INNIS ALUMNI & FRIENDS
2022-2023
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Through my Innis involvement, I not only belong to a community, but I help to build it as well. For me, the community at Innis is defined by its creative culture, found everywhere from our student society to our student newspaper to the Cinema Studies Students Union—all of which I am proudly and passionately a part of.
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Sam Guevara (photo by Shayla Anderson)
FIRST LOOK
INNIS ALUMNI & FRIENDS
Samantha “Sam” Guevara (HBA ’25) continues to earn her academic chops as the recipient of multiple scholarships, including the University Women’s Club of Toronto Award, given to a first-year student who is helping to build “a more equitable world for all women and girls.” Sam, who is majoring in human geography and political science with a minor in cinema studies, is doing just that, and more. She was equity and outreach director with the ICSS and co-chair of the Student Wellness Advisory Committee, and is now editor of The Innis Herald. Last summer, she debuted her first short film.
2022/23 Edition No. 008 Editor Ben Weststrate (HBA ’08 Innis) Editorial Committee Shayla Anderson Fiona Irvine-Goulet Charlie Keil Megan McDonald Art Director Samantha Edwards, RGD, samiamcreative.ca Contributors Karl Abian, Jacklyn Atlas, Buyanjargal Badamsuren, Brandon Bastaldo, Philippe Bicos, Harry Blum, James Cahill, Dewey Chang, Kim Creelman, Fiona Cui, Brian Culley, Joanne Culley, Kelly Curran, Martha Davis, Elad Dekel, Diamond Schmitt Architects, Jonathan Fried, Zdravko Galinec, Steve Gillick, Rhea Gosain, David Hou, Isa Visuals, Gurjot Kainth, Jas Kainth, Yazmeen Kanji, Niharika Kerkar, Trina Koster, Ryan Lamers, Sandra Laronde, Angela Li, Eunice Lumsden, Cedar J. MacTavish, Rosa Mancuso, Kemeisha McDonald, Stephen McMurtry, Lindsay Miller, Diane Montgomery, Ted Montgomery, Montgomery Sisam Architects, Paul Monticone, Luis Mora, Zaria Nelson, Averyn Ngan, Jadine Ngan, Kevin Nguyen, Mike Orr, John Ota, Raia Ottenheimer, Rahul Parhar, Jojo Qian, Roy Raanani, Red Sky Performance, Karen Reid, Eli Rose, Cindy Ross Pedersen, Alex Russell, Catherine Russell, Peter H. Russell, Lisa Sakulensky, Mitsuru Sasaki, Stephanie Savage, Jim Shedden, Daniel Simpson, Yash Singhal, Riley Stewart, Raven Stoddart, Alisha Stranges, Eilene Su, Chiao Sun, Marta Switzer, Kathryn Sykora-Hetherington, Lisa Taharally, Mariel Terebiznik, Ayaka Teshirogi, Gustavo Toledo, Samara Tower, Jasmine Veitch, Mark Weisdorf, Herb Wilson, Paula Wilson, Casper Wong, Angela Xu, Alice Xue Printing is five communications Correspondence and undeliverable copies to: Advancement Office, Innis College, University of Toronto 2 Sussex Ave., Toronto ON M5S 1J5 alumni.innis@utoronto.ca innis.utoronto.ca/alumni Innis Alumni & Friends is published yearly by Innis College and is circulated to 15,000 alumni and friends of Innis College, University of Toronto. Innis College respects your privacy. We do not rent, trade, or sell our mailing lists. If you do not wish to receive this magazine, please contact us at alumni.innis@utoronto.ca.
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CONTENTS
Up front 2
Message from the principal
4
Innis events 2022-23
Spotlight: groundbreakers 10
Sandra Laronde
12
Martha Davis
14
Casper Wong
18
14
Features 33
39
16
Social innovation
18
Spotlight: Mariel Terebiznik
20
Renewal & Expansion Campaign
24
Global alumni
27
Spotlight: Harry Blum
28
Innis families
32
Grads in digital spaces
34
Award-winning student leaders
36
Arbor Award recipients
37
Achievements
40
In remembrance
42
Contributors
ON THE COVER Innis’s alumni relations officer, Shayla Anderson (HBA ’19 Innis, Urban Studies), crouches behind the camera to capture a re-creation of the original 1973 college groundbreaking event. (Left to right) U of T Provost Cheryl Regehr, Innis Acting Principal Karen Reid, ICSS President Ayaka Teshirogi (HBSc ’23 Innis), and Innis Principal Charlie Keil (photo by Kemeisha McDonald). Learn more about this milestone moment on p. 20.
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Innis’s eighth principal, Charlie Keil, addresses supporters gathered on the Innis Green for a groundbreaking ceremony to mark the start of the Renewal and Expansion project construction— just as his predecessor, Robin Harris, had done 50 years prior (see inset photo) (photo by Shayla Anderson).
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PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE
A message from the
Principal
SOME 50 YEARS AGO, as several photos in this magazine remind us, Innis College entered a new era, establishing itself in a permanent building and ushering in decades of innovative educational initiatives and forward-thinking student service. 2023 has witnessed the symbolic start of what should be a transformational period for the College, marked again by the turning of sod and the celebration of the possibilities borne of a redesigned and expanded home for Innis’s students. What better theme for this year’s magazine, then, than “Groundbreaking”? For Innis College has always sought out ways to upend the status quo, to chart novel paths, and revel in the unorthodox. That’s evident in the achievements of our three featured groundbreakers: choreographer-artist Sandra Laronde uses dance and performance to rethink our relation to the “more-than-human world” (p. 10); multi-hyphenate and educator Martha Davis concentrates on dioramas to help children navigate the complexities of social justice (p. 12); and fintech entrepreneur Casper Wong has disrupted the consumer-lending landscape in Canada while also challenging its cycling culture (p. 14). But you only need to look at the efforts of others profiled in these pages to see further confirmation of how groundbreaking is part of the Innis DNA: recent alum Mariel Terebiznik, for instance, like Sandra Laronde, fosters a connection to the more-than-human world, but for her the connection occurs through fieldwork. By co-founding FREED (Field Research in Ecology and Evolution Diversified), Mariel is ensuring that marginalized students gain access to the kind of fieldwork that builds ecological knowledge (p. 18). And Cindy Ross Pedersen has created pathways to connect students to social entrepreneurs through The Agency; partnering with Innis was the next logical step in helping more students understand how to combine a zeal for social change with career opportunities via the College’s Social Innovation Certificate (p. 16).
Innis is committed to giving students the requisite tools so that they can become the next generation of groundbreakers. And sometimes the tools take the form of new spaces for studying, socializing, and gaining access to student services. The Innis College of 50 years ago, led by Principals Peter Russell and Bill Saywell, set its students on bold new pathways, and alumni like Mark Weisdorf still recall how a new building was the catalyst for creativity and camaraderie. As Mark says on p. 21, “an inviting physical environment is a critical component of the student experience.” In August, we broke ground to lay a foundation for future Innisians. I have no doubt that they will point to their years at the College as the first stage in their journey toward creating change—change that will render our more-than-human world a better place. On September 14, 1973, Innis’s first principal, Robin Harris, addresses college supporters and then breaks ground on the empty lot at 2 Sussex Avenue that would soon become Innis College.
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INNIS EVENTS 2022-2023
Celebrations Left: Principal Charlie Keil celebrates with newly minted Innis graduates on the Green (photo by Chiao Sun). Below: CSI Director James Cahill (left) performs the Hooding Ceremony for Alanis Obomsawin as Chancellor Rose Patten confers her honorary degree and President Meric Gertler applauds (photo by Lisa Sakulensky).
Fall 2022 and Spring 2023 Convocations Innis’s fall graduates received their hard-earned degrees at Convocation Hall on November 7, 2022. Then the College celebrated its spring graduating class on June 19, 2023, with an inspiring address by Alanis Obomsawin, who also received an Honorary Doctor of Laws from U of T. The event was followed by a celebration and awards presentation in Town Hall and on the Innis Green. “In her speech, Alanis Obomsawin spoke about the importance of recognizing the endless possibilities of the time we live in today. These possibilities are in part thanks to Alanis herself being a pillar of Indigenous arts. She is and will always be a role model to me—and to countless others who aspire to such heights. Chi Miigwetch, Alanis.” —Cinema Studies student Zaria Nelson (HBA ’25)
Classes of 2020 and 2021 Graduation
Sharon Lewis speaks from the Convocation Hall podium (photo by Dewey Chang).
A special ceremony was held on December 15, 2022, in Convocation Hall for Innis graduates whose degrees were previously conferred in an online ceremony during the pandemic. Award-winning director, producer, and showrunner Sharon Lewis (BA ‘89 Innis) gave the keynote speech.
Innis student Fatema Attarwala (HBSc ‘22 Innis; left) receives the Innis College Alumni Scholarship from former Innis administrator Audrey Perry (centre) and keynote speaker Webnesh Haile (HBSc ‘09 Innis) (photo by Kevin Nguyen).
Innis Awards Ceremony Innis and Cinema Studies Institute students who demonstrated outstanding leadership and academic excellence were recognized on November 23, 2022, in a Town Hall ceremony.
