News & Stories: Featured Alumni

EdD grad Maaike Canrinus says her doctoral research at OISE was directly linked to her private practice as a school and clinical psychologist. She was among the first cohort to graduate from this challenging but rewarding practical new program.

Melissa Sariffodeen, who will graduate from OISE with a master’s in education degree this fall, is a celebrated digital literacy advocate and the co-founder and CEO of Canada Learning Code – and was recently named one of Canada’s Top 40 Under 40.

Marcus Singleton, a hip hop artist who wrapped up a master's degree in education from OISE in 2020, wants to continue a tradition of artists who devote themselves to education in the classroom and beyond.

Born and raised in Trinidad and Tobago, OISE alum Ceta Ramkhalawansingh is a human rights advocate, community activist, feminist and former city councillor. Read more about the trailblazer in this 2017 U of T profile.

When Norman Rowen (MEd 1977) helped establish a homework support program called Pathways to Education in the neighbourhood in 2001, his goal was straightforward. He wanted to reduce the area’s dropout rates, and all the associated social crises that accrue when young people fall between the cracks of the school system.

Most people retire from higher education after a maximum of three degrees. With an incredible thirst for knowledge and passion for learning, Lorne Bozinoff went for eight.

Child psychologist and mother Jillian Roberts found it difficult to explain the birds and the bees to her eldest daughter without “describing too much.” That's how her The Facts of Life app came to be.

Darren Hamilton (BEd 2008 OISE) grew up in Toronto listening to gospel music at home and in church. Today, he teaches music to high school students in the Peel District School Board, helping kids feel included in an artform he loves.

PhD grad Arij Elmi was a feisty kid and a larger-than-life extrovert. Then, as a pre-teen, she was confronted with racist and Islamophobic comments that pushed her inward. As a Muslim woman who wore the hijab until recently, Elmi said she found her voice again through teaching self-defense.

OISE alum Dr. Jillian Roberts is on a mission to help kids live in our changing world. An expert contributor to Globe and Mail, Today's Parent, and more, Roberts asks her readers: how can we set our children on a path to becoming problem solvers who care?

When Sabrina Ramnanan enrolled in the School of Continuing Studies’ Creative Writing Program in 2010, doors started swinging open. There, Ramnanan (OISE BEd 2006), whose parents grew up in Trinidad, began her first novel.

Mary Elizabeth Picher (MEd 2013 OISE) is the co-founder and educational director of Wholeplay, which offers parent-child classes that combine music, dance and play activities for babies, and child-rearing tips and insights for moms and dads.