Undergraduate Philosophy Awards

The Community Service Award honours a student who has made outstanding achievements in one or more of the following: cultivating the Philosophy community at Toronto Metropolitan University; acting as an ambassador of the Philosophy or Double Major program both within the Ryerson community and/or externally; serving in governance roles such as program councils and Senate; collaborating internally and externally on initiatives that promote the BA Philosophy or double-major program or enhance the student experience. Value: $500

The Bronze Essay Award recognizes an excellent essay written by a student in one of his or her Philosophy courses. Value: $250.

The Silver Essay Award recognizes an excellent essay written by a student in one of his or her Philosophy courses. Value: $300.

The Gold Essay Award is given for the best essay written by a student in one of his or her Philosophy courses. Value: $500.

The First Year Academic Excellence Award in Philosophy recognizes the outstanding academic performance by a first year philosophy student. Value: $500.

The Second Year Academic Excellence Award in Philosophy recognizes the outstanding academic performance by a second year philosophy student. Value: $500.

The Third Year Academic Excellence Award in Philosophy recognizes the outstanding academic performance by a third year philosophy student. Value: $500.

The Fourth Year Academic Excellence Award in Philosophy recognizes the outstanding academic performance by a fourth year philosophy student. Value: $500.

Overall Academic Excellence Awards in Philosophy:

First-Year: Isabel Luengo Zamora 

Second-Year: Sam Samuel  

Third-Year: Clare Lue Tam 

Fourth-Year: Claire Stang 

Essay Awards:

Gold Essay Award: Alison Air, “Deepfakes and Dignity”

Silver Essay Award: Tristan MacLean “ Utopian Imaginations: Thinking Through Production with Simone Weil” 

Bronze Essay Award: Elena Hudson “The Case for Magic & Mystery”

Community Service Awards:

Alexander Casucci

Noelle Tabas

Bronze Essay Award: Aaqilah Razie, "Is Spinoza’s Account of Morality as Self-Preservation Merely Egoistic?”

Silver Essay Award: Eris Sardar, "A Kantian Objection to the Definition of Humility as a Self-Denying Virtue”

Gold Essay Award: Vanessa Egan, "The Art of Storytelling as Action”

First Year Academic Excellence in Philosophy: Charles Liu
Second Year Academic Excellence in Philosophy: Claire Stang
Third Year Academic Excellence in Philosophy: Alexander Casucci
Fourth Year Academic Excellence in Philosophy: Aaqilah Razie

Community Service Award: Danice Masaba and Elena Ristova

Elena Hudson - Gold Essay Prize for "Descartes' Meditations on God"

Michael Knox - Silver Essay Prize for "The Metaethical Implications of Aristotle's Eudaimonia"

Maya Katz - Bronze Essay Prize for an untitled meditation on a meaningful life

Matthew Lu - Top CGPA Year 1

Alexander Casucci - Top CGPA Year 2

Michael Knox - Top CGPA Year 3

Shayevard Omidshafiei - Top CGPA Year 4

This year's Community Service Award goes to Danice Masaba, the president of the Philosophy Course Union, who has done a stellar job of leading the PCU and building community among our program students this past academic year.

Bronze Essay Award: Star Spider, “Schrödinger's Theory: Superposition and Realism”
Silver Essay Award: Dinez Clarke, “Practical Wisdom, Deliberation, and a Fourth Possibility”
Gold Essay Award: Jeremy Kellen Bland, “Examining the Impact of Sartre's 'Look' on the Other(ed)”

First Year Academic Excellence in Philosophy: Ali Al Khatib
Second Year Academic Excellence in Philosophy: Michael Knox
Third Year Academic Excellence in Philosophy: Mark Suezo
Fourth Year Academic Excellence in Philosophy: Dinez Clarke

Community Service Award: This year’s award goes to the Philosophy Course Union Executive, who revitalized the union and worked hard to meet the challenges of this past academic year. The executive members are Abby Sky, Danice Masaba, Alexander Casucci, and Dane Marquez-Delaney.