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Alumni Mentorship Year-End Social
Refugee Student Fund Benefit Concert
Alumni mentors and student mentees celebrated a successful eighth year on April 20, 2023.
Held December 9, 2022, the sixth annual benefit concert to support refugee students at Innis featured entertaining performances by students, alumni, and staff, and was hosted by Acting Principal Karen Reid.
Learn more about becoming a mentor to an Innis student at innis.utoronto.ca/mentor Mentor Jenn Robinson (HBSc ’12 Innis) chats with her mentee (not shown) in the Innis Café (photo by Rahul Parhar).
Homecoming Reunion
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On June 3, 2023, alumni and their families gathered at Innis for a fun reunion, and the launch of the Innis Renewal and Expansion Campaign. Writer and awardwinning actor Jean Yoon (BA ‘89 Innis) gave the keynote speech. Learn more about the campaign on p. 20.
Speakers (left to right): Charlie Keil, Innis principal; Cheryl Regehr, U of T vice-president and provost; Melanie Woodin, Arts & Science dean (photo by Kemeisha McDonald) Early Innisians Ken (BA ’68 Innis; left) and Barbara Saul (BA ‘78) and Robert Patrick (BA ’67 Innis) (photo by Zdravko Galinec)
Groundbreaking Ceremony Innis students, alumni, staff, friends, and supporters gathered for a milestone moment in the Innis Renewal and Expansion Campaign with a groundbreaking ceremony that took place on the Innis Green, August 2, 2023.
Jannie Chien (HBA ‘17 Innis), Dianthi Fernando (HBA ’19 Innis, MT ’21), Julian Zhang (HBSc ’20 Innis), Rhea Gosain (HBSc ’23 Innis), and Amisha Punja (HBA ’22 Innis) (photo by Zdravko Galinec)
twork See cover ar learn and p. 20 to e latest th more. Find updates by n io ct constru e QR code. scanning th
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INNIS EVENTS 2022-2023
Screenings An Afternoon with Alanis Obomsawin
Kerry Swanson (left) and Alanis Obomsawin (photo by Kevin Nguyen)
Honorary degree recipient Alanis Obomsawin (Hon LLD ’23) presented a dual screening of her short films, When All the Leaves Are Gone (2010) and Honour to Senator Murray Sinclair (2021), on June 18, 2023. Kerry Swanson, CEO of the Indigenous Screen Office, moderated the discussion. The event was co-presented by CSI, Innis College, and the U of T Art Museum.
code to Scan the QR g ost-screenin watch our p r ou on discussions nel. YouTube chan
Henryk (far left) and Erica (far right) Hiller with Arthur Hiller Award recipients, (left to right) Corinne Abouem, Zaria Nelson, and Emma Robins (photo by Shayla Anderson)
Man of La Mancha The October 28, 2022, CSI-Innis screening of Arthur Hiller’s classic film was also the launch of the Arthur Hiller Award for Admission to the Cinema Studies Institute at Innis College. Special guests Erica and Henryk Hiller, children of late Canadian filmmaker Arthur Hiller and sponsors of this new scholarship for racialized students entering a CSI program, presented the inaugural award to Corinne Abouem, Zaria Nelson, and Emma Robins.
Category: Woman On March 8, 2023, filmmaker Phyllis Ellis was joined by moderator Mary Ormsby, panelists Karen Dougherty, Caroline Fusco, and Ali Greey, and film subjects Annet Negesa and Payoshni Mitra for a screening and discussion of this documentary feature, a co-presentation of CSI, Innis, and the Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education (KPE).
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With Wonder In celebration of Pride Month, filmmaker Sharon Lewis (BA ’89 Innis) presented her documentary feature on June 20, 2023, a co-presentation of CSI and Innis. Daniel Bartholomew-Poyser moderated the post-screening discussion.
Above: Lindsay Blair-Goeldner (left) and Chandler Levack speak to a full house in Town Hall. Left: Chandler Levack (left) and Lindsay Blair-Goeldner answer questions at the post-screening discussion (photos by Kevin Nguyen).
Daniel Bartholomew-Poyser and Sharon Lewis (photo by Kevin Nguyen)
I Like Movies Filmmaker Chandler Levack (HBA ’11 Innis, Cinema Studies) and producer Lindsay BlairGoeldner (HBA ‘13 Innis, Cinema Studies) presented their comedy feature on March 23, 2023. The CSI-Innis event was followed by a discussion moderated by multidisciplinary artist Sook-Yin Lee. See p. 38 for more information.
Janelle Joseph (left) and Hubert Davis (photo by Dewey Chang)
Black Ice To commemorate Black History Month, on February 22, 2023, CSI, Innis, and KPE co-presented Black Ice, a documentary feature. Filmmaker Hubert Davis was joined by moderator Dalton Higgins and panelists Janelle Joseph and Simon Darnell for a postscreening discussion.
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INNIS EVENTS 2022-2023
Talks Aaju Peter (left) and Ceta Ramkhalawansingh (photo by Daniel Simpson)
Everything Everywhere All at Once Elevation Pictures Co-founder and Co-president Laurie May (LLB ‘93) presented the 2023 Academy Award-winning film at the second annual “Innis and Rotman Movie Night.” The September 14, 2022, evening was moderated by filmmaker and CSI instructor Kazik Radwanski.
2022 Harold Innis Lecture On November 15, 2022, Aaju Peter, OC, Inuit rights advocate and lawyer, gave the annual Harold Innis Lecture, “Twice Colonized,” with an introduction by Margaret Atwood (BA ’61, Hon DLitt ’83), CC, OOnt, and a discussion moderated by Ceta Ramkhalawansingh (BA ’77, MA ’80, DCS ’84), chair of the Harold Innis Foundation.
Beautiful Scars Commemorating the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on September 30, 2022, CSI and Innis, along with filmmaker Shane Belcourt and film subject Tom Wilson, presented this documentary feature, followed by a discussion moderated by Jon Montes.
“Aaju is the most ferocious and tenacious person I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. Her lecture was not only thought-provoking but shed light on topics that are seldom taught in the classroom or spoken about in mainstream media. Aaju gave her audience the opportunity to reflect on colonial practices that extend into the modern era, a topic that I had assumed was left in the past century. Despite the challenges she has faced, Aaju brings an exuberance and zest for life to the stage that few can rival.” —Student Raven Stoddart (HBSc ’24 Innis)
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Katie Welch (photo by Shayla Anderson)
Writers on Writing with Ian Williams Part of the Innis Writing & Rhetoric Program’s “Writers on Writing” series, this November 3, 2022, Town Hall evening featured award-winning writer Ian Williams discussing his writing process with Andrea Williams, W&R program director.
2023 Franklin Lecture On April 4, 2023, Charlton McIlwain, professor of media, culture, and communications, and founder of the Center for Critical Race + Digital Studies at New York University, delivered the 2023 Franklin Lecture titled “Black Software: Retrospect to Prospect,” co-presented by the Writing & Rhetoric Program and U of T’s Black Research Network, Centre for the Study of the United States, Faculty of Information, and OISE.
Katie Welch’s Mad Honey Author Katie Welch (BA ’90 Innis) talked about her new novel, Mad Honey, in a hybrid presentation that took place on January 24, 2023, in Town Hall. The event was moderated by fellow writer Charlotte Gill (HBA ’96 Innis).
Melissa Franklin (photo by Isa Visuals)
2023 Innis Alumni Lecture Experimental particle physicist Melissa Franklin (BSc ’77 Innis), Mallinckrodt Professor of Physics at Harvard University, delivered the annual Innis Alumni Lecture on April 5, 2023. Her presentation, “The Time It Takes,” was followed by a discussion moderated by David Curtin, assistant professor in U of T’s Department of Physics and Canada Research Chair in Theoretical Particle Physics. “Professor Franklin spoke of nature’s most fundamental aspects— Higgs Boson discovery, striking symmetries in particle decay, and neutron star mergers—viewed through a distinctly human lens. Indeed, I most strongly recall the depictions of Maria Goeppert-Mayer and a life well-lived from the lecture. From scandalous stories of romantic policies to analysis of photographs for information beyond the mundane, Professor Franklin brought a depth to her engaging depiction of the oft-unseen side of academia. Her unique delivery fostered passion for the sciences, and I am ever so grateful to have witnessed this dynamic representation of the wonders of physics firsthand.” —Physics student Raia Ottenheimer (HBSc ’24 Innis)
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Sandra Laronde (photo by Paula Wilson)
I aspire to have the intellectual courage to walk in the direction of meaningful choice, vision, and purpose. My life’s passion is to move the Indigenous narrative from the margins to the centre of Canada’s consciousness, and to help build a pathway for the next seven generations. My work is very much about expanding and elevating the Indigenous canon and awakening a wider ecological relationship to nature.
