Trinity One

With the lights on him and the camera rolling, Devlin Grewal recently prepared to make his film debut for the University of Toronto’s virtual fall convocation event.

He stumbled on his words at first – and then proceeded to nail his takes.

“I’ve never done anything like this,” Grewal admitted after the shoot. “It was really new for me and kind of scary – but a lot of fun.”

A U of T Scarborough student in his final year of the integrative biology program, Grewal stepped in front of the cameras in order to greet the real stars of the show – U of T’s graduating Class of 2021 – who will be tuning into the pre-recorded fall convocation ceremony at noon ET on Nov. 18.

He was joined by two other campus welcome ambassadors: Khaled Elemam, a bioinformatics and computational biology student at St. George campus; and Amna Adnan, a psychology major at U of T Mississauga.

Elemam is also one of 26 divisional ambassadors who will make cameos during the virtual ceremony to salute graduating students across U of T faculties, colleges and campuses. [See the full list here]

More than 5,700 students from 70 countries are due to receive their degrees in absentia this fall.

Grewal, who intends to pursue a career in conservation after graduation, said he felt at home on the Scarborough campus – just steps from the Valley Land Trail and a few minutes’ drive from Rouge Park.

“We have a really gorgeous campus,” he said. “There’s a greater appreciation for the green spaces that we have – and the connection to nature – because you’ve got this good mix of a little urban, a little nature.”

Grewal moved to Toronto four years ago from Fiji, a country made up of more than 300 islands, where he initially dreamed of becoming a marine biologist.

At U of T, he found a new passion: plants.

“Having grown up in Fiji, conservation action had always been an important part of my life, but given our reliance on marine systems, I think that’s where I had directed a lot of my focus,” he said. “When I moved to Canada and started to see the diversity of landscapes, as well as take some plant identification courses, it was like a whole new world had been revealed to me.”

To the Class of 2021, Grewal said it is inspiring to see them reach an academic milestone despite the uncertainties associated with COVID-19.

“Honestly, if you can graduate from U of T in the middle of a pandemic … you can really do anything from there on,” he said.

Faraz Alidina, a fourth-year PhD student in the department of Near and Middle Eastern civilizations, and School of Graduate Studies Dean Joshua Barker (photo by Nick Iwanyshyn)

Faraz Alidina, a fourth-year PhD student in the department of Near and Middle Eastern civilizations in the Faculty of Arts & Science, represented the School of Graduate Studies at the virtual ceremony, appearing alongside Dean Joshua Barker.

Earlier this year, Alidina won the tri-campus Three-Minute Thesis contest, summarizing his research on 13th-century Persian poet Farid al-Din Attar in 180 seconds or less.

He considered it a privilege to be among the ambassadors who will salute the graduating class as they embark on a new chapter in their lives.

“This is a unique situation with COVID-19 and convocation. It’s very nice that those who are graduating still have the kind of similar convocation experience,” he said. “It’s very humbling to be a part of that and be part of a day that, for many people, they’ll remember for a long time.

“Given how long this [the pandemic] has gone on, I think it’s important to celebrate the good moments when they come – and to do so in a safe and responsible manner.”

Alumna Samantha Cheung and Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering Dean Christopher Yip (photo by Nick Iwanyshyn)

Samantha Cheung, who completed her PhD in chemical engineering in May, was tapped to represent the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering. She now works for U of T biomaterials start-up ALT TEX, which makes sustainable fabric from food waste to replace synthetics like polyester.

“She’s a great ambassador because of her research project, where she is now, her work at a startup – all the stuff she’s been involved in really reflects the diversity of our students’ experience and what they’re getting out of being in engineering and being part of this community,” said Christopher Yip, dean of the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering.

For Cheung, the highlight of U of T Engineering wasn’t convocation – it was the friends she made on the road to graduation. “I feel that’s the best part of engineering – the people,” she said. “People that can inspire you, people who are smarter than you and teach you things.

“I made a lot of friends along the way, and we worked through challenges together.”

