A gift from an anonymous local donor will defray the cost of university for first-year students in each of the Faculty of Education, the  (AMPD) and the Department of Psychology within the .

Each Faculty will receive $5,000 a year over five years for the scholarship, reflecting a total gift amount of $75,000.

The donor, an engineer by training, understands that many university students are finding it increasingly difficult to fund their education given challenging economic times, changes to the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP) and the uncertainty of clear career paths after graduation.

“This scholarship represents an important opportunity to give back to the community and to support the next generation of students and leaders,” he said in an interview. “My desire is to provide funding for three programs which are socially critical but are often economically undervalued.”

The donor believes that increasing access to education is essential and warrants support.

“I’ve benefited a lot from great teachers,” he said. “I value what a great teacher can do for a class or even for one student. ‘To teach is to touch’ and the impact a teacher can have on someone is enduring and profound.”

Read the full story in the

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On May 21, the Faculty of Education community came together for its annual End-of-Year Celebration. This year's event centred on the theme of arts and scholarship.

The event featured a variety of engaging presentations exploring the many intersections between art and education — from art in education and the art of teaching, to research and scholarship inspired by creative practice. Faculty members and presenters shared innovative ideas and thoughtful reflections that highlighted the important role of the arts in teaching, learning, and research.

As part of the celebration, Dean Robert Savage presented two awards recognizing excellence in research and teaching within the Faculty. The event served as both an informative and celebratory occasion, marking a positive conclusion to another successful academic year.

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From launching mentorship programs to creating inclusive spaces and tackling food insecurity, 12 91��ɫ students are being recognized with the Robert J. Tiffin Student Leadership Award for leadership that contributes to the growth, development and vitality of the University.

Now in its 14th year, the award honours Robert J. Tiffin, who served as 91��ɫ’s vice-president, students, for nine years. University community members nominate individuals who demonstrate leadership and make valuable contributions to 91��ɫ.

This year’s recipients represent a wide range of disciplines and leadership pathways, says Yvette Munro, vice-provost, students.

“The depth and breadth of leadership shown by our students is remarkable and we continue to see the meaningful ways they contribute to 91��ɫ," says Munro. “Whether they are supporting students across the University, within their Faculty or in groups built around shared interests or lived experiences, their leadership helps strengthen the 91��ɫ community.”

Recipients of the award play a vital role in shaping the 91��ɫ student experience and enhancing the character of 91��ɫ, says Tiffin. “They have led, not because they were asked, but because they cared enough to step forward. Through their contributions they have nurtured a 91��ɫ tradition of a university that embraces new ideas and innovative thinking.”

The winners were celebrated on May 6 at 91��ɫ’s Keele Campus.

This year’s award winners included 4 students from the Faculty of Education: Devonte Ellis, Cheyenne Schmidt-Harlick, Isabella Gouveia, and Anaum Fatima Iqbal.

Read the full article in the May 8, 2026 issue of YFile

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Three alumni from the Faculty of Education have been recognized in 91��ɫ’s 2026 Top 30 Under 30 program.

The recipients of the sixth annual recognition demonstrate a deep commitment to giving back and are tackling complex social issues across various industries – all before the age of 30.

This year’s honourees are making great strides in fields such as aviation, entrepreneurship, sustainability, health care, technology, AI and more. Together, they are working toward building an innovative and sustainable future, paving the way for future generations.

“Each year, the Top 30 Alumni Under 30 program highlights the remarkable achievements and impact of 91��ɫ’s global young alumni community,” says Julie Lafford, assistant vice-president, alumni engagement. “This year’s cohort features a diverse group of innovators who are shaping the future through their leadership, creativity and volunteerism.”

Since 2021, the Top 30 program has celebrated the success and diversity of the University’s alumni community, while inspiring the next generation of young alumni leaders. 

To view the full list of the 2026 Top 30 Alumni Under 30, and learn more about their accomplishments,  visit the Top 30 Alumni Under 30 webpage.

