When she was just a high school student, Megan Rafuse (HBSW'09) lost her mother to cancer. 

“Her death really drove my career choices,” Megan says. “It made me unafraid to take risks, because I learned that you don’t get a second chance to live your life.”

Paul Popo-Ola (HBComm'10) has set his sights on helping Toronto inner-city kids escape the lives of poverty to which they are often condemned. In 2020, Paul and a group of friends set up the Black Health and Wealth Fund to provide university entrance scholarships to grade 12 students. It’s Paul’s latest advocacy project, and one close to his heart.

Mike Carlson knows firsthand some of the challenges faced by reporters today. Mike earned a Bachelor of Arts in English and a Bachelor of Education – both at Lakehead University. He is a professional sports photographer who has covered the National Hockey League, the National Basketball Association, the National Football League, and Major League Baseball.

John Hammill is the regional publisher of OrilliaMatters, an exclusively online site that provides breaking news and vital local information to its readers.
After joining forces with Village Media, John and his team launched the site on January 8, 2018 – only six weeks after Postmedia shuttered the Orillia Packet and Times.

“I didn’t fall in love with teaching until I started doing it. Now it’s an integral part of who I am,” says Greg Chomut, who teaches history, art, and media at Thunder Bay’s Dennis Franklin Cromarty (DFC) High School.

Barrie city councillor Ann-Marie Kungl is a virtuoso at juggling many things – from volunteering at COVID-19 vaccine clinics to informing Barrie’s Age Friendly Community Plan to part-time beekeeping.

Rudy Grewal’s name and face have become recognizable over the last few years at Lakehead Orillia and in Simcoe County in general.

Sarah Valiquette-Thompson (BA’15) has been a restaurant owner, a city councillor, and a private investigator – but advocating for people with disabilities is the role closest to her heart.

“Right after I graduated from Lakehead with my Honours of Fine Arts and Bachelor of Education, I moved to God’s Lake First Nation to teach,” says Heather Mason (née Martin) (HFA/BEd’08) “I didn’t want to be stuck substitute teaching in southern Ontario for years and years.”

Fatima Ahmed knows firsthand how difficult life can be.
Despite her unique challenges, she has a jaw-dropping number of extraordinary accomplishments under her belt; impressive for someone not even in her mid-30s yet.
Fatima has travelled the world since 2006, helping non-profit organizations thrive while she gleaned new insights along the way.