Here is the full list of student ambassadors who will appear during the virtual fall convocation event:

Divisional ambassadors:

Faraz Alidina of the School of Graduate Studies
Terrence Amponsah of New College
Janelle Brady of the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education
Samantha Cheung of the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering
Alin Condescu of U of T Scarborough
Prathit Dave of the Faculty of Arts & Science
Khaled Elemam of University College
Julian Gilmore of the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy
Jennifer Hutter of the Temerty Faculty of Medicine
Mailey Jean Michel of Trinity College
Gillian Jiajing Shi of the Faculty of Information
Brenaven Kugamoorthy of the Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education
Courtney-Brooke Laurie of the Dalla Lana School of Public Health
Elizabeth (Lily) Lawson of the John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design
Fang-Chi Li of the Faculty of Dentistry
Setareh Malekian Naeini of Woodsworth College
Anil Nair of the Faculty of Law
Yukei Ng of the Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing
Idara Okon of St. Michael’s College
Aishwarya Patel of the Faculty of Music
Jessica Rapson of the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy
Rena Seeger of Victoria College
Annalicia Skeete of the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work
Kaeliana Smoke of U of T Mississauga
Joshua Staynor of Innis College
Marcin Zegarmistrz of the Rotman School of Management

Welcome ambassadors:

Amna Adnan of U of T Mississauga
Khaled Elemam of U of T St. George*
Devlin Grewal of U of T Scarborough

*Khaled Elemam is both a welcome ambassador and a divisional ambassador

Women in House: female students shadow senators, MPs on Parliament Hill

sgupta — Mon, 23 Mar 2015 12:13:12 +0000

Women in House: female students shadow senators, MPs on Parliament Hill sgupta Mon, 03/23/2015 - 08:13

Cutline

Senator Salma Ataullahjan with Buchra Nassab, who studies Peace, Conflict & Justice

Terry Lavender

Author legacy

Terry Lavender

Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy

Faculty of Arts & Science

Alumni

Features

Subheadline

U of T program seeks to inspire more women to enter politics

“When I first heard about the Women in House program, I shrieked inwardly,” recalls second-year Peace, Conflict and Justice student Anah Mirza. “I knew this was the opportunity of a lifetime.”

The annual program – where female U of T students job-shadow MPs and senators in Ottawa – more than lived up to Mirza’s expectations: “Going in, I knew this visit to Ottawa would be memorable, but I couldn’t have predicted just how memorable it turned out to be.”

It’s the third year for Women in House, which was born in the fall of 2012 out of a discussion between U of T history PHD candidate Tina Park and Dr. Carolyn Bennett, the MP for St. Paul’s and a U of T medical school graduate. They were discussing the dearth of women in Canada’s House of Commons and how to open up more opportunities for young women to experience the Canadian political system.

Park still coordinates the program, which started in March 2013 with 20 students from International Relations and Peace, Conflict and Justice. This year the program includes undergraduate students from the Trinity One program and political science and graduate students from the School of Public Policy and Governance.

The program is non-partisan and bilingual, with host parliamentarians representing both the government and opposition parties. Hosts included Conservative MP Stella Ambler, Liberal MP Chrystia Freeland, NDP MP Djaouida Sellah and senators Judy Sgro and Salma Ataullahjan and several others.

Participants are asked to write about their experiences which are then posted on the program’s blog (https://utwomeninhouse.wordpress.com/reflections/). A common theme in their reflections was the lack of gender and ethnic diversity in Parliament.

“Not only were there obscenely few women on the floor, but there was a marked lack of multiracial representation, with both the Conservative government and NDP opposition being majority Caucasian,” noted third-year Peace, Conflict and Justice student Jahaan Pittalwala.

Her feelings were shared by classmate Sabrina Neto: “The obvious lack of both gender and racial equality in government was clear during my brief time on the Hill. There is still a long way to go, but with programs such as Women in House, then perhaps we can get there a little bit quicker.”

Mirza said that despite the partisan debates in Parliament, all the female parliamentarians she met during the trip were working towards a common goal – increased equality and diversity in government.

“I was privileged enough to meet so many accomplished women, and while they work on various levels and teams, they all fight the same fight. One day, I hope to join them.”

Below are some more excerpts from their reflections on Women in House.