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GROUNDBREAKER
INNIS ALUMNI
GROUNDBREAKER
Force of nature Sandra Laronde (BA ’88 Innis) is changing the cultural landscape across Turtle Island and around the world
Q &A
Sandra Laronde (photo by Paula Wilson)
You are a groundbreaking multidisciplinary artist and arts leader who, for over three decades, has been transforming our cultural landscape through dance, music, theatre, film, and writing, as well as founding game-changing arts organizations such as Red Sky Performance. Do you have an overarching artistic vision or worldview that guides you in your work and your life? “Story” and ongoing experimentation are paramount to the overarching artistic vision that guides my work and life. My work isn’t just dance, theatre, music, or film, but more of an experience that springs from cultural complexity— passion, joy, talent, and story. I’m interested in telling unusual stories that speak to the more-thanhuman world. It is a world that is less constricted and limited. I wish to pursue that which shines forever and to create evocative art that has an inherent “lift.” Art is so necessary in a world of consumption, political intolerance, climate disaster, and fear. It helps us tremendously, and after all, “Life is short, but art is long.” You are from the Teme-AugamaAnishinaabe (People of the Deep Water) First Nation, growing up in the remote community of Temagami, Ontario, and then moving to Toronto to study philosophy at Innis. What role did your time at U of T play in shaping your path forward?
love of travel, and it shapes a person. The move from Temagami—with It’s a lot like a pine tree that is forever 1,600 islands, 3,200 km of shoreline, shaped by the wind. Travel leaves you and a population of 500 people—to awestruck, speechless, and rattles you the big city of Toronto was the most around a bit—and then turns you into monumental travel that I have ever a storyteller. undertaken. I’ve been to many places My current work is very much like in the world, including numerous trips that of an architect. I design and build, to China, Australia, and New Zealand, but the difference is that I design as well as two visits to Mongolia, and and build that which is ephemeral. other locales, but the greatest distance All projects come from an idea in that I ever travelled—psychologically— my head, and I love putting feet to was from Temagami to Toronto. my ideas. I also love putting ideas in It was not an easy path, but I was motion to help change the way people extremely fortunate to have a handful perceive and relate to the world. of U of T professors who made a huge Ultimately, I want people to feel impression on me. I was exposed connected to the electrical charge of to new and old ideas, philosophies, an idea or a story. In my own work at worldviews, languages, and feminism. Red Sky Performance, I want people to I was also fortunate to surround myself walk out of the theatre feeling inspired, with very bright friends and classmates lifted, and larger than when they first who excelled in university and were walked through the door. engaged with the world. Every single day Miigis: Underwater Panther (photo by David Hou, of my life, I use what courtesy of Red Sky Performance) I’ve learned at U of T, especially as it relates to critical thinking, knowledge, values, writing, speaking, and the sheer discipline of getting things done. This has been a huge asset. I also studied for a year abroad at the University of Granada in Spain. This too shaped me immensely. Everything about Granada oozes creativity. I have a great innis.utoronto.ca/alumni • 11
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Martha Davis (photo by Lisa Taharally)
Six years retired from full-time public elementary teaching, I’m busier than ever. Now, I collaborate with children outside the school system on film and photography projects with a social justice theme. I also sing in three community choirs, participate in two climate-action groups, and run a photography program for seniors. I walk and cycle everywhere, talk to strangers, and go to the movies once a week. Life is sweet.
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GROUNDBREAKER
INNIS ALUMNI
GROUNDBREAKER
Playing for change Collaboration is at the heart of Martha Davis’s (BA ’81 Innis) lighthearted works with a serious message
Q &A
Martha Davis (photo by Lisa Taharally)
You are an accomplished multihyphenate photographer-filmmaker-authorretired teacher whose work spans 40+ years. In your latest projects, including the award-winning 14-minute documentary, PANDALAND: Making IT Count, and Diorama Dramas, a 2023 Scotiabank Contact Photography Festival selection of light-box photos you created to highlight topical issues, you take an imaginative and uniquely playful approach to teaching children (and adults!) about identifying and tackling complex social problems. Do you have an overarching philosophy that guides your work? Collaboration with my subjects is and has always been the heartbeat of my work as a filmmaker/photographer. It’s exciting to get others’ viewpoints, and it’s how I maintain a positive outlook in these turbulent times. My short documentary film, PANDALAND: Making IT Count (2022), is about how children became engaged, and learned to grapple, with two big issues: homelessness and pollution. As I playfully explored with them, their participation grew organically to embody community building, demonstrate acts of civic engagement, and convey the important message that, by working together, even young children can effect change. My Diorama Dramas are a natural
progression from the themes of PANDALAND, changing weekly in a 28 x 34 cm light box in my front garden. They explore a range of serious issues in a light-hearted manner, using miniature toys and dolls in bright-coloured environments. My goal for this ongoing project is a book of photographs of the dioramas. I’ll consult with children, and the book will be for them and their parents to enjoy together. In 2017, I created Dream Scenes, a program in which I collaborate with senior citizens to go anywhere and do (almost!) anything through the magic of green-screen photography. Seniors select their action and background location from online images, and I green screen them right into the scene. They adore this process, and this ongoing joyful work brings a sense of positivity and hope to often-isolated seniors. What advice would you give to a new cinema studies graduate who aspires to become a filmmaker? Is it a vastly different industry than when you graduated in 1981? First, I have to say that the Cinema Studies Program at Innis gave me the theoretical and critical basis for producing my own work. In fourth year, I felt the confidence to make my first feature-length film, with the wonderful Kay Armatage as my advisor! That said, the film industry has
One of Martha’s Diorama Dramas, titled “A Burning Desire to Travel,” calls to attention the environmental costs of air travel (photo courtesy of Martha Davis).
really changed since I began making films in 1977. In this digital age, an independent filmmaker like me can produce quality content with the barest of means. I’ve enjoyed staying “small,” self-funding my work, shooting with my iPhone (!), and hiring only an editor and musician. To those who aspire to be “industry” filmmakers, good luck! My advice is to start with an idea that is personally important and relevant to you and then to collaborate with others whenever possible. It’s through working together that we can effect the most meaningful change.
code Scan the QR ore of m r ve to disco k. Martha’s wor
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Casper Wong (photo by Shayla Anderson)
I am the CEO and co-founder of Financeit, the market leader for pointof-sale financing in Canada’s home improvement space. Since 2011, we have grown to 500 employees and over $1.6B a year in loan originations. I’m also the founder of United Nation of Cyclists, a racing cycling team that promotes diversity and inclusion. I am passionate about entrepreneurship, cycling, surfing, fitness, travel, health, gaming, and technology. I believe the next wave of innovation should be focused on sustainability and mitigating our environmental impact. 14 • Innis College ’22/23
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GROUNDBREAKER
INNIS ALUMNI
GROUNDBREAKER
Free wheeling Fintech leader Casper Wong (HBA ’06 Innis) finds a different path in business and giving back
Q &A
Casper Wong (photo by Shayla Anderson)
In 2011, you co-founded Financeit, an awardwinning fintech that provides businesses like Home Depot with easy point-of-sale financing for its home renovation customers. What was your goal in creating the company, and how did Financeit disrupt the industry? Our goal was very simple at the time, to build a billion-dollar business leveraging technology to create disruption in consumer lending. All the pieces were there; we just had to put them together. What makes Financeit unique is that we built a platform that services lenders, merchants, and consumers in a seamless ecosystem that is easily scalable. From day one, we decided to build the entire platform in-house, which, at the time, was a more expensive decision. However, this has allowed us to enter multiple vertical markets, such as vehicle, home improvement, and big-box retail. In addition, we invested heavily in automation and AI to streamline our back end, and enhance our creditdecisioning strategy.
You are also founder of Toronto’s United Nation of Cyclists, a competitive racing team that promotes diversity and inclusivity in cycling, inspiring and supporting athletes from all backgrounds to compete. What prompted you to create this initiative? Due to the high cost of entry, I entered cycling at a later age and immediately noticed the lack of diversity and sense of elitism in the sport. Luckily, I was able to meet a group of like-minded athletes who inspired me to start a team that fit our ethos and culture. We wanted to build something different that focused on performance, but
would also have a positive impact on the community. Three years after launching, we have achieved incredible success with three racing programs, including a men’s and women’s development team that focuses on racing in Ontario, and an elite-level team that concentrates on racing across North America. In addition, we partnered with the Grow, Lead, Excel (GLE) Movement, a not-for-profit organization based in Malton that helps get more kids on bicycles. Since launching, we have helped to raise over $30,000, and support the donation of 500 bikes for this program.
United Nation of Cyclists (photo courtesy Casper Wong)
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SOCIAL INNOVATION
Innis Principal Charlie Keil with The Agency founder Cindy Ross Pedersen (photo by Kemeisha McDonald)
Putting passion into practice Successful Social Innovation Certificate program gives students the tools to make a difference BY KELLY CURRAN WHEN FRIEND OF Innis College Cindy Ross
Pedersen first pitched the idea of a program about “social innovation” to Principal Charlie Keil, she saw an opportunity to inspire students to bridge the gap between their studies and their passion for creating real-world social impact. “Charlie instinctively understood that focusing on social innovation would resonate with Innis students,” Cindy recalls, “and he was right!” Cindy is executive director of The Agency, an initiative—and a hub—that connects students with
social innovators and social entrepreneurs within, and beyond, the University. “Social impact is the lens we use today to evaluate corporate performance, challenge laws and government policies, and make personal choices,” Cindy says. “Many current students want to align their personal values with their areas of study, volunteerism, and career pathways. This program gives them the language, examples, and connections needed to understand how to achieve this alignment.” The Social Innovation Certificate program (SIC) was established at Innis College in 2016 and became a
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“If there isn’t already an opportunity to create change in an area you care about, discovering social innovation tools equips you to create that opportunity yourself.” quick success. Through a three-part workshop series, offered twice annually, students explore their ambitions for inspiring change in the world around them. They learn about sustainable development goals (SDGs), discover resources, and connect with socialinnovator mentors and organizations. The program is growing too. Last year, nearly 70 students took part. Niharika Kerkar, a fourth-year Innis student who has participated in the program twice, shared what it has meant to her: “SIC helped me build a strong foundation in understanding what social innovation means and how an organization can follow SDG guidelines to move towards a sustainable operating model. It was also an opportunity to connect with the changemakers of tomorrow and learn more about the diverse avenues
Innis student Niharika Kerkar listens to alumni volunteers at a Social Innovation Certificate event (photo by Rhea Gosain).
