For over 50 years, Glendon has delivered the who’s who of Canadian leaders. The bilingual campus of York University, Glendon has now grown beyond the original mandate, a Canada-centric vision, and has now turned resolutely towards the world – internationalization being one of its defining features. Today Glendon boasts more than 16,000 alumni worldwide, many of whom hold prominent leadership roles, in communities and in business, as thought-leaders and changemakers.
Marie Foolchand (BA French Studies ’21)
To those close to her, she's Marie Foolchand, a "quiet girl" with a passion for poetry and travelling. But to her audience of more than one million followers, she's better known by her TikTok handle @laframbuesaa.
Jess Silver (BA English Literature ’11)
With a thriving communications career, two books and five languages under her belt, and a passion for high-performance fitness and sports, Jess Silver knows the hard work and dedication that goes into reaching your dreams.
Niccoh Sioco (BA’18 in French studies, BED’18 in French as a Second Language Concentration)
Since graduating in 2018 with a BA in French Studies and BED in French as a Second Language, Niccoh has come ways in his journey as a professional and language enthusiast.
Kevin Bourne (BA’07 Political Science)
When asked what his proudest moment is, Kevin Bourne has a lot to choose from. There’s interviewing Kevin Hart. Hosting on national radio with CBC Music.
Anna-Kay Russell du Toit (iBA’15 Environmental & Health Studies)
Most people want to make a difference, but not everyone knows where to focus their efforts or start. Anna-Kay Russell du Toit’s advice is simple: volunteer.
William Thornes (BA’07 Economics)
William Thornes had three key criteria when choosing a university: it had to be local, in a city with a thriving financial sector, and bilingual. Glendon checked all the boxes.
Rusul Alrubail (BA ’07 English)
When Rusul Alrubail was accepted to Glendon to study English Language & Literature, she received a personalized postcard from the program and a phone call welcoming her.
Gabrielle Ouellet (BA’19 Communications)
After graduating from high school in Quebec City, Gabrielle Ouellet embarked on a three-year career as an international model with Toronto as her home base. When she decided to pursue post-secondary studies, Glendon felt like the obvious choice.
Karissa Barbro (BA’14 International Studies & History)
Many students work a part-time job while earning a university degree. Karissa Barbro was one of them. What made her part-time job a little different, however, is that it was with the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF), a job she still holds today.
Shawna Coxon (BA’96 Psychology)
Shawna Coxon never intended to go into law enforcement. “I’d had negative experiences with the police growing up,” she explains. “I thought I would go into law or social work. Both required more education, and I was struggling because I was paying for everything myself. I was broke.”
Ankit Mishra (BA’11 Mathematics)
After graduating with a Mathematics degree from Glendon in 2011, Ankit Mishra looked for ways to use it to make the world a better place.
Michele Wong (BA’08 Political Science)
Since graduating with a BA in Political Science, this passion has taken Michele around the world. She worked as Director of Girls & Women Programming for The Belinda Stronach Foundation before earning a master’s degree in Human Security & Peacebuilding.
Nancy Thornton (BA’73 Political Science)
A great education opens doors. It offers insight into how people outside one’s community live, preparation for building a successful career, and a chance to form meaningful friendships with curious and ambitious classmates.
Rosemary Sadlier (BA Sociology)
If there’s one mantra that’s made a meaningful difference in Rosemary Sadlier’s life, it’s to “grow where you’re planted”. After graduating from Glendon with a BA in Sociology, she faced a familiar new graduate roadblock: she couldn’t find a job.
Juan Luis Garrido (BA’16 Sociology and Drama Studies)
Decades from now, Juan Luis Garrido wants to say he did three things: Served as a positive representative for his communities, created opportunities for under-represented communities to share their stories, and assisted in shifting the cultural conversation around community care.
Mark R. Allio (BA’77 Psychology)
Travel can dramatically change a person’s life trajectory. It certainly did for alumnus Mark R. Allio, and he wants to ensure Glendon students have the same opportunity.
Clinton Jang-Naruse (BA’17 Mathematics and BED’17 Mathematics and French studies)
The pandemic has introduced unprecedented challenges to Canada’s teachers. But Clinton Jang-Naruse is exceptionally clear about his goal as an Assistant Curriculum Leader in the TDSB: Continue to help students achieve their full potential.