Bronze Essay Award: Moonjun (Alphonse) Choi, “The Resurrection of the Eternal Life: Art as the Salvific Expression of Life in the Work of Michel Henry”

Silver Essay Award: Doruk Taskiran, “Dionysiac Rupture: Experiencing Pure Affectivity”

Gold Essay Award: Vina Quiambao, “Being Emotional: The Pluralist Approach”

First Year Academic Excellence in Philosophy: Callum Adams

Second Year Academic Excellence in Philosophy: Mark Suezo

Third Year Academic Excellence in Philosophy: Dinez Clarke

Fourth Year Academic Excellence in Philosophy: Jenna Beehler Community Service Award: James Capone

Bronze Essay Award (Tie): Dylan Gibbons and Jeremy Bland

Silver Essay Award: Doruk Taskiran

Gold Essay Award: Matthew Raymond

First Year Academic Excellence in Philosophy: Mark Russell Suezo

Second Year Academic Excellence in Philosophy: Dinez Clarke

Third Year Academic Excellence in Philosophy: Jenna Beehler

Fourth Year Academic Excellence in Philosophy: Marcus Sorrentino Community Service Award: James Fotak

Citation: James is an activist, particularly in the areas of disability rights, sexual assault prevention and support; he is also legally blind. He co-founded and served as the President of the Ryerson Debate Association. He established Ryerson’s presence on the Canadian university debate circuit, grew the membership to over 50 students, and placed third at the 2018 Canadian National British Parliamentary Tournament. He also worked with Ryerson’s Office for Sexual Violence Support and Education to create an online module to teach first-year undergraduate students about consent. He also served on the GTA Advisory Board for the Canadian National Institute for the Blind. In this role, he helped to create and implement the Phone it Forward Program, which provides people who are partially sighted or blind with the tools required to be fully mobile. In addition, he was the first blind person ever elected as a board member on the Ryerson Student Union. He served on the Student Groups Committee, the Audit and Legal Reform Committee, and the Oversight Committee. He was also Vice-President of Operations for the Ryerson Philosophy Course Union.

Bronze Essay Award: Sam Saberikamareh

Silver Essay Award: Lucas Avramidopoulos

Gold Essay Award: Marcus Sorrentino

First Year Academic Excellence in Philosophy: Dinez Clarke

Second Year Academic Excellence in Philosophy: Jenna Beehler

Third Year Academic Excellence in Philosophy: Emma Decorte

Fourth Year Academic Excellence in Philosophy: Sajan Karn

Bronze Essay Award: Zi Yi Liu & Sajan Karn

Silver Essay Award: Cody Kaufman

Gold Essay Award: Iordan Nikolov

First Year Academic Excellence Award in Philosophy: Jenna Beehler

Second Year Academic Excellence Award in Philosophy: Marcus Sorrentino

Third Year Academic Excellence Award in Philosophy: Sajan Karn

Dean’s List: Jenna Beehler, Mackenzie Bouverat, Sajan Karn, Jordann Murray, Iordan Nikolov, Zachary Pothier, Lauren Rosenweig, Lehel Vituska, Ashleigh Waisglass

Bronze Essay Award: Jordann Murray, for her essay entitled, ‘Policed Segregation,’ written for PHL306: Freedom, Equality, Limits of Authority with Professor Julien Beillard.

Silver Essay Award: Iordan Nikolov, for his essay entitled, ‘Heideggerian Anxiety: Disclosiveness and Sociality,’ written for PHL601: Seminar in Continental Philosophy with Professor David Ciavatta.

Gold Essay Award: Christian Hodge, for his essay entitled, ‘Sandra Bartky’s Feminist Critique of Heidegger,’ written for PHL512: Philosophy of the Emotions with Professor Kym Maclaren.

First Year Academic Excellence Award in Philosophy: Yulian Starchenko

Second Year Academic Excellence Award in Philosophy: Karifa Magassouba

Third Year Academic Excellence Award in Philosophy: Mackenzie Bouverat

Dean’s List: Mackenzie Bouverat, Iordan Nikolov

Essay Award, First Year: William Theriault Essay Award

Second Year: Mackenzie Bouverat

First Year Academic Excellence Award in Philosophy: Alexander Jones

Second Year Academic Excellence Award in Philosophy: Iordan Nikolov

Dean’s List: Mackenzie Bouverat, Christian Hodge, Sajan Karn, Jordann Murray, Iordan Nikolov, Jesse Winton

Bronze Medal Award: Sam Saberikamareh

Silver Medal Award: James Dittburner

Gold Medal Award: Cody Kaufman

Essay Award: Daisy Moriyama