Yazmeen Kanji shares her early-career story with students at Innis (photo by Rhea Gosain).
and career streams within this space. My ultimate goal is to be a change leader working at the intersection of sustainability, strategy, and technology.” SIC has not only proven to be impactful for students, but also for graduates. The program purposefully connects current students with community volunteers and alumni; the latter often become mentors who value the opportunity to give back to their college and influence students’ lives by sharing their own experiences as socially conscious entrepreneurs. One such changemaker is Yazmeen Kanji, an Innis and Cinema Studies alum who volunteered as a guest
speaker at the program’s “Careers with Purpose” event. Yazmeen is a filmmaker who uses her art to call attention to social issues and inspire change. On her motivation to participate in the program, Yazmeen remembers how overwhelming it was to envision life after graduation—especially as someone passionate about social innovation and the film industry. “As a brown, Muslim woman with little to no representation of my identities within mainstream media,” she says, “it is important to share my story with anyone who can relate to my experiences but may lack the confidence to go after what they really want. I just want to prove that it is possible, even though I’m still on a career journey myself.” Yazmeen is one of many Innis alumni who’ve taken part in SIC over the years, sharing their stories, engaging with students, and inspiring a new generation of social innovators. Under the leadership of friends like Cindy, and with the generosity of alumni like Yazmeen, social innovation programming has become a hallmark offering within Innis’s Office of Student Life—preparing students like Niharika to effect the change they want to see in the world. “If there isn’t already an opportunity to create change in an area you care about,” Niharika says, “discovering social innovation tools equips you to create that opportunity yourself.”
“Social impact is the lens we use to evaluate corporate performance, challenge laws and government policies, and make personal choices.” innis.utoronto.ca/alumni • 17
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ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT
Breaking down barriers to the morethan-human world Alum co-founds FREED to help marginalized and racialized students access critical field work BY CEDAR J. MACTAVISH “WHAT I REALLY appreciate about how we approach teaching is creating this connection to the land and the more-than-human community.” Innis College alum Mariel Terebiznik (HBSc ’20) has always been fascinated by the natural world. From early on, through camping and watching nature documentaries, she felt the driving interest that would come to define her activism. This early clarity would eventually lead her to undertake a master’s degree in ecology and evolutionary biology and co-found, alongside Western University master’s student Aranya Iyer, FREED (Field Research in Ecology and Evolution Diversified), a program dedicated to assisting marginalized and racialized students to access field research opportunities. During her degree and performing field work in areas such as Algonquin Provincial Park, Mariel discovered the power of field work to facilitate a connection to the land. Through it, she not only found herself gaining essential skills and knowledge, but an entirely new relationship to the ecosystem under study. Spending so much time within the local more-than-human community immersed Mariel in communicating with nature in a way that would otherwise have been inaccessible. Those opportunities deepened her passion for her work and demonstrated the value of experiential learning in ecological study. She found, however, that this value can be exclusionary, as access to field work for many marginalized and racialized students can be obstructed by financial and other systemic barriers. These researchers may also confront
differentiating factors while performing field work, and BIPOC individuals—particularly women—face increased risk in an environment where they represent the minority. FREED aims to challenge this exclusion and discrimination, while also providing a space for positive experiential learning that fosters the development of more-than-human relationality in a way that centres and supports BIPOC students. Now entering its third year, FREED is flourishing. Between 2022 and 2023, the program saw threefold increases in student participation and research experiences. Still involved as a co-director at-large, Mariel largely credits the success of the program to her community connections and support system. “If there is something that you really care about, or an action you want to take, find good people and it becomes possible to tackle. Your community is your strength.”
What is the “morethan-human world”? Cultural ecologist and philosopher David Abram coined the term in 1996 to remind human geographers that the non-human world not only exists but has causal powers and capacities of its own. Abram speaks of nature as a realm that includes humankind, but always necessarily exceeds it.
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Mariel Terebiznik Terebiznik holdsMariel a juvenile holdsturtle a juvenile snapping while turtle on a snapping FREED trip to while on a FREED trip to Algonquin Park (photo Algonquin Park (photo by Jas-mine Veitch). by Jasmine Veitch).
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RENEWAL AND EXPANSION
Groundbreaking! 2022/23 saw many milestones in Innis College’s ambitious Renewal and Expansion effort. In June, we officially launched our $10-million fundraising campaign with a “Homecoming” reunion. In early August, we ceremoniously turned sod with the help of our supporters. The very next day, shovels went into the ground, as construction site preparation and demolition began in anticipation of a fall 2025 completion.
Why the Renewal and Expansion Campaign? The Innis College building was designed for 800 students and now hosts over 2,200. To continue fostering a remarkable community of well-rounded leaders, we are transforming our current space: • 30,000 sq ft of bright, hi-tech learning and social spaces over three levels • New Student Learning Centre incorporating the library and writing centre • New Commuter Student Lounge • Green rooftop terrace, and other environmentally sustainable building features
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1. Bird’s-eye view of west-wing demolition at Innis College—making room for a brand new, threelevel-plus-rooftop extension of the Victorian house 2. Students, staff, and supporters of the Renewal and Expansion Campaign at the August 2023 groundbreaking ceremony on the Innis Green (photo by Shayla Anderson) 3. 2022/23 Acting Principal Karen Reid passes the ceremonial shovel to Principal Charlie Keil at the groundbreaking event on the Innis Green (photo by Shayla Anderson).
We’re Innis
together!
re, direct Make a secu to the contribution Expansion d Renewal an y visiting Campaign b gn to.ca/campai innis.utoron
Watch our progress at innis.utoronto.ca/project-updates
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Left: Mark Weisdorf at the College’s Groundbreaking event (photo by Shayla Anderson) Inset: Mark Weisdorf, c. 1977-78
“Innis embraced me”
Alum Mark Weisdorf invites other Innisians to give back “I EMIGRATED FROM Poland at
the age of three, and being the first person in my family to attend university, with no role models or mentors, U of T was a daunting place. Innis College, without a permanent building or residence, embraced me, in many ways. “I never took a course at the College, but spent virtually all my non-class, non-work, waking hours at 63 St. George Street and then our new home at 2 Sussex Avenue, commuting daily from North York. Fellow students, with diverse and interesting backgrounds, and a caring faculty and staff, including Principal Bill Saywell, were very welcoming. We had unlimited opportunities to engage in extracurricular activities, share experiences, and support one
another. Studying sciences, and then finance and economics, I found championing a home for cinema, independent, urban, and (at the time) environmental studies to be very rewarding. “Grateful for the affirming environment and leadership experience fundamental to success in my subsequent career, my wife and I have endowed scholarship funds for Innis, Cinema Studies, and Urban Studies students. In addition, knowing that the growing Innis community has benefited immensely from our building, soon to be 50 years old, and believing that an inviting physical environment is a critical component of the student experience, we are asking fellow alumni to join us in making Renewal and Expansion a priority.”
Mark Weisdorf (BCom ’79 Innis) is the managing partner of Mark Weisdorf Associates LLC, a strategic consulting firm. Based in Manhattan, Mark and his wife, Lorraine Bell, are longtime supporters of Innis College and its students. As an active Innis student leader, Mark was an ICSS executive member, the first elected student speaker of Innis College Council, and a past president of the U of T Alumni Association. He currently serves on the International Leadership Council for U of T and continues to be involved with Innis and the University in many capacities. innis.utoronto.ca/alumni • 21
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Why I give Photo by Zdravko Galinec
Photo by Kathryn Sykora-Hetherington
Alumni donors share their unique stories
Stephanie Savage (HBA ’90 Innis, Cinema Studies) “I HAVE NEVER HAD any desire to publicly attach my name
Eunice Lumsden (BSc ’73 Innis) “I AM A 1973 math and physics graduate of Innis College. I
received an incredibly rigorous education that developed my analytical skills, which I was then able to apply throughout my adult life and professional career. I attribute much of the success I achieved to the remarkable education I received. “Being a strong believer in continuous learning, 40 years after graduation, during my retirement, I enrolled in a global and political economics course at the London School of Economics. It was in one of the course assignments, an in-depth study of responsible corporations devoted to global warming reduction initiatives, that led me to invest in one such organization. Needless to say, my investment grew astronomically! “As a strong believer in excellence in higher education, it is only fitting that I donate substantially from these investment gains to Innis College, my alma mater. I strongly support the College’s Renewal and Expansion Campaign, which will provide future Innis students with the opportunity—and the environment—necessary to excel in the classroom and in life.”
