LEARNING
Featuring alumni guest speakers to help recent grads in their career and life journey.
How to file taxes in Canada (for beginners)
Date: Mar. 28, 2023 | 12-1pm EST
Format: Zoom meeting
Host: Ishita Mittal, Schulich BBA Candidate 2025
Alumni Speaker: Wei En (Ryan) Chen, BComm ’22, Senior Tax Associate, MySolutions team at PwC
Thinking about filing your taxes and are unsure where to start? Join this informative session to hear from industry expert and York U alumnus, Wei En (Ryan) Chen (BComm ’22) and learn about a range of topics that will give you the confidence you need to prepare your own tax return.
This session will cover:
- Basics of the Canadian tax system — What is a tax return? Why do we need to file one? What are Canadian tax rates?
- Various types of income sources that are taxed and their implications — salary vs. investment income
- Types of tax returns available to file
- Tax slips (T3, T4, T5, T2202A, T4RSP) that are commonly applicable to new grads
- Deadlines to file your taxes
- Common tax credits and deductions available and those that are relevant to students or recent graduates
- Tax planning strategies to save or defer taxes to the future
- Tax filing software available to file tax returns
Registration is required in advance and attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions.
Grad Studies Alumni Panel: How grad school fuelled my career
Date: October 13, 2022
Host: Thomas Loebel, Dean & Associate Vice-President, Graduate Studies
Thinking about grad school or simply curious about your options? Listen to alumni as they share their candid experiences as grad students, why they decided to enrol in a master's program, what they wished they knew before beginning their studies, and tips on how to prepare an effective graduate school application.
Panelists include:
- Masaõ Ashtine (MSc ’13), Postdoctoral Researcher in Energy System Modelling, Department of Engineering Science at the University of Oxford
- Osman Naqvi (MMgt ’17), Advisor, Investor Services at Invest in Canada
- Sonia Sheechoria (BHRM ’15, MLCE ’19), Director Leadership Giving at Canadian Cancer Society
Let's get social: Content, strategy and building a social media following
Date: October 26, 2022
Host: Crystal Heidari (BSc ’17, JD ’20), Family Law
Speaker: Sara Elhawash (BA Hons. ’15)
Fatigued or overwhelmed staying on top of all your social media accounts? What about marketing a product or a service for your employer or business? Listen to this session to hear from marketing expert and York alumna Sara Eldhawash (BA Hons.'15). She'll share tips and tricks relevant to the most popular social media platform and teach how to build a strategy for your personal brand or business. Sara will cover a range of topics, including content curation, building a following, account security, creating a strategy, and so much more.
Young alumni speed networking
Date: February 21, 2023
Host: Ajay Nandalall (BPA ’14, MPPAL ’16), AI/Machine Learning Governance & Strategy, TD Bank
Buying a home in today’s real estate market
Date: February 28, 2023
Host: Avreen Kochhar (BHRM ’19), Human Resources Specialist Advisor, Government of Canada
Speakers: Daniel Steinfeld (BBA ’04), co-founder and CEO, On The Block Realty; On The Block Auctions & Katie Steinfeld (BBA ’04), co-founder and Broker of Record, On The Block Realty
Thinking about buying your first home but unsure how to prepare for this type of life changing purchase? Join this informative session to hear from industry experts, Daniel Steinfeld (BBA ’04) and Katie Steinfeld (BBA ’04) and learn about a range of topics to help you prepare to enter the housing market.
The session will cover topics including:
- The value of getting into the market
- Deciding to rent or buy
- Down payments, financing and available rebates
- How young people like you have moved up the property ladder
- Preparing for this purchase
- Who you need to help with this process (agents, lawyers, bank, etc.)
The Level Up series invites alumni leaders to help new grads navigate life and work after getting their degree, covering subjects like professional networking, career development, and life skills. If you have any questions, or would like to present or host a Level Up session, please contact Senior Alumni Engagement Officer Nicole Light at nlight@yorku.ca or 437-235-8754.
A special thank you to our preferred partners:
Having a York University degree is a very positive thing in the eyes of these financial services providers. Tens of thousands of alumni like you have already unlocked preferred insurance rates – simply because they graduated from York.