For Greatlove Bariboloka (BSc ’25), attending York's Rainbow Grad in 2025 was equally about celebrating an academic milestone as it was for finding community. This was the moment that shaped their commitment to fostering inclusive spaces and giving back to the communities that once supported them.
Promoting inclusion for the 2SLGBTQIA+ community is a cause that Trevor Fairlie (JD ’19) has devoted a lot of time and energy into. However, with recent changes in the social and political spheres, this cause has faced a new challenge; one that Trevor hopes to meet head on.
As the associate director of Adaptive Sports and Fitness at the University of Michigan, Erik Robeznieks (BSc ’19) champions sport equity and provides those with disabilities an equal opportunity to participate in sports. His career in adaptive sport can be traced back to his time as a kinesiology student at York.
When it was time for Carol Cowan-Levine CM (BA ’67) to choose where to study, enrolling at Glendon College felt natural. Drawn to the smaller campus and sense of security, it was this supportive environment that became the foundation for a dedicated career in giving back and creating meaningful change.
Growing up, Asha James (BFA ’18) always had a deep interest in the arts, but it wasn’t until she joined musicals in high school that she would discover that the stage was where she felt most at home. As Asha entered the acting industry, she was determined to find stories and cast members that reflected her community. It was this desire that would lead her to land a role in Obsidian Theatre’s FLEX, a project that would shape her career.
As a Black youth coming to Canada from Zimbabwe, Tapo Chimbganda (PhD ’17) had a difficult time adjusting to a new country. She felt isolated and saw first-hand many of the barriers that young Black women face. It was this early experience that inspired her to start Future Black Female, an organization that seeks to guide and empower Black girls and young women to achieve […]
Desaraé Dee (BFA ’12) is a Canadian fusion artist, pianist, composer, producer, and educator whose work centres on instrumental and genre-blending music that explores emotion, spirituality, and storytelling.
Many alumni discover their talents in the classroom. Others find it through career paths. For chef, cookbook author, filmmaker and television personality Valerie Azinge (BA ’12), it was a personal health journey that would reveal her gift for the culinary arts. What started as a fun way to share her fitness recipes, transformed into a […]
After dealing with his own personal battle with depression, Jason Balgopal (JD, LLB ’97) saw the importance of a support group to help combat a challenge that many deal with in isolation. To address this crucial need, Jason started the Mental Wellness Peer Support Group, a weekly peer-to-peer support group for those who face similar […]
Michael Perley (BA ’70) is an environmental and public health advocate whose exceptional leadership has earned him one of Canada’s highest honors, the Order of Canada. He’s being recognized for his transformative work on tobacco control, creating smoke-free spaces and influencing significant legislative changes on acid rain emissions and air pollution in Canada and the […]