with your coursework."
How did he react to being selected for the Gold Medal?
"It feels fantastic," he said. "The Creative School is full of talented students, so it’s humbling to be recognized with the medal and celebrated by my peers and professors."
Nikki van Oirschot
Public Administration and Governance Program
Faculty of Arts
Nikki van Oirschot, Gold Medal recipient for the Faculty of Arts, says, “There is no dream too big and no hurdle too impossible to overcome. If you can dream it, you can do it.” (Photo: Alyssa K. Faoro)
Spotlight on van Oirschot
To say that Faculty of Arts Gold Medal recipient Nikki van Oirschot has much to be proud of is an understatement. This past June, she graduated from TMU’s Public Administration and Governance Program, in partnership with the First Nations Technical Institute. (external link)
But not only that, Oirschot has worked hard to support her peers and community, the Caldwell First Nation, the wider Anishnaabek Nation, and other First Nations across Canada, becoming an elected representative, serving on university program committees, developing community economic growth initiatives, and balancing it all with her time as a mother.
“My proudest accomplishment is winning the gold medal at TMU,” she said. “It represents years of hard work and dedication to my education, and I am incredibly proud to have achieved this… There were times that I wanted to give up, but in those moments, I reminded myself that hard times are only temporary and I pushed through them.”
Learn more about Oirschot here.
Dani Wawryk
Certificate in Public Relations
The Chang School
The Chang School Gold Medal recipient Dani Wawryk says even though she completed her studies remotely, she always felt a strong connection to TMU. (Photo: Harry Choi)
Spotlight on Wawryk
Chang School graduate Dani Wawryk is thriving in her role as executive director of communications and marketing at Innovation Saskatchewan, in part thanks to the knowledge and experience gained while completing her Certificate in Public Relations.
She says receiving the Gold Medal is a tremendous honour.
“I put a great amount of effort into the program because I’m passionate about my job in communications and I saw how my learnings from the program apply to my job. This increased my desire to do well in the class because I could wake up the next morning and go to work and apply the lessons directly,” said the new mother, who also says she appreciated the patience and understanding of instructors as she balanced family life.
“I feel seen for my efforts and I feel like I’m a part of the TMU community despite the fact that I’m living in Saskatchewan,” she added.
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