A rendering of the future Rebecca Godfrey Study Bar, overlooking the Innis Green from the second floor (courtesy of Montgomery Sisam Architects)
to my giving. But when my dear friend and fellow Innis alum, Rebecca Godfrey, passed away last year, Principal Charlie Keil quietly suggested that I might like to use my naming privileges to honour her. This resonated deeply. My friendship with Rebecca began when we sat next to each other at a library study table. We got to know each other bent over books, pens in hand. That there will soon be a little corner of Innis College that bears her name and pays homage to our shared love of reading and learning means a lot to me, and to other people who knew and loved her. “The changes that are happening at Innis are exciting. I love how the College is transforming to become even more of a home for students, with more spaces for study and socialization. I’m thrilled that my contribution to the Renewal and Expansion Campaign has become a remembrance of Rebecca, and that our college days of the past are now a part of Innis’s future.” Read Stephanie’s remembrance of her friend, Rebecca Godfrey, on p. 40.
Find out how you can contribute to this next, exciting chapter in Innis history by connecting with Megan McDonald, our associate director, advancement, at 437-788-8549 or megant.mcdonald@utoronto.ca. • Name a student space • Give smaller donations monthly for a cumulative big impact • Incorporate Innis into your estate planning as a bequest • Designate stocks, securities, or a life insurance policy innis.utoronto.ca/alumni • 22
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Help us bring out the
best in our students
(Left to right) Anna Pan (HBSc ’21 Innis), Eric Vosko (HBA ’17 Innis, Cinema Studies), and Rita Chen (HBA ’04 Innis) at the June 2023 Innis Homecoming reunion and launch of the Renewal and Expansion Campaign (photo by Zdravko Galinec)
Open for more details about the exciting Renewal and Expansion of Innis College.
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1. Our college courtyard, the Innis Green, has long been a cherished space for sunny study, relaxation, and gatherings—large and small. The Renewal and Expansion brings the Green into focus, surrounded by floor-to-ceiling windows, seamlessly blending with interior spaces. 2. A new lounge on the west-wing rooftop, which opens onto an outdoor terrace, will be a light-filled study and collaboration space by day and prized event venue by night. 3. On the third floor, overlooking the Green, our new commuter lounge will provide an expansive, multi-functional, and dedicated space for the 85% of Innis students who travel to campus for class (illustrations courtesy of Montgomery Sisam Architects).
alumni discover how to e d co R d how the Q Scan the om home, an e lifefr ay aw e m hom found their n offer the sa Expansion ca . d ts an en al ud st ew Ren s to future ce n ie er p ex changing
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GLOBAL ALUMNI
Around the world in six stories Alumni love living and working abroad STEVE GILLICK (BA ’76 Innis, BEd ‘79)
I am an author, travel writer, and photographer, peripatetically spreading infectious enthusiasm about travel, having explored over 750 destinations in 85 countries. I earned a BA with a specialty in history, and a BEd, but never went into teaching. I was a tour guide and eventually the vice-president of an educational tour company, then a full-time summer camp director, followed by 16 years at the Canadian Institute of Travel Counsellors, where I was president and COO. In 2012, I founded Talking Travel, a consultancy that engages a number of fascinating clients looking for insight and advice about travel and/or association management. In 1967, I embarked on a five-week school trip to nine European destinations. It was love at first flight! I became hooked on exploring and interacting with the globe through conversation, gastronomy, history, culture, nature—and birding! And throughout my career, I was able to work in positions that complemented my wanderlust and my credo: “I love to travel and love to talk to people who love to travel.” My book, A Symphony of Camels, recounts my adventures from Sado Island to Easter Island and on to Mongolia, Sri Lanka, Tunisia, Nepal, Tibet, and more. Travel photography by Steve Gillick (clockwise from top-left): Atacame Desert, Chile; Jala, Nayarit, Mexico; Easter Island, Chile. Photo of Steve Gillick by Mitsuru Sasaki
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BUYANJARGAL BADAMSUREN (HBA ’20 Innis)
Сайн байцгаана уу? (Hello all.) I’m a diplomat at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Mongolia, responsible for bilateral relations and cooperation between Mongolia and the US. I’d always wanted to study in Canada, and there was no better choice than Innis College in the heart of a diverse and multicultural city, where everyone belongs. My four-year experience in Toronto was unforgettable. After the campus was closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, I moved back to Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, because “family first”—and there is no better place than your motherland. I was sad to miss out on a proper convocation ceremony, so I returned to campus in December 2022 to participate in the belated in-person graduation for the classes of 2020 and 2021. And I’m thrilled I did because I had an incredible time meeting Principal Keil and friends at Innis. I still remember our orientation week in September 2016, when I was asked many questions about my homeland. Not many people in Canada indeed know about Mongolia. Thus, I’m proud that I represented my country there, and now I serve my nation with the knowledge acquired at U of T. Photo courtesy of Buyanjargal Badamsuren
ANGELA LI (BCom ’10 Innis)
I am the vice-president at BNY Mellon, based in Frankfurt, where I work with German banks, asset managers, and regulators to manage their real estate investments throughout Europe. After graduating from Innis College, I first moved to New York City, where I completed a master’s degree in accounting, then started my career in fund management. I very much enjoyed my time living and working in NYC, but after ten years, I wanted to further explore the world and decided to move to Europe. Germany was a top choice because I studied German as a minor program while at Innis, and, through the Summer Abroad program, spent a wonderful semester at the University of Stuttgart. I think often and fondly of my time studying at Innis, and I appreciate the diversity and resourcefulness of my college, which enabled me to think big, dream far, and put everything into action. Photo courtesy of Angela Li
LINDSAY MILLER (HBA ’97 Innis, Cinema Studies)
I’m the managing partner at MENA Moonshots where we invest in early-stage companies with a view to helping them become bigger, more profitable, and more impactful entities. Our investments include Syantra, the Canadian company that has developed a blood test for breast cancer. Innis was my first stop on what turned out to be a lifelong pursuit of doing interesting things with interesting people. I distinctly remember walking home from class with thoughts racing through my mind about whatever topic we’d discussed that day, and I’ve been chasing that feeling ever since. I went from Innis to flight school where I earned my commercial multi-engine flight certifications, trained Air China 747-400 cadets, then after 9/11, pivoted to start a music video production company while working for the National Film Board full-time. I also squeezed in a part-time MBA from Schulich and MSc in design management from Parsons. I finally landed at one of Dubai’s sovereign entities. It was a huge privilege to be able to contribute to projects like Dubai Studio City, and the establishment of the Dubai Film and Television Commission, and, to this day, I consider myself very lucky to be working with many of my former colleagues. Photo courtesy of Lindsay Miller
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ROY RAANANI (BASc ’04)
I’m a recovering tech entrepreneur, now based out of Basel, Switzerland, where I advise early-stage start-up founders with a unique approach to solving hard and meaningful problems. After engineering science at Innis, I became a generalist consultant for Bain & Company, serving clients around the world—from Toronto to Alaska, and India to Singapore. I moved to pursue my MBA at Stanford and live in the world’s tech capital. I knew then I wanted to found a start-up. (Toronto has become an increasingly great place for tech start-ups but not in 2008, when I left!) My now-wife is Swiss, and after a few years in the San Francisco Bay Area, I got a great job offer in Switzerland. So, I left to found my start-up, Chorus.ai, from our Swiss village. After a year of heavy travel between Switzerland, San Francisco, and Tel Aviv, we moved back to SF with our two young boys to grow the team and business. Four years later, COVID-19 pushed us back to the Alps to be closer to our families—and it’s now where we call home! Photo courtesy of Roy Raanani
ANGELA XU (HBSc ’12 Innis)
I am a sales director at BCG Expand Research, based in Singapore, where I lead the Asset and Wealth Management Practice in the Asia-Pacific. Being part of Innis and U of T set me up for constant change in this ever-changing environment. I was first presented a diverse choice of courses where I started with biochemistry and ended up completing a degree in mathematics and statistics. Upon graduating, I entered the Canadian banking world, working on deals, but I wanted to challenge myself more, hence I packed up and returned to Singapore. Moving back to Asia is probably one of the best choices I’ve made so far. Bolstered by the flexibility and adaptability skills I learned from my Innis experience, I was able to quickly adjust to the Asian financial scene, where I have spent time in fintech, asset management, and now consultancy. I have encountered many Innis alumni who amaze me with their own experiences, which we all treasure, and I look forward to many great years to come! Photo courtesy of Angela Xu
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ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT
Harry Blum (BCom ’86 Innis) is an inveterate collector with a current trove of over 1,000 treasures, including original vintage film posters and lobby cards from 19102000, animation cells and drawings, travel posters, and film- and televisionrelated artwork and antique and vintage toys.
