Alumna Tiyahna Ridley-Padmore (MPPAL ’19) writes Canada’s history of Black pioneers in new children’s book

Growing up in Montreal, author Tiyahna Ridley-Padmore (MPPAL ’19) was always drawn to storytelling – from reading her favourite nursery rhymes to eventually creating her own. “I started writing children’s books when I was six or seven years old,” she says about her early efforts to mimic the musical style of her favourite author, beloved […]

York alumni at the 2020 Toronto International Film Festival

There will be no shortage of York alumni at the 45th edition of the Toronto International Film Festival. While this year’s festival, which takes place from Sept. 10-19, will be slightly reimagined to meet COVID-19 guidelines, the show will go on. Many of the talented directors, actors, producers and cinematographers behind the much-anticipated selection of […]

How following his curiosity helped telecommunications president and CEO Samer Bishay (BSc ’98) reach for the stars

Long before becoming a pilot, Iristel Inc. president and CEO Samer Bishay (BSc ’98) was always gazing at the stars. Bishay, who was born in Cairo, spent his childhood in West Africa and Nigeria with his father, an agrologist, visiting different irrigation projects. “I used to see the crop dusters quite a bit and the […]

Body So Fluorescent by actor-writer Amanda Cordner (BA ’11) set for the big screen

In showbusiness, as in life, timing is everything. It’s a lesson that 2020 has only magnified for actor-writer Amanda Cordner (BA ’11), who had just finished shooting a film based on a play she created with her high school friend and creative partner David Di Giovanni (MFA ’17), when a pandemic hit. The pair had […]

Goldman Sachs executive Tuvia Borok (LLB ’03) shares his advice to 2020 graduates for practicing authenticity in the workplace

If there’s a bright side to staying at home as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, Tuvia Borok (LLB ’03) embraces it wholeheartedly. An executive director and senior counsel with Goldman Sachs in the UK, Borok makes time with his son to share three things they’re grateful for every day. Lately, it’s taking breaks to […]

Grocery retail veteran Mary Dalimonte (BA ’79) on the future of the food industry

As with most things in a post-COVID-19 world, grocery shopping will never be the same. The simple act of picking up groceries on the way home from work feels like a distant memory, with the experience shifting to a weekly ordeal marked with long lines, sparse shelves and lengthy wait times for online orders as […]

8 tips for managing your emotions around COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic is challenging all aspects of our daily lives and so change is required; and yet change is one thing that most of us find difficult to accept. Humans are creatures of habit and now, as all of our daily routines are disrupted, emotions such as worry, fear, sadness, and loneliness seep into […]

York nursing alumna Nicole Bradbury (BSCN ’19) on the front line during pandemic

Less than six months ago, Nicole Bradbury (BSCN ’19) was awarded her degree at York's fall convocation for her Bachelor of Science in Nursing. Today, as a registered nurse on the Nursing Resource Team at St. Michael’s Hospital, Bradbury works at the hospital’s COVID-19 assessment centre in downtown Toronto, where people are screened and tested […]

Black Alumni Network (YUBAN) relaunches with official kickoff during Black History Month

More than a decade after a Black Alumni Network was founded at York University, a group of current students, alumni, faculty and community members gathered to mark its relaunch as the York University Black Alumni Network (YUBAN). On February 13, YUBAN members and supporters celebrated the University network’s long-awaited revival, poignantly held during Black History […]