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Charles A. Hopkins, an internationally recognized pioneer in education for sustainable development and the inaugural holder of the UNESCO Chair in Reorienting Education Towards Sustainability at 91��ɫ, has been named a Member of the Order of Canada, one of the country’s highest civilian honours. His decades-long leadership in embedding sustainability into education — from shaping curricula and campus practices at 91��ɫ to partnering with UNESCO, the United Nations University and global ministries of education — has inspired learners and educators around the world to make sustainability a core principle of teaching and learning.

The Order of Canada, established in 1967, honours individuals whose contributions have had a lasting impact in Canada and beyond.

Read more about Hopkins and all nine 91��ɫ community members honoured in this year’s Order of Canada announcement: /yfile/2026/01/07/order-of-canada-honours-nine-york-community-members/  

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Don Galbraith Pre-Service Teacher Award of Excellence winners: Lauren Cunningham, Anthony Pereira and Elvina Patapau (From left to right)

Congratulations to Lauren, Anthony, and Elvina on this well-deserved recognition. Their achievements reflect the high calibre of 91��ɫ’s Bachelor of Education program and its commitment to preparing future educators who will inspire and engage learners in science education across Ontario.

Pre-service students are encouraged to explore the many subject organisations related to their teaching discipline. These organisations often offer valuable scholarships, awards, and professional development opportunities designed to support and recognise future educators. A list of subject organisations can be found on the Education Resource Centre (ERC) website, an excellent place to start building connections with your future professional community.

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How can young people learn from their experiences and reshape who they are in a digital world that never forgets? 

That question will guide 91��ɫ education scholar Mario Di Paolantonio’s research as a  91��ɫ Massey Fellow at the University of Toronto for the 2025-26 academic year. 

The fellowship, awarded to full-time 91��ɫ faculty members on sabbatical or other leave, provides access to dedicated office space, library resources and full participation in the academic and social life of the college. Fellows hold the title “91��ɫ Fellow of Massey College” for life or while mutually agreeable. 

A professor in the Faculty of Education, Di Paolantonio will use the fellowship to advance research that builds on his 2023 book, Education and Democracy at the End. His work explores how digital technologies – particularly those that preserve personal data indefinitely – affect youth development and their ability to engage with education as a transformative process. 

During his sabbatical, he will study how creative and thoughtful activities – like making art, exploring culture and asking big questions – can help young people take back control of their lives, push back against the influence of digital technology and learn how to grow and change in positive ways. 

“Young people today are growing up in a digital environment where their past is always present,” says Mario Di Paolantonio. “This fellowship gives me the opportunity to explore how we can create space for reflection and renewal – where youth can learn to interpret their experiences differently and imagine new ways of being in the world.” 

His research also explores how societies deal with past injustices in two interrelated streams. One research focus looks at how memorials, art and legal systems help communities learn from history, especially in countries that have experienced dictatorship. Another examines how the rise of digital systems and data-driven decision-making can weaken public trust and make it harder for people to connect and work together. 

Di Paolantonio’s scholarship and published work cover topics such as education, curriculum, politics, law, memory and the arts. He is also an international research associate at the Centro de Estudios en Pedagogías Contemporáneas and the Escuela de Humanidades at the Universidad Nacional de San Martín in Buenos Aires. 

Massey College is an independent academic community located at the University of Toronto. Its membership includes graduate students, faculty, journalism fellows, visiting scholars and leaders from various sectors. The college fosters interdisciplinary exchange and academic enrichment across disciplines and institutions.  

“It is a valuable opportunity to join a community that brings together scholars from many fields and institutions,” says Di Paolantonio. “Being part of that environment will support deeper thinking about the challenges facing education today and help connect my research to wider conversations about democracy, technology and youth.” 

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In a remarkable recognition of his lifelong commitment to sustainability, 91��ɫ’s Charles Hopkins has earned the esteemed 2025 Lifetime Achievement Award by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE).

