Classes
1972
HAIRE, SUSAN (BA ’72, MATHEMATICS)
Susan’s time travel romance The Viking Who Fell Through Time, written under the pen name Maureen Castell, was announced as winner of the 2024 Diamond Heart Award for speculative fiction by the Romance Writers of America. The book was published in 2022, followed by The Viking’s Shadow Lady in 2023 and A Viking in Atlantis in 2024. The fourth and final book in the series, tentatively titled The Viking Who Saved the Future, is expected later this year.
1984
PATZ, DEBORA (BFA ’84, FILM PRODUCTION)
The third edition of Deborah’s book, Film Production Management 101, was released in January. The book is based on her own film production experiences and serves as a guide for production managers and co-ordinators. She currently lives with her family in the Vancouver area and continues to work in the film industry.
1988
PACE, VINCENT (BA ’88, MUSIC)
Vincent is currently serving as the director of music at Hudson College, a private JK-12 school in Toronto.
1998
TOPPERMAN, CAROLINE (BFA ’98, FILM & VIDEO)
Caroline’s recently published book, Your Roots Cast a Shadow, explores the human need for connection and belonging. In the book, she shares her family’s experiences of displacement, persecution and a constant struggle to belong in pre-war Poland and Afghanistan, as well as her own journey of navigating a new culture.
2001
SINGH, SUKHBIR (BA ’00, SOCIOLOGY, BSW ’01, SOCIAL WORK)
Sukhbir is the director of Likeminded Positive Connections, an organization that connects thousands of individuals on a personal, social and professional level, coaching and mentoring businesses and women entrepreneurs. She received the Woman of Impact Award from the Canada Business Forum and Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown in March.
2002
BENSOUSSAN (née Blum), RACHELLE (BFA ’02, THEATRE)
Rachelle recently released Human(e): A Radical Reimagining of Grief, Loss and Learning to Live Without. The book takes a radically non-pathology-based approach to grief and loss, examining the inadequacy of the idea that grief is normal.
2003
READ, JAMIE (BA ’03, CREATIVE WRITING, COMMUNICATION STUDIES)
After 20 years building award-winning integrated marketing teams and campaigns in Canada, the Middle East and Asia, Jamie founded the BriteBirch Collective, an integrated global network of experienced creative consultants. Jamie recently launched a new initiative called BriteStart, a community designed to promote the future of work and support the growing wave of freelance professionals in Canada.
2008
CAIRNS, JAMES (PHD ’08, COMMUNICATION & CULTURE)
James has an upcoming book titled In Crisis, On Crisis: Essays in Troubled Times, to be released in June. The book draws on social research, pop culture and literature, as well as on James’s experience as an activist, father and teacher. He explores the ecological crisis, Donald Trump’s return to power amid the so-called crisis of democracy, and his own struggle with addiction.
2014
SALIH, KAZIWA (BA ’12, COMMUNICATION STUDIES, MA ’14, HUMANITIES)
Kaziwa has been actively engaged in academic research, with her work appearing in leading international journals such as Genocide Studies International, Journal of Political Ecology, Genocide Studies and Prevention: An International Journal, State Crime Journal, International Journal on Minority and Group Rights and Anthropology Journal. Her latest book, Genocide Culture: Cultural Habitus, Ethnic Engineering, and Religious Doxa, was published by Routledge in 2024.
2017
KHAN, FARZIA (BA ’17, COMPUTER SCIENCE)
This year, Farzia proudly launched her debut children’s book, Cyber-Heroes: The Adventures of Mayra and Filora in Techville. The story follows two young protagonists as they learn to navigate online threats with the help of a wise robot named Cypher, covering topics such as strong passwords, phishing and social media safety. The launch of the book also ties closely to Farzia’s broader initiative, NextGen Digital Defender, a platform she created to spark early interest in cybersecurity.
2018
BABU, JOHN (BSC ’13, MSC ’18, BIOLOGY)
Currently working in health care, John has a passion for filmmaking that stems from his time at York when he founded the Movies at York club, which was active from 2010 to 2016, with over 1,000 members. He recently won the Best Sci-Fi Short award at the 2024 Markham International Film Festival for his film Optillus.
2022
GAUTAM, AVISHEK (BA ’22, FINANCIAL & BUSINESS ECONOMICS)
Avishek served as a York Young Alumni Ambassador from 2022 to 2024. In 2022, Avishek founded Qberom Inc., a financial services company based in Toronto, with a strong presence in India and the United Arab Emirates.
IN MEMORIAM
SORBARA, JOSEPH (LLB ’68, LLD ’10)
Longtime friend and volunteer for York University Joseph Sorbara passed away on Feb. 17, at the age of 82. He was appointed to the York University Board of Governors in 1988, and served in the role for 12 years. Joseph would later be named an honorary governor in 2000. He was recognized in 2004 with a Bruce Bryden Alumni Award (now known as the York U Alumni Awards) in the Contribution Category, which is given to York alumni who have brought honour to themselves and the University.