Buchra Nassab, Peace, Conflict & Justice, hosted by Salma Ataullahjan, senator (Ontario, Toronto) Conservative
“I had the honor of shadowing Senator Salma Ataullahjan, one of the very few Muslim senators in Parliament. Senator Ataullahjan was an example of the ideals that Canada prescribes to – the ideals of multiculturalism and respect for others regardless of religion, ethnicity, gender, or sexuality. It was extremely inspiring to see the kind of person that Senator Ataullahjan was – a human rights advocate, an active member in the Pakistani‐Canadian community, and a genuinely nice and kind person. Seeing Senator Ataullahjan speak during the Senate’s committee session, in addition to a panel discussion in the Canadian Parliament on human rights abuses in Burma, opened my eyes to the sort of career that I would like for myself in the future – to make a presence in the Canadian government despite being both a female and a Muslim.”

Jahaan Pittalwala, Peace, Conflict & Justice, hosted by Yonah Martin, senator (British Columbia, Vancouver) Conservative and Barry Devolin, MP (Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes—Brock) Conservative
“The high intensity environment of Parliament had fazed and tired us. Senator Martin, however, remained rooted, calm and collected throughout the day, which I admired. Though my feet were aching from all the speed walking and my head spinning from all that I had absorbed, the entire day was a highlight and I was incredibly inspired by the various officials with whom I had significant interaction – it was an unparalleled experience.

As a woman of colour, and having learnt as much as I did from Senator Martin who is also a non‐white woman, I came to appreciate the importance of diversity in politics. With this in mind, I plan to do all that I can to facilitate equal and fair representation of our diverse and multicultural country, whether it be in government or through increasing resource access or providing an advocate voice to the marginalized, because it is this that is the true linchpin of democracy.”

Mariam Jammal, Peace, Conflict & Justice, hosted by Laurin Liu, MP (Rivière-des-Mille-Îles) NDP
“The highlight of the trip was definitely Question Period. Watching the debate between the three parties all I could think was ‘I’m watching news being made.’ It was so exhilarating to be in the room as Canadian issues were being laid out on the table and responded to in their raw, uncut form. Looking down from my seat and seeing the faces of the MPs I had met: Laurin Liu, Carolyn Bennett, Peggy Nash, Elizabeth May; it made me feel unbelievably empowered to see working women front and centre in our government.

“In the face of underrepresentation and sexism, these women quickly became role models regardless of their political affiliations because they were engaged in different battles of the same fight. The fight for gender equality, self‐determination and self- representation in an otherwise largely old male dominated system. They have won against unfavourable odds set by history and made it to the highest level of our government. These are the Women in House I signed up to meet.”

Natalie Petra, Trinity One, hosted by Peggy Nash, MP (Parkdale-High Park) NDP
“It was incredible to be in the [office of Thomas Mulcair], Leader of the Opposition's Office. The office had a million unique features. Peggy pointed out features that previous leaders of the opposition had left, such as an inscription commissioned by William Lyon Mackenzie King. Given that I’ve spent a large portion of my semester learning about King in my class on the history of Canadian public policy, I loved the opportunity to see my class material live and in the flesh.

“I leave the trip extremely inspired by my mentor. Peggy Nash has long been breaking down barriers for women, and I only hope that I can do the same one day. It was incredibly valuable to be able to ask female leaders what their experiences in politics have been like, and to get advice on overcoming the systemic obstacles that face women as they involve themselves in public policy.”

Sarah Sgambelluri, Trinity One, hosted by Hedy Fry, MP (Vancouver Centre), Liberal
“What I will remember most is Dr. Fry's passion. Having researched Dr. Fry before participating in Women in House, I learned that she has held office since 1993. I asked her about her first campaign and why she decided to run on a platform of rights for the LGBT+ community. She spoke of her experience as a physician, tending to patients who had contracted HIV/AIDS. She was invested in an issue and was empowered to make meaningful change.

“I am consistently amazed by the way women, especially in male-dominated fields, garner respect. I saw it from the way Dr. Fry's aides spoke of her with such adoration or how she interacted with her fellow parliamentarian during question period. And there I was, a first-year student with no major publications or job experiences, yet an amazingly influential individual had taken the time to mentor me. At the time, it made me feel special. Now, reflecting, I feel empowered.”

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