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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During 2024 Fall Convocation – running from Oct. 16 to 25 – 91��ɫ will award honorary doctor of laws degrees to four individuals recognized as changemakers and leaders in their fields.

Below are the honorary degree recipients in order of the Faculty ceremonies at which they will be honoured:

Mark Beckles
Thursday, Oct. 16 at 10:30 a.m. – Faculty of Education, Glendon College, Faculty of Environmental & Urban Change, Lassonde School of Engineering

As vice-president of social impact and innovation at the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC), Beckles has over 25 years of experience in financial services, including executive leadership experience in banking, insurance, risk management and non-profit leadership.    

He leads the strategic execution of RBC’s community investment initiatives focused on skills for a thriving future and driving more equitable prosperity. He also leads stakeholder relations, cultivating key relationships across Canada to advance RBC’s community investment priorities. 

He is a board member of the Metro Toronto Convention Centre and chairs the audit and finance committee. He devotes his time, too, on the board of Fulbright Canada, the advisory committee of the Lincoln M. Alexander Award, Global Skills Opportunity and the Canadian Multicultural LEAD Organization for Mentoring & Training.  

He holds a master of business administration in international business from the University of Bradford, has completed executive programs at the Richard Ivey School of Business and holds the Institute of Corporate Directors designation.

Jeffrey Reading
Wednesday, Oct. 16 at 3:30 p.m. – Faculty of Health

Reading has more than three decades of experience enhancing knowledge in Indigenous health issues, both in Canada and globally. He obtained a master of science in 1991 and doctor of philosophy in 1994 in community health sciences from the University of Toronto, and was the inaugural scientific director of the Institute of Indigenous Peoples’ Health at the Canadian Institutes of Health Research from 2000 to 2008.

In 2016, Reading was appointed the inaugural British Columbia First Nations Health Authority Chair in Heart Health and Wellness at St. Paul’s Hospital, based at Simon Fraser University’s Faculty of Health Sciences. His Chair was renewed in 2021 for five years.

Reading was recently honoured as a member of the Order of Canada for his “groundbreaking contributions to Indigenous health research and for his leadership in bringing Indigenous perspectives to scientific and health institutions.”

Edward Sorbara
Thursday, Oct. 17 at 3:30 p.m. – Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies II

Sorbara has been principal of the Sorbara Group of Companies for over 57 years. He is involved in all phases of the real estate industry, including residential, industrial and commercial land development, industrial construction, and residential construction and property management. 

Sorbara joined his family business in 1967, after completing a bachelor’s degree in commerce at the University of Toronto and a master’s degree in business administration at the University of Chicago. 

He has received many accolades, including the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012, honouring his significant contributions and achievements in both the community and Canada more broadly. In 2019, he received the Building Industry & Land Development Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award, recognizing his legacy in the building and land development sectors.  

Sorbara continues to play an active role in supporting communities. He is a former United Way Greater Toronto board member and currently sits on the Archdiocese of Toronto Finance Council and the related Catholic Cemeteries’ Board.

Robert Potts
Friday, Oct. 18 at 10 a.m. – Schulich School of Business, Osgoode Hall Law school

 Potts is an experienced litigation counsel with a varied practice and extensive client list. He has been a partner at Blaney McMurtry LLP for over 45 years and also serves as the firm’s general counsel. He is a member of the law societies of both Ontario and Alberta and a former director of the Advocates Society.

Potts chairs his firm’s Indigenous Law Group, and has actively represented and counselled First Nations people since the early 1980s. In doing so, he has successfully negotiated several land claim settlements. He has been repeatedly voted for by his peers for the esteemed Best Lawyers in Canada list in the aboriginal law category, and is rated by Lexpert Canadian Legal Directory as a leading practitioner in Indigenous law.

Potts has defended solicitors in professional negligence suits and has also acted for clients in disputes involving real estate and business contracts, corporate disputes and mortgage enforcement remedies. He has served as defence counsel in several leading class actions, including Abdool, Bre-X and the class action stemming from the 2008 propane explosion in Toronto. 