The award celebrates his significant contributions to education, positioning him among a select group of leaders in higher education and sustainability transformation. Hopkins, who holds the UNESCO Chair in Reorienting Education Towards Sustainability at 91��ɫ, is the seventh recipient since the award’s inception in 2006 and the first Canadian to receive the award.

Since assuming the role of UNESCO Chair at 91��ɫ in 1999, he has dedicated his efforts to integrating sustainable practices into both the curricula and operations of the University. 

Through his leadership, Hopkins has helped develop collaborations between institutions, engaging thousands of learners in activities that aim to address some of the world’s most pressing environmental challenges. 

Hopkins has also been a driving force for advancing education for sustainable development (ESD) initiatives across the globe. He coordinates two global research networks (the International Network of Teacher Education Institutions and the #IndigenousESD Network), each active in more than 50 countries, and acts as co-director of the Asia-Pacific Institute on ESD in Beijing. 

“AASHE is honoured to highlight the work of a person who has committed his life’s work to advancing education for sustainable development," says Meghan Fay Zahniser, executive director of AASHE. "Through decades of international and regional collaborations, Hopkins’ work continues to inspire and advance equitable learning across the globe.” 

The award honours outstanding leaders – both academic and practitioners – with 10 or more years of impactful contributions to the advancement of sustainability in higher education. 

“This award symbolizes the collective effort of many passionate individuals at 91��ɫ who are dedicated to sustainability,” says Hopkins. “Together, we strive to harness education as a powerful tool for creating meaningful change.” 

Hopkins’ extensive commitment to sustainability has positioned 91��ɫ as a leader in the field and has contributed to the development of transformative educational practices that cultivate the next generation of environmental stewards.  

To read more about AASHE’s awards programs, visit . 

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At 91��ɫ’s Fall Convocation ceremony on the morning of Oct. 16, an honorary degree was presented to financial services executive Mark Beckles, vice-president of social impact and innovation at the Royal Bank of Canada.

After accepting his honorary degree, Beckles spoke to graduands about his move from Barbados to Canada with his wife 34 years ago. The young, ambitious couple chose to relocate to Canada – where Beckles had lived briefly as a child and where his wife had been born – because they believed in its promise as a place where their wildest dreams could be fulfilled and their fullest potential could be reached.

The adjustment to Canadian life, however, wasn’t quite as smooth as they had hoped.

Arriving in Ottawa with a job offer already in hand – or so he thought – from one of Canada’s big banks, Beckles quickly came to understand that the person who hired him remotely hadn’t realized he was Black.

“That was, for me, the first time in my career that I recall being consciously confronted with the ugliness of racism,” said Beckles, “and discovered that I possessed a certain naivety that I would need to quickly shed.”

The job offer was revoked, and Beckles was left, disheartened, to navigate an unfamiliar career landscape in a new country. Yet, he remained hopeful that better opportunities would come his way. And they did.

One week later, while waiting in a freezing-cold Ottawa bus shelter on their way to church, Beckles and his wife were offered a ride from a kind woman in a sky-blue Oldsmobile. One brief conversation later and she was introducing Beckles to a man who would help him gain the Canadian work experience he needed to land a job in his field – and would end up becoming a lifelong friend and mentor in the process.

“They did not judge me on the color of my skin or the thickness of my accent,” Beckles said of the generous strangers who came into his life that day and helped set him on a path to success that has continued since.

“I’ve had an inexplicably phenomenal career in Canada,” he continued. “Despite the dark inclinations of some people, opportunity has come my way through hard work – yes – but also with the support and allyship of people, most of whom look nothing like me.”

It is for those reasons and many others that Beckles continues to believe in the promise of Canada and its people, and its potential to become the just and inclusive society he imagined when he arrived here all those years ago.

“Canadians remain, for me, the brightest of lights,” he said, “and I know that my Canadian journey is not unique, and that many of you within an earshot of my speech can relate to my experiences … You can see yourself in part of my story – someone saying no to you, followed by others, plural, who say yes to you.”

