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1972
David, Coombs (BA McLaughlin)
David retired in 2004 to the bush just south of Barry’s Bay, Ont., after 27 years as a stock broker. He and his wife, Sarah, continue to work on their 400 acres, enjoy their three grandchildren and travel. He wrote a column for his local paper for eight years, and four years ago he began to research and write his first novel, The Beckoning Land. The novel follows the journey of a 24-year-old Toronto boy to Barry’s Bay in 1934, documenting his search for peace of mind through the Depression and the Second World War.
1976
Kasman, Ron (BFA Winters)
Ron lives in Toronto with his wife, Jocelyn Perras, and his two-and-a-half-year-old daughter. He has a son in Vancouver and another in California. During his years at York, he was co-chair of the first Cosmicon, the groundbreaking comic book convention held at York University from 1972-76. His recent graphic novel, The Tower of the Comic Book Freaks, is a coming of age story set at a New York comic convention in 1971.
1984
Williamson, Diana (BA Founders)
Diana recently returned to Canada after living in Los Angeles for many years, writing music for film and TV. She just published a book called 101 Tips and Tricks of Successful Songwriting, which goes behind the scenes of the music industry, illustrating how successful songwriters craft and market their hits. Through a series of famous examples, insider secrets and amusing anecdotes, readers learn how to apply these winning strategies to their own work.
1988
Rogal, Stan (MA)
Stan had his fifth novel and 20th book published in 2016. In 2017, he’ll have his fifth and sixth collections of short stories published through Frontenac House and Insomniac Press respectively. He is currently putting finishing touches on his seventh collection of stories, which will be published in the spring of 2018 through Guernica Editions.
1997
Cantkier, Lisa (BA, BEd ’98)
Lisa co-authored The Paleo Diabetes Diet Solution cookbook with Jill Hillhouse and it has been nominated for a Taste of Canada Award for Best Health and Special Diet Cookbook in Canada. It is a three-in-one guide, cookbook and meal plan aimed to help those who need to prevent or manage diabetes or blood sugar issues.
2000
Byron, Kyle (BA Bethune)
Kyle has been running a fitness private practice in Toronto since 2006. His clients include professional fighters, dancers with the National Ballet of Canada, and busy moms and dads. Though he ended up in a science field, all his blogs and teaching materials are sharp thanks to his BA from York and the years he spent working for the phys ed and communications departments. He looks forward to the alumni rugby game each year.
Huismans, Chris (BA Stong)
Chris is a probation and parole officer for the Ministry of Community Safety & Correctional Services. He resides in Newmarket, Ont., and is engaged to be married in May 2018.
2001
Naqi, Omer (BA Atkinson)
Omer has written his debut publication, My Eid Mubarak Storybook, which introduces the Muslim holiday through the adventures of children, the passing down of traditions, and the special time spent with family and friends. He is a proud dad of three beautiful daughters, a fitness enthusiast and a banker by profession, with 16 years of experience in the financial industry. For him and his wife, Naima, it is important to be well connected to their heritage while also contributing to and being a part of the diverse Canadian society.
2003
Forrest, Sean (BA, BEd Stong)
Sean is a physical education department head and coach at Castlebrooke Secondary School in the Peel District School Board. He also teaches a York AQ course for physical education. In his spare time, he is a statistician for the Toronto Raptors. He now resides in Georgetown, Ont., with his wife, Lindsay, and newborn baby girl, Logan. Since leaving York, he has done a variety of charity work and has completed four Ironman triathlons.
2005
Goldstein, David (LLB)
David left the partnership of Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP to become chief operating officer at U SPORTS. An accomplished journalist, his new book, Alley-Oop to Aliyah: African American Hoopsters in the Holy Land, comes out on Nov. 7 from Skyhorse Publishing. It tells the incredible true story of four decades of African American basketball players who have hooped, lived and raised families in Israel since the 1970s.
2009
Khazaal, Chaker (BA)
Chaker wrote the Confessions of a War Child trilogy after graduation. He is about to release his fourth novel, Tale of Tala, which tells the story of a refugee prostitute in Europe and is based on his reporting on the 2015 refugee crisis for the Huffington Post.
2011
Cuenca, Marcelo (BSc Hons. Bethune)
Marcelo joined the Canadian Football League’s Ottawa Redblacks in 2014 as assistant athletic therapist and won his first Grey Cup in 2016. He was promoted to head athletic therapist in 2017, and he thanks York University for giving him the knowledge, tools and experience to succeed in his field.
2012
Chisholm, Sharon (BA, MDEM ’15)
Sharon published her first professional article, entitled “No Dogs Allowed: Ethics, Disaster Management and the Vulnerable Populations of Prisons,” for the International Association of Emergency Managers. Along with alumnus Andrew Chisholm Snider (BA ’11), she also formed LordStone Consulting Inc., which specializes in critical infrastructure analysis, disaster management for carceral institutions and related legal ramifications. She is currently doing research with York PhD candidate Moira Scott on the military and emergency response to the 1917 Halifax explosion, in addition to co-authoring a more authoritative history text on disaster management in Canada.
2017
Mak, Stephanie (BA Hons. Glendon)
Stephanie is doing an internship at Fulbright Canada, located in Ottawa’s downtown core. As part of her role, she organizes the annual fall orientation in Ottawa, where American scholars and students and Canadian undergraduate students meet up to broaden their networking opportunities and enhance their academic interests through panel discussions. This has given her the opportunity to put the communications and problem-solving skills she gained through her York University undergraduate experience to good use.