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Eight professors from across Faculties and campuses have received reductions in their course load from the Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) Service Course Load Reduction Program to further 91��ɫ’s commitment to fostering an inclusive academic environment that values the contributions of diverse voices.

Created as part of the 91��ɫ Faculty Association Collective Agreement, this initiative provides an annual fund of $100,000 to support service related to EDI by faculty members who self-identify as Indigenous and/or members of racialized groups. By reducing recipients’ course loads, the programs provide them with additional time to advance or implement aspects of 91��ɫ’s Decolonizing, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (DEDI) Strategy. This includes the , Addressing Anti-Black Racism: A Framework on Black Inclusion, as well as other EDI initiatives specific to Faculties, schools and departments.

During the 2024-25 academic year, the program will support the following recipients who will further develop critical, EDI-focused work to have broader impacts across the University.

Sylvia Bawa, associate professor, Department of Sociology, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies

Having recently completed a three-year term as director of the Resource Centre for Public Sociology at 91��ɫ, Bawa will organize and facilitate public conversations on topics of human rights, decolonization and Afrofuturism. She will also be mentoring women in academia who are Black, Indigenous and people of colour, as well as undergraduate students interested in research through a project on Afrofuturism.

Lisa Davidson, assistant professor, Teaching Department of Anthropology, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies

Davidson will focus on developing curricula to address systemic racism, discriminatory biases and classroom inequities. She plans to design micro-credential frameworks in ethnographic research and archeology workshops that include the perspectives of equity-deserving populations. Additionally, she will enhance inclusive experiential education learning opportunities by leading the creation of an open-access digital storytelling database, highlighting the connections among racialized groups across Canada.

Ashley Day, assistant professor, School of Kinesiology, Faculty of Health

Chair of the Decolonizing, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (DEDI) Committee in the School of Kinesiology & Health Science, Day will advance DEDI priorities and conduct related research workshops, engaging with the 91��ɫ DEDI Toolkit and incorporating DEDI principles into pedagogy. In the process, she will continue emphasizing the importance of relationship building among students, staff and faculty members.

Mehraneh Ebrahimi, assistant professor, Department of English, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies

As a senator and vice-chair of the Liberal Arts & Professional Studies Faculty Council, Ebrahimi brings the voices of minoritized communities to collegial governance. With the course load reduction, she will build on her efforts to support women of colour through mentorship and community building initiatives at 91��ɫ. As an executive member of the 91��ɫ Centre for Asian Studies, she aims to establish a hub for Iranian and Middle Eastern scholars and students.

John Hupfield, assistant professor, Faculty of Education

Hupfield will establish a dedicated committee within the Indigenous Council to advocate for and develop Indigenous educational spaces on campus. Collaborating with multiple Indigenous stakeholders, he will investigate the potential for land- and place-based learning on campus. This initiative directly responds to the need for culturally relevant gathering spaces where Indigenous students, faculty and staff can teach, learn and connect.

Radhika Mongia, associate professor, Department of Sociology, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies

Using a DEDI focus, Mongia will conduct a comprehensive review and revision of the hiring procedures and Affirmative Action Plan of the Department of Sociology. The goal is to align the department’s practices and procedures with 91��ɫ’s EDI strategy, the Indigenous Framework for 91��ɫ, and the Framework to Address Anti-Black Racism to improve faculty recruitment and retention in the department, which could potentially serve as a benchmark for other units.

Tiana Reid, assistant professor, Department of English, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies

Reid will establish a Black Writers’ Group at 91��ɫ, an interdisciplinary writing group open to Black scholars at any stage. The collective will serve as a platform for co-working, connection, manuscript support and peer feedback. The initiative aims to address the gap in resources for Black scholars who are preparing their work for publication and looking for intellectual community. The group also seeks to foster mutuality with faculty members dealing with racialized burdens and anti-Blackness in the academy.