The collector Alum Harry Blum’s collections weave a story of family, trauma, and the transformative magic of cinema “I STARTED COLLECTING as a child—
comic books and toys—and surrounding myself with them, maybe as a way of holding onto childhood innocence or to protect myself and my family with superheroes from a world where good always overcame evil. I was a child of Holocaust survivors, living in an enclave of many such families, and I think we were all struggling to understand, compartmentalize, and overcome that trauma, to live productive and happy lives in Canada. “When I was accepted to study commerce at Innis College, I sold some of the collection to fund my tuition. But as soon as I could afford to, I began collecting again, replacing the sold treasures from my childhood, but then going further and reaching into the era of my father’s stolen childhood. He
loved the early movies even more than I loved comic books and toys. They obviously inspired and comforted him through a far darker era. And when he shared these memories with me (of his favourite leggy starlets and valiant heroes), we were transported together into that world—even though we rarely watched the movies together. And I set out to find many of the posters of his favourite movies as a tribute to him. So, the most special piece, which hangs above my desk, is the 1938 poster commemorating the release of Robin Hood, in ‘Technicolor’ (shown above). The most vivid and frequent story my dad would share about his life in Poland before the Nazi invasion was of skipping school to see Robin Hood in colour on the day it arrived in his town cinema.” Photography by Shayla Anderson
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Catherine, Peter, and Alex Russell (photo by Kim Creelman)
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INNIS FAMILIES
A dad and two grads The Russell family on philosophy degrees and an Innis legacy Professor emeritus Peter H. Russell, Innis’s second principal (1971-76), is one of Canada’s most respected political scientists and constitutional experts, a prolific award-winning author, and a Companion of the Order of Canada. His daughter, Catherine (Katie), is an Innis grad (BA ‘83), and is an internationally respected film studies professor and author at Concordia University. Son Alex is also an Innis grad (BA ’89), and is a clinical psychologist, speaker, and author.
Peter
You received your undergrad degree in philosophy from Trinity College at U of T, and, throughout your illustrious career, you have had a longtime connection to Innis, both in professional and personal capacities. Both Catherine and Alex, who have also gone on to chart their own accomplished career paths, received their undergrad degrees from Innis, also majoring in philosophy. Tell us a little about this interesting intersection in your family of philosophy, Innis, and a family legacy. Philosophy is the Greek word for love of knowledge. It seems to me it is the passion that motivates all
scholars, and not just those who are fortunate enough to get paid for their scholarship by holding down positions at universities. So, when I became Innis College’s second principal, I pushed students and staff to make Innis the home of scholarship in fields neglected by the University. One of these was film studies, a field in which my daughter, Katie, became a leading scholar, while son Alex transferred out of music to study metaphysics at Innis. It all makes sense—n’est-ce pas?
Catherine
Did your time at Innis influence your decision to embark on your academic career in film studies? I was most definitely influenced to study cinema by my Innis College experience. I took my first film courses at Innis, and was greatly inspired by my professors, especially Kay Armatage, who introduced me to women’s avantgarde cinema and film theory. I built on that work in my philosophy classes, and ended up with a philosophy degree. Film studies was an exciting new discipline at the time, and watching movies curated by Bart Testa, Joe Medjuck, and others opened my eyes to the fantastic cinematic universe that I still inhabit. I remember the curved orange-leather benches on which we lounged while watching the classics of world cinema. Although I also remember a great deal of sleeping on those glorious benches, given my latenight student habits, and the films must have seeped into my unconscious. I
also wrote voraciously for The Innis Herald and The Varsity, beginning to hone my skills as a film reviewer.
Alex
With your dad and Anderson Charters, you recently co-edited Cam Russell: No Comfortable Pew, a collection of the writings of the Rev. Campbell Russell, a priest and community activist, and your late uncle. What was that like, working with family on a book about your family? Working on No Comfortable Pew was a labour of love, particularly for my father whose older brother, Cam, was a life-long hero. My main task was to edit Cam’s master’s thesis on social change in the Annex (1951-63) to reduce its length to fit into the book. It’s a beautiful study, based primarily on interviews with the residents of a rapidly changing urban neighbourhood. I live in the Annex and, as I worked on it, I found myself imagining my uncle traipsing around those same streets 60 years ago engaging the locals in his direct, compassionate, and humorous way. It was a pleasure and an honour to be a part of it. But I think my biggest joy was witnessing my dad’s love and respect for Cam. For all of his own accomplishments and honours, experiencing dad’s commitment to Cam’s work opened my eyes to his deep admiration for his brother’s work and thought. Peter H. Russell died peacefully at home on January 10, 2024. innis.utoronto.ca/alumni • 29
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INNIS FAMILIES
It’s all relative Families build their own unique Innis dynasties
(Left to right) Laura, Maeve, Paul, Colleen, Diane, and Ted (photo courtesy of Paul Monticone)
Montgomery-Monticone Family “There is a thread which runs through the tapestry of our family and U of T’s Innis College. We— Diane Montgomery (née Yanoshita) (BA ’70 Innis) and Edward (Ted) Montgomery (BA ’70 Innis)—met at Innis in 1967, part of the first cohort. Our first date was to see The Graduate, and subsequent dates were frequently viewing cinema classics as members of the U of T Film Society. I (Ted) also served a term as the Innis College Student Society president.
“Our eldest daughter, Laura Montgomery (HBA ’01 Innis), followed in our footsteps to Innis, and developed her interest in costume design at Hart House. She subsequently built a career that resulted in a 2022 Primetime Emmy for her work on What We Do in the Shadows (see p. 38). She has been nominated again this year. Fingers crossed for another broken leg.
“Our younger daughter, Colleen, enrolled in the University of Texas at Austin’s Media Studies program. While pursuing her doctorate there, she got to know another PhD candidate, Paul Monticone (HBA ’05 Innis, Cinema Studies), from Boston. They married and moved to suburban Philadelphia to take jobs in the Department of Radio, Television & Film at Rowan University. Paul’s own journey started at Innis, where he specialized in cinema studies. He knew no Innisian Montgomerys then, but he hopes to know a future one. Paul and Colleen’s daughter—our granddaughter—Maeve, was born in 2022.” —Diane and Ted Montgomery
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Below: Brian and Joanne Culley (photo by Stephen McMurtry) Inset: Brian and Joanne at Brian’s 1971 convocation ceremony (photo courtesy of Joanne Culley)
Siblings Brian and Joanne Culley “Being an economics major, I appreciated the College’s connection with renowned Canadian political economist and late U of T Professor Harold Innis, whose books I’d read. In my last year, I took some alternative social science courses offered by ‘Free U of T,’ which I had heard about at Innis. When it came time for Joanne to select a college, I recommended Innis.” —Brian Culley (BA ’71 Innis, MBA ’75) “I always looked to Brian for advice and when he told me about the friendly, counter-culture community at Innis, I chose to go there. I became immersed in the experience, writing for The Innis Herald, going on retreats at the Innisfree farm in Oxford County, and practising yoga, making life-long friends in the process.” —Joanne Culley (HBA ’75 Innis, MA ’77)
Sisters Jadine and Averyn Ngan “I called my sister from my Innis residence room every night. When she moved into res four years later, it was like visiting the set of her favourite TV show.” —Jadine Ngan (HBA ’23 Innis) “Why make any of my own life decisions when I can steal hers? INNis for the WINNis!” —Averyn Ngan (HBA ’26 Innis) “We do a little nepotism around here (going to the same college to avoid having a single original thought).”
Jadine (left) and Averyn Ngan (photo by Chiao Sun)
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DIGITAL ALUMNI
Digital dynamos Five alumni dish on why they love working in the digital space BRANDON BASTALDO (HBA ’12 Cinema Studies), senior manager, digital production & photography, Loblaw Digital “10 years in the digital production industry (the folks who assemble and launch all the content you see on e-commerce websites) has been a lot of fun! The best part of my job has been working with cross-functional teams to bridge the gaps between creative, traditional marketing, and product-management disciplines with the goal of accelerating digital shopping experiences to become multibillion-dollar successes.” Photo by Philippe Bicos
JAS KAINTH (HBSc ’20 Innis), data scientist, ZestyAI “Initially, what got me interested in data science was the ability to make impactful, real-life decisions based on what may seem to be ordinary data. The reason I love working at ZestyAI so much is the company’s dedication to making positive changes for millions of people all over the US—whether it’s ensuring that people who otherwise may not have obtained home insurance can do so now, or partnering with other organizations during hackathons to come up with innovative ideas on how we can support low-income neighbourhoods.” Photo by Gurjot Kainth
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ALISHA STRANGES (HBA ’19 Innis, MA ’20), research manager and oral historian, LGBTQ Oral History Digital Collaboratory “As a queer person, artist, and public humanities scholar, preserving LGBTQ2S+ documentary heritage is life-giving work. The most exciting part of my job lies in connecting broader publics with our rich archive of oral testimony. I love experimenting with various digital media formats to invent new methods for amplifying the stories we collect. I love gifting these creations back to our narrators, whose vulnerability inspires us daily.” Photo by Shayla Anderson
RYAN LAMERS (HBA ’15 Innis, Cinema Studies, Urban Studies), product development manager, Avalon Space “My career as a project, program, and now product manager, has been consistently exhilarating. Being a PM involves creating order out of chaos and finding ways to make lemonade without lemons—all from a bird’s-eye view of the project that no one else gets to experience. If I had to pick one facet that keeps me motivated though, it’s my teams. The privilege of leading and learning from talented folks with diverse skills brings me joy every day. Now being able to do all of that while managing a complex digital product servicing the space industry just feels … out of this world.” Photo by Shayla Anderson
MARTA SWITZER (HBA ’16 Innis), senior UX researcher, 1Password “I get to connect with many different types of people from across the globe and learn about their lives, their jobs, and what’s most important to them. I uncover patterns among these diverse people, which I translate into stories to incite action and inspire the teams I work with to make these peoples’ lives better through digital products. I love being able to think creatively and influence the strategy of products that millions of people all over the world use.” Photo by Shayla Anderson
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UTSLA RECIPIENTS
Congratulations student leaders!
