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1973

Szubert Wilson, Monica (BA Hons. Glendon)

Since retiring from her 34-year teaching career, Monica spent nine years working part-time for Theatre Collingwood and volunteering for another local community theatre company, trying her hand at acting and scene-writing. Presently, she is executive producer of Gaslight Community Theatre Productions in Collingwood, Ont., her home for more than 40 years.

1974

Freeman, Shelley (BA Hons. Vanier)

With her husband, Rod Macdonald (BA ’69, LLB Osgoode ’72), Shelley relocated to Montreal in 1979, where she obtained her MSW from McGill University and began a 32-year career as a community social worker in psychogeriatrics. In 1999, she obtained a BFA from Concordia University. Today, she is an artist with paintings exhibited at galleries in Quebec, including the Gallery at Victoria Hall in Westmount, the Centre des Arts de Dollard and, as of this year, the Maison de la culture Villebon in Beloeil.

1975

Kudel, Stoney (BA McLaughlin)

A full-time professor at George Brown College in Toronto, Stoney recently published The Annotated Memoir of Rev. Thomas Henry, a book using newspapers, photographs, letters and other archival sources to bring context to the Memoir of Rev. Thomas Henry: Christian Minister, York Pioneer, And Soldier Of 1812, originally published in 1880. He collaborated with fellow York grad Laura Suchan (MA ’00), executive director of the Oshawa Museum, on the project whose followup will be an annotated version of Rev. Thomas Henry’s letters.

1976

James, Dorsey (BFA, BEd Bethune)

Since retiring from his position as a teacher at Markham District High School for 25 years, Dorsey is regularly invited back to schools and art camps to share his experience as an accomplished carver and sculptor of wood. His preferred subject matter is the gods, goddesses, wizards and witches of ancient folklore and mythology, examples of which can be found in Ontario parks. Recently, he travelled to Switzerland to complete a sculpture project for an accomplished former ballerina.

1983

Balcombe, Jonathan (BSc Hons. Bethune)

After York University, Jonathan moved to the U.S. where he obtained a PhD in biology in 1991. He went on to author four books, including the New York Times bestseller What a Fish Knows (2016), translated into 10 foreign language editions. A founding editor of the open-access journal Animal Sentience, he has recently been teaching a course on animal sentience for the interdisciplinary Viridis Graduate Institute in Ojai, Calif. This year, he returns to Canada after a 31-year absence to continue work on a new book.

1984

Miller, Leslie (PhD)

Leslie taught Sociology of Gender Relations in the nursing program at the University of Calgary’s campus in Doha, Qatar. Now retired, she regularly returns to the Middle East as a tourist.

1988

McMillan, Susan (BAS, MBA)

As the territorial commander of the Salvation Army – Canada and Bermuda, Susan leads a faith-based charity with $700 million in annual revenue and over 700 programs, including churches, long-term care facilities, shelters, addiction and rehabilitation centres, thrift stores, a hospital and a university college. In December, she was named a fellow of the Chartered Professional Accountants of Ontario, one of only 69 professional accountants to receive the honour.

1989

Kirk, Heather (MA)

A Canadian author and retired college teacher, Heather recently published her seventh book, Seeking Peace: The Quakers (Borealis Press). Illustrated with almost 100 images, the book explores one of the longest and most influential non-violent resistance movements in history. She has also written books on Canadian novelist Mazo de la Roche, author of the Jalna series.

1991

Zafar, Mohamed S. (BA Atkinson)

After graduating from York University, Mohamed pursued further education abroad in the U.K. and Trinidad and Tobago before completing an internship at the Attorney General Chambers in Guyana. A criminal defence lawyer, his main areas of practice are family law, civil litigation, and criminal and estates. In September, he joined the Ontario Bar as a barrister and solicitor.

1992

Siddiqi, Naeem (MBA)

With more than 20 years of experience in credit risk management, Naeem has played a key role in developing SAS Credit Scoring. He continues to provide worldwide support for the initiative. His second book, Intelligent Credit Scoring: Building and Implementing Better Credit Risk Scorecards, 2nd Edition (Wiley), came out last January. It is the followup to Credit Risk Scorecards, first published in 2005.

1993

Klein, Alexis (BA Hons. Glendon)

Since graduation, Alexis has been employed in the investment and banking industry as a chartered investment manager. In 2016, he launched the first-of-its-kind LGBT Corporate Canadian Index. The Canadian stocks included in the index are those deemed to be promoting diversity by embracing lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals as well as diversity and inclusion.

2012

Applebaum, Mindy (MBA Schulich)

Soon after graduation, Mindy launched Luxury Move Management, a specialty moving business servicing home, commercial and institutional spaces. It is headquartered in Vaughan, Ont.

Morgan, Althea (BA)

Althea is featured in the 2016 book by Farrah Hodgson, Confessions of a Single Mother: The Struggle is Real (Thompson & Co), a compilation of firsthand accounts by 14 women from diverse backgrounds. Her contribution is the chapter entitled “How Dare You Chase Your Dreams,” in which she shares how she graduated from York University as a single mother of three children, who then went on to complete a law degree and a master of laws in California.

2013

Chen, Lisa (BA Hons.)

After York, Lisa went on to complete a master of library and information science at Western University, graduating in 2015. Since 2016, she has been an intranet support specialist at Volaris Group, the venture capital arm of Constellation Software specializing in startups and early-stage companies. She uses technology to help clients with their business needs.