Alumni Profiles

Alumni Spotlight: Mike Leon (BA ’00)

York alumnus and poli-sci major Mike Leon (BA ’00) brings his passion for musical theatre to the stage.

Alumni Spotlight: Gary J. Smith, Glendon (BA ’68)

It was the talk of the country in 1972 when Canada and Russia played in hockey’s Summit Series – the first competition between the National Hockey League’s best Canadian professionals and the Soviet Union’s “amateur” national team. Glendon grad Gary Smith was at the centre of it all as a 28-year-old Canadian diplomat in Russia […]

Alumni Spotlight: Alison Duke (MFA ’20)

A visionary, pioneer, and mentor, Alison Duke (MFA ’20) is an award-winning Canadian filmmaker and a Black queer-woman who uses her craft to produce distinctive entertainment content, and most importantly to talk about social issues and ways to overcome them. Alison co-founded OYA Media Group in 2018 to continue producing unconventional content and support other […]

Alumni Spotlight: Emma Lewzey (BA ’95)

Emma Lewzey (BA ’95) chose Glendon Campus as the place to earn her undergrad degree because of its small size and the opportunity to speak French. She came out as a queer woman on campus and joined the  Glendon Lesbian Gay Bisexual Trans Organization (formerly GLABA). She found that having this supportive community of like-minded […]

Alumni Spotlight: Emily Wright (BA ’17)

La version française suit la version anglaise. As a researcher and advocate for Indigenous peoples, alumna Emily Wright (BA ’17) is working to advance Truth and Reconciliation and make a meaningful difference for Toronto’s Indigenous communities. “I was extremely honoured to be recognized as a changemaker by York University for my contributions to the Indigenous […]

Alumni Spotlight: Yaakov Green (BSc ’17)

Yaakov Green (BSc ’17), now a fifth-year MD/MBA student at Yale University, was named one of York University’s 2022 Top 30 Alumni Under 30. He is dedicating his career to solving structural issues in healthcare, with a focus on mental health.   This comes as no surprise. Yaakov has been an agent of positive change since […]

Alumni Spotlight: Mahad Shahzad (BBA ’20)

The pandemic brought many social issues to the forefront, principal among them being social isolation, particularly in Canada’s growing senior population. While this issue may have been a recent revelation for many Canadians, it’s been a priority for alumnus Mahad Shahzad (BBA ’20) for several years. “During my time at York I was able to […]

Alumni Spotlight: Basma Elbahnasawy (BA ’18)

As a young Muslim woman of colour, Basma Elbahnasawy (BA ’18) is a firm believer in empowering women through her work. This passion led her to become one of the organizers for Lady Hacks, the first all-women hackathon in Canada. She is also one of the founding members of Indigenous and Muslim Women for Water […]

Alumni Spotlight: Jonelle Sills (BFA/BEd ’16)

York alumna Jonelle Sills (BFA/BEd ’16) credits York University with playing an integral role in her success. “I can confidently say that if I didn’t have a York experience I would not be where I am today,” says Jonelle, a lyric soprano whose performances led her to be on CBC’s list of Canada’s 30 hot […]