Innis’s UTSLA recipients with Acting Principal Karen Reid (fifth from left) at the March 2023 UTSLA award ceremony in Hart House
2023 UTSLA recipients reflect on leadership
FIONA CUI
ELAD DEKEL
RHEA GOSAIN
“By becoming involved at Innis and U of T, not only was I able to make a contribution to the community, but I also learned more about myself. It was very important for me to be able to step outside of my comfort zone and to keep challenging myself. My leadership journey does not stop here; I am excited to see what opportunities are waiting for me in the future!”
“While serving with the Cinema Studies Students Union, I had the opportunity to develop my skills as a leader by actively listening to other executives who were more knowledgeable in specific fields of our work, and trusting them in their decisions, rather than trying to base the union’s actions solely on what I knew.”
“I learned so much about friendship, support, and what I am capable of through my student leadership, especially as orientation coordinator. I discovered that I didn’t have to lead alone. So many people stood with me in support, and in celebration of the successes. Support systems like these are possible in every aspect of my life. My whole conception of leadership has evolved into one that is collaborative and full of empathy—one in which we’re all Innis Together!”
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A University of Toronto Student Leadership Award (UTSLA) recognizes a graduating student who demonstrates outstanding student leadership, volunteer service, and commitment to the University.
ROSA MANCUSO
ELI ROSE
EILENE SU
“Many people are under the impression that you have to change your personal expression—be it clothes or mannerisms—to be accepted by your peers. As a leader at Innis, and through my experiences beyond our college, I’ve learned quite the opposite. My most meaningful connections have always come about from expressing myself as authentically as possible, even if doing so can be quite embarrassing and vulnerable at times. I encourage you to do the same!”
“My time as an Innis mentor and U of T leader taught me that building bonds and nourishing relationships are not only satisfying, but what are needed to build solidarity and substantively start changing the world. I’ve learned to lead with empathy, vulnerability, and authenticity, and it means the world to me that I left an impact on students’ lives. We never stop learning and growing. Enjoy the journey and blossom, my friends!”
“Through my leadership experience at Innis, I was able to challenge myself to become a better leader. When I entered university, I was actually very shy, but putting myself out there as a student leader helped me to gain confidence in my ability to connect with others. I became someone who would reach out first, meet the needs of others, and support them in their own journeys through university.”
CHIAO SUN
AYAKA TESHIROGI
SAMARA TOWER
“At Innis, I discovered the joy of community service; the more time and effort you put in, the more transformative its effects become. It’s a remarkable journey of personal growth and self-discovery. The bonds I forged with the students and staff became lasting friendships, and the shared experiences enriched my life in ways I couldn’t have imagined.”
“Looking back to my first year, I could not have anticipated how transformative my university experience would be. Innis College, particularly through my involvement with the Innis College Student Society, provided valuable opportunities that fostered my growth as a leader and allowed me to build meaningful connections. I am immensely grateful for the nurturing support, fond memories, and welcoming community that I have found at Innis.”
“Within the Innis community, I learned that the saying ‘No man is an island’ is more than a cliché—it’s true. Asking for help can be difficult and overwhelming, but it’s necessary. At Innis, I learned to accept help, to lean on others, and to welcome input. Leadership means nothing without a strong community, and the best way to foster community is through trust and support.”
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Photo by Shayla Anderson
ARBOR RECIPIENTS
They made a difference Volunteers recognized with 2022 Arbor Awards HENRY HILL, past president of Later Life Learning
Photo by Chiao Sun
“Henry had a real commitment to the welfare of all our LLL members. He always exhibited a strong personal interest in helping to ensure that members’ concerns were addressed in a timely manner. As well, he focused on consensus building and developing a team spirit among the board members while he was president.” — Mike Orr, 2022/23 LLL president
BRIANE NASIMOK (BA ’73 Innis), event host and volunteer
Photo by Alice Xue
“I first met Briane at the launch for Innis College’s Renewal and Expansion project, where he charmed students, alumni, and donors alike with his quick wit and youthful spark. Then I brought him on as a guest on The Innis Herald Podcast. His love of Innis College shone through in his storytelling. He even shared ideas about how we could build the student community. Despite our 50-year age gap, I was as comfortable chatting with Briane as I am with my classmates. I admire Briane. His continued contributions to the College reveal just how much of an impact Innis has made on his life!” —Yash Singhal (HBSc ‘25 Innis)
Photo by Shayla Anderson
RADHEYAN SIMONPILLAI (HBA ’07, MA ’08 Cinema Studies), multi-event moderator
to have the capacity to offer his time and characteristic insight, wit, and charm to a film-screening discussion or alumni panel. You’ll also find him offering sage counsel and mentorship to many at the Cinema Studies Institute and Innis, while simultaneously being one of the leading voices in film and media criticism in Toronto and Canada. But I’m pretty sure he’s just one person because I’ve bumped into Rad hastily borrowing an office to file a story or put in a radio appearance just after visiting a class and inspiring our students. Rad has stepped up to the benefit of us all, here at the University, in the community of film and media critics, and in Canada’s media ecology.” —James Cahill, Cinema Studies Institute director
THERESA WRIGHT (BA ’88 Innis), governance representative “When I became principal over seven years ago, one of the first Innis alumni I was introduced to was Theresa Wright. Why? Because she has always exemplified a spirit of devotion to the College community and because, in her own words, she ‘truly loves Innis College.’ That devotion has revealed itself through ongoing volunteerism and involvement in alumni reunions, culminating in her just-completed tenure as Innis’s representative on the College of Electors.” —Charlie Keil, Innis College principal
“I have often wondered if Rad secretly has a twin brother, as he always seems
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ALUMNI HIGHLIGHTS
Photo courtesy of Jonathan Fried
Photo by Shayla Anderson
ISHITA AGGARWAL (HBSc ’15 Innis) received a 2022 Governor General’s Award in Commemoration of the Persons Case.
Photo by Lisa Sakulensky
ALAN BERNSTEIN (BSc ’68 Innis) was promoted to Companion of the Order of Canada.
Photo by Trina Koster
It was a very good year for alumni, faculty, and staff
Photo by Shayla Anderson
Achievements
JONATHAN FRIED (BA ’74 Innis, LLB ‘77) received the Order of the Rising Sun from the Government of Japan in November 2022.
AJAY HEBLE (HBA ’84 Innis, PhD ’90) received a 2023 Killam Prize for his research on musical improvisation.
LORRAINE JOHNSON (BA ’84 Innis) co-authored her most recent book, A Northern Gardener’s Guide to Native Plants and Pollinators, in April 2023.
CHARLIE KEIL, Innis College principal and Cinema Studies Institute professor, was presented with a 2022 President’s Teaching Award.
SANDRA LARONDE (BA ’88 Innis) was appointed to the Order of Ontario on November 4, 2022. Learn more about Sandra on p. 10.
Photo by Lisa Sakulensky
JASON DAYE, Innis’s long-time IT specialist, received a 2023 Technical Services Award from the Faculty of Arts & Science (A&S).
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Photo courtesy of Paul Monticone
LAURA MONTGOMERY (HBA ’01 Innis) received the 2022 award for Outstanding Fantasy/ Sci-Fi Costumes at the 74th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards for her work on What We Do in the Shadows. See p. 30 for more about Laura.
TOM RACHMAN (HBA ’97 Cinema Studies) published his novel, The Imposters, in June 2023.
DAVID ROBERTS, associate professor, teaching stream and director of Urban Studies, received a 2023 A&S Outstanding Teaching Award.
CATHERINE RUSSELL (BA ’83 Innis) published her latest book, The Cinema of Barbara Stanwyck, in May 2023. See p. 29 for more about Catherine.
PETER SARANTOPOULOS (BA ’95 Innis), former Canadian soccer star, was inducted into the U of T Sports Hall of Fame in May 2023.
LINDA SCHUYLER (BA ’74 Innis) published her memoir, The Mother of All Degrassi, in November 2022.
MARK SELBY (HBA ’02 Innis, Cinema Studies) produced Without Precedent: The Supreme Life of Rosalie Abella, which premiered at the Hot Docs Festival in May 2023.
ASHLEY WAGGONER DENTON (HBSc ’06 Innis), First-Year Foundations seminar instructor and associate professor, teaching stream in the Department of Psychology, received a 2023 A&S Outstanding Teaching Award.
Photo by Shayla Anderson
Photo by Jojo Qian
Photo by Jacklyn Atlas
Writer-director CHANDLER LEVACK (HBA ’11 Innis, Cinema Studies) and producer LINDSAY BLAIR-GOELDNER’s (HBA ’13 Innis, Cinema Studies) I Like Movies premiered at TIFF in 2022 and won the RBC Emerging Canadian Artist award at the Calgary International Film Festival. See p. 7 for more about the screening at Innis Town Hall.