Neil Orford (BA’86 History)
Many people take years to find their life’s passion. Neil Orford was fortunate to find his rather young: history.
Karen Devonish-Mazzotta (BA’96 Linguistics & Language Studies – BED’96 French Studies)
Karen Devonish-Mazzotta holds multiple degrees and two decades of experience in education. With all this under her belt, she insists her students are her greatest source of learning.
Dalia Ashry (BA’14 Linguistics & Language Studies)
When she arrived at Glendon College as a Linguistics and Language Studies major, she aimed to become a speech therapist. Over the course of her studies, she pivoted and chose teaching before a lukewarm job market made her reconsider and turn to Plan C: Journalism.
David Chaikoff (BA’88 Translation)
If you were looking for the human embodiment of the Glendon brand, you need look no further than David Chaikoff. Communication, public service, and bilingualism are features infused into Glendon’s DNA, and they strongly influenced David’s experience on campus.
Gina Valle (BA’85 French Studies)
When author and diversity trainer Dr. Gina Valle moved back to Toronto in 2000, she was managing a full plate. She had a doctoral thesis to defend, a young son in diapers, and a second child on the way.
Mélissa Romulus Lisanti (BA’08 Political Science and International Studies)
When Mélissa Romulus Lisanti started at PwC, she brought one big guiding principle to her management role: Being personable and professional don’t have to be mutually exclusive things.
Emily Allen (BA’07 Sociology)
When Emily Allen attended Glendon College, these words from Professor Jennifer Sipos-Smith helped her gain much-needed perspective.
Nicole Arsenault (BA’99 Multidisciplinary Studies)
Nicole Arsenault says this is the best advice she received during her time at Glendon. It’s good counsel considering the nature of her work.
Alexandre Côté (BA’95 International Studies)
Alexandre Côté has dreamt of travelling the world since he graduated from high school. But like many high school students, his parents urged him to get a degree first. Alexandre chose Glendon’s International Studies program for its’ global focus and internationally-oriented courses, which still allowed him to mentally “travel” during study sessions in the Frost Library.
Caitlyn Ngu (BA’13 French Studies)
When Caitlyn Ngu saw the ad for Dragons’ Den auditions, she initially considered waiting another year. The technology for her start-up, HireUp, was still in development and the auditions were three days away.
Will Paterson (BA’01 International Studies)
When Will Paterson responds to his interview questions, he does so with an apology. His internet connection in Maputo, Mozambique isn’t so great, and he keeps getting kicked offline while trying to email his answers.
Mona Awad (BA’04 English)
When graduates speak of their time at Glendon, they often reflect fondly on the small class sizes and strong sense of community.
Kristen Pennington (BA’11 Canadian Studies and Women’s Studies)
When Kristen Pennington attended Glendon, her extracurricular activities made it easy to apply what she learned in the classroom.
Kailey Vokes (BA’11 Political Science)
Kailey Vokes remembers her first day at Glendon like it was yesterday. She was sitting in Professor Persaud’s Comparative Politics class in the Glendon manor, a place she calls a “truly beautiful building to learn in”.
Louis Vigneault-Dubois (BA’04 International Studies)
Development success stories usually focus on economic growth. What they often leave out is the plight of some of the world’s most vulnerable citizens: children.
Dr. Teddy Samy (BA’95 Economics)
Most high school students spend a lot of time learning about a university before selecting it. This wasn’t the case for Dr. Yiagadeesen “Teddy” Samy.
Heather Scoffield (BA’92 International Studies)
If Heather Scoffield could will one piece of technology into existence, it would be a nifty, multi-purpose gadget for journalists that could simultaneously record video from a distance, record broadcast-quality audio, and transcribe comments.
Chantal Fry (BA’98 Political Science)
When Toronto-born figure skater and entrepreneur Chantal Fry flew to France to perform with a European ice show company, she completely forgot to notify her Glendon professors.
Sylvain Roy (BA’02 English, Psychology)
For Dr. Sylvain Roy, a Psychology degree from Glendon offered knowledge in neuroscience, research, health policy, and of course, psychology.