Alumni who crushed it in 2022

Clockwise from top left: Camille Labchuk (who led an animal law conference), Mariam Magsi's incredible photograph, Melisa Ellis (champion of Black student startups), Jeopardy! Hall-of-Famer Mattea Roach, Dean Barnes (who's educating hockey fans about Black players), and Anishnaabe poet Liz Howard. Photos by Animal Justice, Mariam Magsi, Melisa Ellis, Tyler Golden/Jeopardy Productions, Inc, Dean Barnes and Liz Howard

U of T alumni, you’re amazing. In this past year, you’ve harnessed your drive, ingenuity and compassion to solve big issues, create community, and uplift those in need.

U of T alumni, you absolutely crushed it in 2022!

Jump to: The Creators • The Champions • The Innovators • The Leaders • The U of T heroes

The Creators

The bestselling authors of “a gripping story about terrible wrongs”

Andrew Stobo Sniderman (JD 2014) and Douglas Sanderson (Amo Binashii) (JD 2003) set out to tell the story of Waywayseecappo Indian Reserve and the settler town of Rossburn, facing each other across the Birdtail River—and how they found a workaround to equalize funding between their schools. Valley of the Birdtail ignited an important conversation about a bold way forward for reconciliation.

Read about more creators who crushed it:

• The photographer whose evocative art was chosen by students for permanent display 
• The urban planner who podcasts about innovative cities in Africa 
• The poet-in-residence who braids Western physics and Anishinaabe sky knowledge 
• The inventors building the world’s largest sphere

The champions

The hockey card collector who’s raising the profile of Black players

School board superintendent Dean Barnes (BEd 1994, PhD 2015) saw an educational opportunity in his pandemic hobby. His 100+ card collection of cards for every Black hockey player ever became part of the cross-continent NHL Black Hockey History Tour, helping folks think differently about hockey history and the rich contributions of Black hockey players.

Read about more champions who crushed it:

• The advocate helping reclaim the Tłı̨chǫ language for the Dene community
• The leader who creates opportunities for kids to access a science education 
• The librarian championing Canada’s forgotten early women film directors 
• From cows to chows: the lawyers who protect animals 

The innovators

The Three-Minute Thesis winner who wants to help babies... with watermelon 

Atefeh Mohammadi (BSc 2019 WDW) has an unexpected use for watermelon—as the source of a compound that helps fight inflammation. Her work could lead to an affordable treatment for a common lung condition in premature babies. And she also crushed U of T’s 3MT competition, where grad students explain their research in just three minutes.

Read about more innovators who crushed it:

• The beauty entrepreneur who helps you avoid toxic products
• The biomedical software developer named a tech pioneer by the World Economic Forum
• The sisters who built an exercise app to promote mental health
• The med student whose virtual eye care app is a game-changer for Bangladesh 

The leaders

The non-profit founder who fulfilled a wish for clean drinking water 

When Kabier Izzeldin (BSc 2021 UTSC) asked people in Sudan what they wished for, most said clean drinking water. So Izzeldin’s Wishing Well Company built 12 wells in Darfur, hiring the labour exclusively from the communities who will use the water. Every well is named for someone from the community who passed away: a poignant connection given that the clean water helps prevent disease.

Read about more leaders who crushed it:

• The women of vision named nursing chiefs for Ontario and for Canada
• The Knowledge Keeper honoured twice for reconciliation work
• The storyteller who ‘helps people feel reflected’ at TikTok Canada 
• The entrepreneur who took the reins at Women of Influence 

The U of T heroes

The couple making it possible for the recipients of philanthropy to be philanthropists too

Health equity is deeply personal for Stephanie Zhou (MSc 2018, MD 2018, PGMT 2020) and Colin Lynch, who were both in and out of hospitals as children. Later, Zhou relied on bursaries to fund medical school. Now, they’ve created an award for MD students in need who also help peers from less advantaged backgrounds. Because “the people that are being impacted by philanthropy should also be part of the solution.”

Read about more alumni who crushed it right here at U of T:

• The startup founder helping launch 100 Black-owned startups
• The professor who mentored 100 students from underrepresented groups
• The music lover who remembered his wife with an extraordinary piano
• The grads who came back to help business students succeed