"When my mom was in elementary school, her best friend went missing. About six years ago, they were reconnected and my mom began to learn her story. At the age of 14, my mom’s friend was trafficked for sex in Ontario, Canada. When I heard her story, I was shocked and heartbroken. I began asking […]
"York University played a pivotal role in helping me to achieve all of my success. I always had the support of my supervisors Dr. Isabel Killoran and Dr. Gillian Parekh and from fellow graduate students Marlena Ochnik, Ellen Brown, and Niki Belegrinis. My experiences both theoretically and practically have helped to shape me into the […]
“I never thought I would become an entrepreneur. When I was doing my MBA, I knew I wanted to change the world and make it a better place. But my vision of that was joining a big company as their Director of Sustainability. Over the course of my studies I started realizing that there were […]
"During the first month of brain injury the protocol that the hospital usually gives you is one month of dark room. The hardest part is to kind of just keep dreaming through all of that and art helps me do that. Aphiraa Gowry, York University Alumna (BA ’19) Human Rights and Equity Studies Faculty of […]
"I was born in rural Indiana and lived on a large plot of land. We weren't farmers, but it was far enough from developments that I had a lot of natural influences. Nature was like my toys, the pinecones, and feathers, and seeds that explode when you touch them. Like most ecologists or biologists in […]
“In high-school I never took school seriously, but it wasn't who I was. I followed that path because I felt it was the script I had to follow. However, when I actually started to deviate from that script, and live life the way I wanted to, I was a lot happier.” Mujtaba Ahmed-Hassan Senior Don, […]
“I was quite upset following the last US presidential election, especially at how all media had become labeled as ‘fake news.’ The message was that nobody can believe anybody anymore, everything is just a matter of opinion, facts and evidence don't matter. This is the message that was being shared. I felt that the whole […]
"A single picture can say 1000 words. I try to communicate my personal experiences through photography and share what it is like to be a Muslim woman in today's world. Because, if I put myself out there, people will resonate with me and my journey." Now that I have won my award, what is next? […]
"It’s nice to know that I can be a person to pave pathways for younger kids and to show them that dreaming this dream really is achievable. My love for soccer started way back before I could possibly remember because my dad was a football player as well. He loved the sport but one of […]
"I have been very fortunate to be mentored by Indigenous artists, colleagues and friends over the last twenty-five years. Their mentorship has shaped my work as a cultural ally, and I cherish their continued guidance navigating urgent issues of Indigenous rights, truth and reconciliation, and the collective necessity of land stewardship in climate change. Onondaga […]