Debra Lynne Brown is an internationally renowned choreographer. Serving as principal choreographer at Cirque du Soleil since 1987, Brown’s many credits include Alegria, Slatimbanco, Mystère, and La Nouba. She also served as principal choreographer for The Golden Ass by the Canadian Opera Company, The Ghosts of Versailles by the Metropolitan Opera and many other prominent […]
Chandra Siddan is a filmmaker, videographer and the director of the Regent Park Film Festival, which she founded in 2003 with the support and encouragement of her York professors. Siddan grew up in Bangalore, India, where she completed an MA in English Literature at Bangalore University as well as an MPhil, which she earned after […]
Paul Alofs’ life-altering experience came while taking care of his mother, who passed away from breast cancer in 2002. Since then, the former music industry executive has been a key leader in the Canadian non-profit sector. Currently president and CEO of The Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation, Alofs has served as the board Chair of Covenant […]
Wendy Craig is a researcher and scholar. She has launched a number of initiatives to translate bullying research into knowledge that can help children around the world. A psychology professor at Queen’s University and an expert on cyber-bullying for the World Health Organization, Craig co-founded PREVNet (Promoting Relationships and Eliminating Violence Network) to stop bullying […]
It’s a long way from York’s basketball team to the NBA, but brothers Paul and Mark Jones have each made their own way to the big game. And their unconventional paths to success have not gone unnoticed. From studying economics to working as a sports commentator for ESPN and ABC, Mark has turned his experience […]
Hana Zalzal knows what it takes to become a major player in one of the most impenetrable markets in the world. She’s been there and done that with her cosmetics company Cargo. Zalzal’s decision to train in both engineering and business may be the magic ingredients behind her success. Through innovation and true marketing savvy, […]
Eric Walters is the author of many acclaimed and bestselling novels for children and young adults. He began writing to entice his Grade 5 students into becoming more interested in reading and writing. Since then, his novels have won numerous awards and received honours from the Canadian Library Association Book Awards and UNESCO’s international award […]
Nina Arsenault is Canada’s most celebrated transsexual. As a multidisciplinary artist, she has honestly and unapologetically documented her physical transformation through live performance, photography, film and print. She has been at the centre of numerous artistic pieces, including The Silicone Diaries, which revealed her sex work, endless surgeries and redefinition of what a woman can be, […]
Carolyn Acker began her career in the nursing and health-care industry, working her way up the ranks of executive leadership through a combination of education, practical experience and a desire to give back. In 2001, Acker founded Pathways to Education Canada to help youth in low-income communities graduate from high school and successfully transition into […]
First appointed to the Ontario Court of Justice in 2004, and the Ontario Superior Court of Justice in 2013, the Honourable Mr. Justice Kofi N. Barnes is known as a pioneer and innovator in jurisprudence and champion of social justice. Barnes came to Canada from Ghana and attended Trent University before enrolling at the Osgoode […]