Shirin Shahrokni, associate professor, Department of Sociology, Glendon College

As an active member of the Race Equity Caucus and co-founder of the Caucus d’ Equite Raciale/Race Equity Caucus of Glendon, Shahrokni will build a cross-disciplinary, bilingual bibliography. This resource will compile the works of scholars and activists who advocate decolonial and anti-racist feminist views, addressing the challenge of finding teaching and research sources with critical perspectives. Additionally, she will organize a symposium highlighting the distinct barriers faced by students at the intersection of race, class and migration status.

Article originally published in the September 3, 2024 issue of Yfile

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Three women with affiliations to 91��ɫ have been recognized in the list for their impact and contributions to driving meaningful progress and to the advancement of women in their respective fields.  &�Բ�����;

Every year , a leading global organization dedicated to promoting gender equity in the workplace, announces its list recognizing the achievements and contributions of women who have made significant contributions in their respective fields, driving meaningful progress and change in business and society.

This year, in particular, recipients are recognized for their innovation, leadership and pursuit of gender equity and inclusion.  &�Բ�����;

“Their accomplishments demonstrate the important role that women play in driving meaningful progress in business and society. Through celebrating their stories, we aim to inspire others to challenge the status quo, paving the way for future generations,” said Rumeet Billan, CEO of Women of Influence+, about the recipients.

Among the list of 2024 recipients are two 91��ɫ alumnae and one honorary degree recipient:

Pamela Farrell (BEd ‘07) &�Բ�����;
The founder and executive director of the GROW Community Food Literacy Centre, Canada’s first community food literacy centre, Farrell has sought to provide vulnerable Canadians with access to healthy and culturally relevant foods as well as essential food literacy skills. Her community work has also looked to address health disparities, as well as promote health and social equity. Furthermore, combining her expertise in special education with equity, diversity and inclusion, Farrell looks to play a transformative role in guiding and inspiring the next generation of educators.

Tina Singh (BA ‘04)  &�Բ�����;
Singh is an occupational therapist, digital content creator and the founder of Bold Helmets, which creates helmets to fit over Sikh kids’ head coverings. As a mother and therapist working in the areas of head and brain injuries, Singh understood the importance of helmets but was unable to find any suitable for her children, leading her to create the first safety-certified, multi-sport helmet for Sikh children.  

Lynn Posluns (LLD [Hon.] ‘19) &�Բ�����;
Posluns is the founder, president and CEO of Women’s Brain Health Initiative, the only organization dedicated to protecting the brain health of women, caregivers and families. Through this initiative, she has raised awareness of women’s cognitive brain health and the inequity in women’s brain aging research, funding and preventative health programs. &�Բ�����;

Article originally published in the March 20, 2024 issue of

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The UN HLPF is the central platform within the United Nations system to track progress on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. More than 2,700 delegates are expected to attend the meeting at United Nations Headquarters in New 91��ɫ from July 10-19. 38 countries and the European Union will present their Voluntary National Review (VNR) on national progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). 12 special events, more than 200 side events and 21 exhibits will take place.

91��ɫ contributed to Canada’s 2023 , which will outline the initiatives undertaken in Canada with a focus on quality education, gender equality, climate action and partnership. In their report, 91��ɫ highlighted the strategic commitments to elevate action for the SDGs through the University Academic Plan 2020-2025 and other frameworks, such as the Framework on Black Inclusion, the  and the new Decolonization, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy 2022-2027.

A key enabler, so far the only one recognized by the UN, of all of the SDGs is an Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) as stated in SDG 4, which 91��ɫ´s UNESCO Chair has long been engaged with. The team has also worked with UNESCO and other UN agencies to promote the transformation of education and training systems and to raise public awareness for ESD. At the UN HLPF, Hopkins and Kohl will advocate for the importance of involving higher education institutions in policymaking, for modelling sustainability in the university as whole and the transformative power of quality education.

Article originally post via YFile on July 12, 2023

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