“That unmistakable vibe that people put on pamphlets? It really is happening here [at U of T],” said PhD graduate Alex Albanese (PhD BME 1T4).

Albanese, a budding expert in tissue engineering, was one of 844 graduating students from U of T Engineering who cheered, laughed – and even cried – their way across the stage for spring convocation on June 18.

In the company of proud parents, friends and the Engineering community, 614 undergraduate and 230 graduate students packed into historic Convocation Hall before taking the next step in their vibrant and dynamic futures.

“As you leave campus this month, please know that you are not leaving our community behind,” said Dean Cristina Amon. “You are joining a new part of it – as an alumna or alumnus of U of T Engineering. You follow in the footsteps of over 40,000 Skule alumni who continue to make a difference around the world.”

In the morning ceremony, one of two for the Faculty, Professor Jonathan Rose (ECE) addressed the audience, reminding students that their unique position as engineers enables them to transform ideas into reality.

In the afternoon, honorary graduand Indira Samarasekera, president and vice-chancellor of the University of Alberta and world-renowned researcher, held the audience’s attention with stories of her own remarkable career, and the importance of pursuing excellence in everything you do. (Learn more)

“Let me make this simple for you: be excellent,” said Samarasekera. “Taking risk is so fundamental to achieving excellence. Without it, you cannot push boundaries.”

This year’s many graduates have diverse and fascinating careers ahead of them, within the engineering disciplines and beyond. Below are are a few of the remarkable students who graduated at yesterday’s convocation ceremony.

You can also view photos of spring convocation in our Flickr gallery.

Grads to Watch

Alex Albanese (PhD BME 1T4)

Alex Albanese just finished his PhD in the cutting-edge field of nanoparticles, and will soon start a postdoctoral position at MIT’s Koch Institute studying tissue engineering in the liver and responsive nanomaterials. During his time at U of T, Albanese spearheaded Focal Point, a podcast interview series on the topic of biomedical engineering. He advises fellow students to, “take a global view of your skills and train them beyond research. It’s important to see the bigger picture, to know how to write and to communicate.”

Afshin Ameri (EngSci 1T4)

After four years in the Engineering Science program, Afshin Ameri is heading to medical school at Johns Hopkins University, where he can continue helping others as he did during his time at U of T. Ameri was co-president of Students Fighting Cancer (SFC), organizing the first SFC International Food Festival to raise $4,000 for SickKids Foundation and Movember Canada. He co-founded the U of T Business Association (UTBA) and served as a panel member of the U of T Tribunal Board.

Bernard Moulins (MEng CivE 1T3)

During his master of engineering, Bernard Moulins started a charity action called Building Community that encouraged students to play creatively with children at a local mental health institute. Currently working in the renewable energy sector at ENERCON Canada, he hopes to continue strengthened community ties in the time ahead. “I believed my peers had the interest and capacity to reach out and give back to other members of our larger Toronto community,” he said. “All that was missing was the means to do so.

Mary Qiu (IndE 1T3 + PEY)

This fall, Mary Qiu starts a masters of science in public health at Johns Hopkins University, where she hopes to pursue policy work and program development that improves access to healthcare around the world. While at U of T, she competed on the Varsity Blues Nordic ski team, volunteered in eastern Africa with a student-run NGO and spent a year in New Zealand on exchange, which she said, “not only taught me invaluable lessons, both from an academic and life perspective, but has helped to steer me in the direction that I am going in now.”

Larissa Rodo (ChemE 1T3 + PEY)

During her undergraduate degree in chemical engineering, Larissa Rodo developed an innovative self-assessment toolkit that improves safety in university labs, winning second prize in the 2014 Minerva Canada James Ham Safe Design Engineering Student Award contest. She was also an active student leader, most recently as chair of the U of T chapter of the Canadian Society for Chemical Engineering. Rodo is set to join Celestica, a electronics manufacturing company where she completed her PEY placement.

Amanda Wai (MSE 1T3 + PEY)

Amanda Wai served as president of the U of T Volunteer Consulting Group, co-president of the U of T Consulting Association, director for women’s sports on the Engineering Athletic Association and was also a member of Leaders of Tomorrow. After graduation, Wai is heading to the Hungarian Academy of Sciences to conduct research facilitated by IAESTE. She fondly recalls her iron ring as, “a symbol of my duty to society as an engineer, but also a reminder of all the good friends that I have made throughout my time at the university.”

Jason Yakimovich (ECE 1T3 + PEY)

Working for Amazon.com – a job many only dream of – is Jason Yakimovich’s back-up plan. Following his undergraduate degree, Yakimovich is delaying his prestigious job offer to pursue a startup idea through the Entrepreneurship Hatchery. The company is called FuelWear, and they make smart clothing for skiers and snowboarders. The startup is his second, following a file sharing software divvyi. After his third year at U of T, Yakimovich also pursued a PEY placement at AMD Inc. in California.

Jonathan Yam (EngSci 1T3 + PEY)

During his time in Engineering, Jonathan Yam co-founded FIXO, a startup that uses smartphones to help landlords and tenants communicate more effectively. Following graduation, he will be managing business operations for the company, which is expanding and currently incubated by the Next 36 Entrepreneurship Program. Yam has also received numerous awards for his academics and leadership, as well as won several design and commerce competitions. No matter what comes next, Yam said, “I will always be looking for a challenge and will make an impact in everything I do.”