His message to graduands was clear: to remain optimistic about the future despite the setbacks and challenges that are sure to come their way, just as they did for him.

“Sometimes, in a world that surrenders to its own darkest impulses, you too must be among the brightest of lights,” he said, “Regardless of faith, identity, culture or tongue, we are all huddled and masked in this intersectional moment on lands upon which we are mostly all settlers just trying to belong, and that requires of us a new courage and a new commitment to a shared prosperity.”

Article originally published in the October 18, 2024 issue of Yfile

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Three 91��ɫ faculty members will be recognized during the 2024 Spring Convocation ceremonies with President’s University-Wide Teaching Awards for enhancing quality of learning and demonstrating innovation and excellence in teaching.

This year’s President’s University-Wide Teaching Award recipients – selected by the 91��ɫ Senate – are representative of three categories: full-time faculty with 10 or more years of teaching experience; full-time faculty with less than 10 years of experience; and contract and adjunct faculty.

Each winner will not only be recognized during a convocation ceremony this spring but will have their name engraved on the University-Wide Teaching Awards plaques displayed in Vari Hall on the Keele Campus.

This year’s recipients are:

Full-time tenured faculty with 10 or more years of full-time teaching experience

Danielle Robinson, School of the Arts, Media, Performance & Design (AMPD)

Robinson received the award in recognition of her ability to create an interdisciplinary learning environment where students from diverse academic backgrounds can work collaboratively and approach problems from contrasting directions. That ability has, in part, been channelled into her leadership around the Cross-Campus Capstone Classroom (C4) initiative, an experiential education opportunity for students that allows them approach real-world challenges with social impact in interdisciplinary ways. 

“In my collaboration with Danielle, I find her a passionate advocate for our students, excellent at organization, caring and interested in those she works with and one of the most hard-working colleagues I know,” said Robinson’s nominator, Professor Franz Newland, a C4 co-founder and co-academic lead. “She achieves this with a sense of fun, recognizing its importance when doing hard work. I believe she is an irreplaceable asset to 91��ɫ.”

Robinson has been the recipient of several other awards, including the Dean’s Teaching Award for Junior Faculty (from AMPD), and the Airbus and Global Engineering Dean’s Council’s Diversity Award.

Full-time faculty with less than 10 years of teaching experience

Vidya Shah, Faculty of Education

Shah received the award for her collaborative approach to pedagogy, which looks to honour students’ voices and recognize their needs, interests and agency – often by incorporating their views into the content of her courses. The award also acknowledges Shah’s ongoing efforts to address inequities within the larger academic community, often through inspiring a rethinking of practices in the areas of racial and social justice, as well as teaching and learning.

Her nominator, Myrtle Sodhi, a PhD candidate in the Faculty of Education, said of Shah, “Her ability to support a large number of students who are under-represented through various stages of their academic career speaks to Dr. Shah’s commitment to student learning, mentorship and social change.” She added: “Dr. Shah’s research, teaching, collaboration and mentorship has changed the landscape of the 91��ɫ academic community in profound ways. She continues to inspire leadership, social justice action and academic pathways.”

Shah is also the recipient of the Faculty of Education Graduate Teaching Award. In 2022, she was awarded the Leaders and Legends Award for Mentor of the Year by the Ontario Institute of Studies in Education.

Contract and adjunct faculty

Heather Lynn Garrett, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies

Garrett was honoured in recognition of her her ability to engage with and motivate her students, incorporating story, anecdote, music and various media to bring course material to life. She has provided valuable mentorship to students in her program, notably through her support of the Sociology Undergraduate Student Association (SUSA). She has served as a faculty mentor of SUSA’s annual Falling in Love with Research project, guiding students in conduction sociological research on a topic chosen by SUSA members.

Garrett has twice received the John O’Neill Award for Teaching Excellence by the Department of Sociology, and has been nominated for the Ian Greene Award for Teaching Excellence.

Article originally published in the June 18, 2024 issue of

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