U of T alumni sweep the 2026 YWCA Toronto Distinction Awards

The 2026 YWCA Toronto Distinction Award winners, all of whom are U of T alumni (left to right): Kehkashan Basu, Jenny Ahn, Chinyere Eni, Janice Rubin, Ellen Blais, Juana Berinstein and Sara Asalya. Photo by Awesome Photography.

University of Toronto alumni swept all six of this year’s YWCA Toronto Distinction Awards, presented to women and gender-diverse people who are advancing gender equity in labour, immigration, health, corporate leadership and law.

The recipients were Kehkashan Basu (BA 2022 NEW) (Young Leader of Distinction), Juana Berinstein (BA 2002 WDW) and Ellen Blais (BSc 1996 WDW) (Health), Janice Rubin (BA 1985 NEW) (Law), Jenny Ahn (BSc 1996 UTM) (Labour), Sara Asalya (MEd 2021 OISE) (Immigration) and Chinyere Eni (MBA 2009) (Corporate Leadership).

During a ceremony in late May, the winners received their awards and were celebrated as changemakers creating a place at the table for women, girls and gender diverse people.

Empowering youth-led climate action

“The ceremony was so humbling and I was honoured to be in such august company,” says Kehkashan Basu, who earned an honours bachelor of arts with high distinction in environmental studies in 2022, as a member of New College.

Basu received the Young Leader of Distinction Award for her work at Green Hope Foundation, a youth-led not-for-profit rooted in climate justice and gender equality. She founded the organization in 2012, when she was just 12 years old. Since then, it has helped improve the lives of more than 600,000 women and girls across 29 countries.

Green Hope Foundation has established solar-powered water filtration systems in remote climate-vulnerable communities, built solar STEM laboratories, schools and mobile libraries for girls and spearheaded women-led climate-smart agriculture initiatives, among many other endeavours.

“Our work is rooted in the belief that sustainability, gender equity, human rights and peace are deeply interconnected,” Basu says.

Basu also encourages young people to use the power of their voices and believes that age has nothing to do with capability. “Some of the most transformative change begins when people decide to act, even before they feel completely ready,” she says. “Never wait for permission to lead.”

A force for women in the labour movement

Jenny Ahn has been recognized for her work advancing the labour movement for women. She became the youngest and first woman of colour elected to the National Executive Board of the Canadian Autoworkers Union (now Unifor) during the 1990s and won historic improvements in wages, benefits, job security and more across multiple sectors. 

Ahn has also made her mark internationally with key roles at Union Network International (UNI) Global Union and the International Domestic Workers Federation. She is currently serving as executive director of the Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations, where she helped secure a landmark federal amendment that protected postsecondary institutions, saved hundreds of jobs and reinforced the public role of higher education.

She is also co-founder and past president of the Asian Canadian Labour Alliance and a founding member of the Asian Canadian Women Alliance and has worked to amplify underrepresented voices through large-scale demonstrations.

Redefining midwifery

Juana Berinstein and Ellen Kanika Tsi Tsa Blais received the YWCA Distinction Award in Health for their efforts enabling midwives to provide care rooted in dignity, choice and equity to people across Ontario.

Berinstein and Blais are co-chief executive officers of the Association of Ontario Midwives (AOM). They are advancing the clinical and professional practice of Indigenous and registered midwives. All their efforts are rooted in the Two Row Wampum treaty and its focus on peace, friendship and respect.

“I feel honoured that Juana and I received this award,” says Blais, who earned a bachelor of science in 1996 as a member of Woodsworth College. “We agreed to do this work, but only together.”

Berinstein, who earned a bachelor of arts in 2002, also as a member of Woodsworth College, adds, “It is thanks to midwives supporting a vision of leadership based in reconciliation and shared leadership that Ellen and I have been able to to work together to lead the work of the Association of Ontario Midwives.”

AOM acts as the voice of midwives, ensuring that women and gender diverse people can depend on midwifery care. As part of this work, Berinstein and Blais collaborate with Indigenous communities to restore traditional birth practices through regulatory change and by establishing Indigenous midwifery programs.

“Birth brings joy to communities,” Blais says. "There is now a large movement of reclaiming Indigenous birth nationally and globally. The AOM has supported me in the creation of an Indigenous midwifery team and a funding envelope to continue to grow Indigenous midwifery in Ontario for a long time to come.”

Blais is following the advice of an Elder from the Nishnawbe Aski Nation, the late Helen Cromarty, who said “midwifery has been here since time before time. It is your job to keep the momentum going of bringing birth back home.”

Berinstein draws on her women and gender studies degree from Arts & Science in her work at AOM, specifically her studies around feminism and intersectionality.

“A midwife mentor of mine once said that feminism is the theory and midwifery is the praxis,” she says. “Through midwifery, we are working towards a vision of health care that is rooted in equity, in dignity and in evidence-informed care that centres the well-being of the pregnant person.”

Championing immigrant rights

Sara Asalya received an award in immigration for championing immigrant rights. As executive director of Newcomer Women's Services Toronto (NEW), she works to advance the economic and social inclusion of immigrant women. Under her leadership, the organization has quadrupled in size and is now able to assist more than 20,000 clients each year. 

Her lived experience as an immigrant in Canada has inspired her to advocate for immigrant women. Through her flagship Sister2Sister Advanced Leadership Program, she has helped open doors to the labour market for more than 1000 women since 2019.

Asalya has also been named one of Canada's Top 25 Immigrants, a Top 25 Woman of Influence and a Top 50 Woman Leader in the non-profit sector two years in a row.

Protecting women in the workplace

Janice Rubin has been aware of the longstanding YWCA Awards since she was a young woman inspired by past recipients. She believes strongly in YWCA’s mandate: recognizing the unique and creative contributions women and gender-diverse people make to advancing equality and inclusion.

Now, Rubin is herself a winner for her contributions in the legal realm.

“It’s a great honour to be recognized this way,” says Rubin, who earned her bachelor of arts in 1985 as a member of New College.

Rubin built her own legal practice, Rubin & Co. LLP, from the ground up with the goal of improving protections against workplace harassment in Canada. Now, 35 years later, her advocacy, investigations and reviews have helped to protect hundreds of people from harassment at work and violations of their human rights.

“One of my great fortunes in this life was becoming a lawyer,” Rubin says. “It is an honourable profession from which you can contribute to social change.”

Rubin’s advice to other young women and gender diverse people – who may be inspired by her as she once was by past YWCA winners – is to keep on going and never quit.

“There are days, months and even years that feel extremely difficult and you might be tempted to quit,” Rubin says. “However, the rewards of hanging in are immense. Having reached the 35-year anniversary of my call to the bar, working with the Rubin & Co. team is now the sweetest, most meaningful and fulfilling part of my career.”

Empowering women from underrepresented communities 

Chinyere Eni was honoured with an award in corporate leadership for her role in helping women from historically underrepresented communities excel in their professional careers.

Eni rose through the ranks from a bank teller to the Head of RBC Origins, leading RBC's Indigenous markets strategy and business. She also helped launch RBC's first Reconciliation Action Plan, allowing Indigenous communities to have a greater voice in capital and economic affairs.

Drawing on her own experiences as a woman of African and Indigenous heritage, Eni helps open doors for women through mentorship. She has also donated her time to health-related causes such as the War Amps, after losing her leg to cancer as a child.

Eni has previously been recognized for her efforts with the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal and the RBC Global Citizen Award as well as receiving WXN's 2025 Canada's Most Powerful Women: Top 100 Award in the executive category.

Originally published by Faculty of Arts & Science