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Photo by Riley Stewart Photo by Luis Mora
ROB VIPOND (BA ’75 Innis, MA ‘77), along with his team, received a U of T Alumni Association Award of Excellence. Rob, a professor in U of T’s Department of Political Science and founding director of the Centre for the Study of the United States, announced his retirement in 2023.
JESSE WENTE (HBA ’96 Innis, Cinema Studies) was named 2022 BMO Communicator of the Year by IABC/Toronto.
A pillar of the cinema studies community retires
Bart Testa reflects on his time at Innis during the College’s June 3, 2023, Homecoming Reunion in Town Hall (photo by Zdravko Galinec).
A distinguished academic and long-standing contributor to cinema studies at Innis since the early 80s, Bart Testa has enjoyed a wide-ranging research and teaching career, developing expertise in areas as diverse as avant-garde film and Chinese cinemas. Bart retired from the University in July 2023, and was duly appointed associate professor, teaching stream emeritus. “Bart Testa is a good friend of mine. Though I met him as a student, we quickly became friends because of our shared interest in ‘questions of cinema’ that arose through film theory but especially vanguard cinema, from Godard and Fassbinder to Brakhage and Elder, sometimes manifested in Innis Film Society collaborations. This eventually led to ambitious projects we did together at the Art Gallery of Ontario and Bruce Mau Design, and a major essay on rock music that we wrote together. Just as importantly, Bart taught me a lot about pizza, pasta, pesto, panini, cheese, bread, and even donuts. Truthfully, a proper list of things that Bart has helped me appreciate more fully would include everything from Lester Bangs to Richard Meltzer; Rush and the Band; the Allman Brothers, Zappa, Beefheart, and the Fugs; Toronto history and New York history; science fiction, structuralism, semiotics, and post-structuralism; Sontag, Barthes, Bazin, and Benjamin; Resnais, Robbe-Grillet, John Wayne, Garry Wills, Barry Cooper, George Grant, and on it goes. Thanks Bart. It’s been an amazing friendship so far!” —Jim Shedden (HBA ’86 Innis, Cinema Studies; MA ’90) Jim Shedden and Bart Testa celebrate the 2014 one-nightonly reconstitution of the Innis Film Society, a studentrun experimental film screening club, co-founded by Jim in 1985.
MIKE ZRYD (HBA ’86 Innis, Cinema Studies) published his book, Hollis Frampton: Navigating the Infinite Cinema, in May 2023.
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IN MEMORIAM
Remembrances
Photo courtesy of Herb Wilson
and reflections
REBECCA GODFREY (BA ’89 Innis), 1967-2022 Many of Rebecca’s final conversations wound their way back to college. The rhythms of sleep and study, long walks to class, spiral notebooks filled with her dense, swirling cursive. Window shopping on Queen, curling up with a book in front of the fire at Hart House, stalking the fourth floor of Robarts to find a partner for study or procrastination. She was an ambitious, confident scholar—a writer born of two writers (Dave and Ellen Godfrey)—who, after University
of Toronto, received an MFA from Sarah Lawrence and moved to New York City. But despite settling in the US, her two novels brought her home to Canada. First, The Torn Skirt (2001), which was shortlisted for the Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize, then Under the Bridge (2005), which received British Columbia’s National Award for Canadian Non-fiction. Both take place in her hometown of Victoria. Under the Bridge is being adapted into a limited series for Hulu (Crave in Canada) in 2024, starring Riley Keough as Rebecca.
A deeply personal book about the life of Peggy Guggenheim will be published posthumously. Rebecca loved to travel, entertain, and gossip. She was moved by beauty and quiet kindness. She brought people together at every stop along the way, but especially in her longtime home in New York’s Hudson Valley, where she leaves a large community of friends, writers and artists, her husband, Herb Wilson, and her beloved daughter, Ada. —Stephanie Savage (BA ’90 Innis, Cinema Studies)
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Photo courtesy of Diamond Schmitt Architects. Background architectural plans for Innis College by Diamond and Myers, 1974
JACK DIAMOND, 1932-2022 In many ways, Jack Diamond was the perfect architect to design Innis College. Architect, social activist, advisor to Mayor David Miller, editorialist, member of the Ontario Human Rights Commission, watercolour artist, and visionary, Jack shaped some of Toronto’s most notable spaces, including the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, Museum Station, Corus Quay, and the Holy Blossom Temple. Born into a Jewish family in South Africa, Jack’s experiences led him to leave the country, but played a key role in shaping him as an activist, said Donald Schmitt, his architectural partner. That sense of inequity and racism in society was something that he fought strongly against. Innis College was one of Jack’s first designs in Toronto. In many cases, an architect’s early projects are the best reflections of raw ideas, exuberance, and passions. With Innis, Jack went all out. One of the first to promote restoring historic buildings, Jack incorporated the existing Sussex Avenue houses into the project. He maintained a human-scale profile to the new façade to showcase the rhythms and materials of the peaked-roof Victorian houses. He also pursued a new high-tech aesthetic for Innis, finding beauty in the industrial and everyday elements like air ducts and steel grating. Just as Innis students pursue creative ways to improve society, Jack’s architectural language for Innis was a quest for a new way of living. He might be gone, but Jack is very much still in the house. —John Ota (BA ’77 Innis)
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CONTRIBUTORS
Thanks to our contributors
Meet the student, alumni, and staff volunteers behind these pages
KELLY CURRAN
CEDAR J. MACTAVISH
ZARIA NELSON
Kelly Curran is Innis’s student life coordinator, and a U of T grad (HBSc ’20) who studied health and disease, and environmental sciences. She enjoys being a part of the Innis community, and is passionate about supporting students to help them develop, take steps towards their goals, and have a meaningful experience during their time at Innis College. “Putting passion into practice,” p. 16
Cedar MacTavish is an undergraduate student completing a history major and minors in human geography and environmental geography. He has been involved in many on-campus initiatives, including the Arts & Science Recognized Study Group Program and sustainability programs. At Innis College, he is president of the Garden Club, office assistant to the vice-principal, and associated with the ICSS offcampus portfolio. Cedar aspires to teach high-school history and continue his involvement with principles of food security, sustainability, and earthworks education. “Breaking down barriers to the morethan-human world,” p. 18
Zaria Nelson is a current student at U of T, pursuing a BA with a double major in Indigenous Studies and Cinema Studies. She is a proud member of Hiawatha First Nation and hopes to continue her studies in media production. She is passionate about sharing her culture and life experiences through art, and hopes to one day tell her own stories through film. “Fall 2022 and Spring 2023 Convocations,” p. 4
Photo by Rahul Parhar
Photo by Shayla Anderson
Photo by Karl Abian
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JIM SHEDDEN
RAVEN STODDART
JOHN OTA
Jim Shedden is a publisher, curator, writer, filmmaker, blogger, podcaster, film and video programmer, and music programmer. He graduated from Innis in 1986 (philosophy and political science), and with an MA (political science) from U of T in 1990. Jim co-programmed the Innis Film Society from 1986-1994, and is currently co-programming the AD HOC film series at Innis. He also runs the Tavern of Song series with Meredith Shedden. “A pillar of the cinema studies community retires,” p. 39
Raven Stoddart is in her final year of undergraduate studies at U of T. She is a proud member of the Innis community who has been involved in activities and organizations such as IRC, ICC, and Innis Orientation. Through many student leadership opportunities, she has formed valuable connections with students and staff at Innis and beyond. She hopes Innis continues to be a home away from home for all its students. “2022 Harold Innis Lecture,” p. 8
A proud Innisian, John Ota is the author of The Kitchen, the best-selling book about his journey through history in search of the perfect design for arguably the most important room in the home. John graduated from Innis College in 1978 and then from the Schools of Architecture at Columbia University and the University of British Columbia. “Remembrances and reflections,” p. 41 Photo by Zdravko Galinec
Photo by Shayla Anderson
Photo by Kevin Nguyen
We’re looking for
contributors! RAIA OTTENHEIMER
STEPHANIE SAVAGE
Raia Ottenheimer is a graduating student pursuing a biological physics specialist in the advanced physics stream. Raia has been active on campus, holding multiple positions on the IRC, volunteering as an Innis Insider mentor, and serving as an executive on the Physics Student Union. Raia hopes to attend graduate school in atmospheric physics. “2023 Innis Alumni Lecture,” p. 9
A Cinema Studies graduate (BA ’90 Innis) based in Los Angeles, Stephanie is a groundbreaking, prolific television and feature film writer/producer and co-founder (with Josh Schwartz) of Fake Empire, a successful entertainment production company. Her TV credits include The OC, Gossip Girl, Marvel’s Runaways, and the limited series, Looking for Alaska. “Why I give,” p. 22, “Remembrances and reflections,” p. 40
Photo by Shayla Anderson
If you are a student, alum, staff, faculty member, or friend of Innis, and have an idea for a story, or know an Innisian whom you think should be profiled in the magazine, we invite you to lend your creative talents— which may include interviewing, writing, and/or illustrating—to the next edition of Innis Alumni & Friends. Please contact editor Ben Weststrate (HBA ’08 Innis) at ben.weststrate@utoronto.ca.
Photo by Gustavo Toledo
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Innis College, University of Toronto Advancement Office 2 Sussex Avenue Toronto ON M5S 1J5
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