As a member of the IRE, which the University of Toronto proudly sponsored, I am honoured to have been selected as one of two students to attend the IRE conference in Orlando, Florida.

The conference is a prime networking opportunity where top journalists from around the world gather to participate in panels and discussions.

Shared Bylines is a scholarship and mentorship program backed by seasoned journalists who know that breaking into the industry – and succeeding – is no easy task, especially for Black Canadians, Indigenous peoples and other people of colour.

Shared Bylines aims to overcome those barriers by offering financial and professional support for promising student journalists who have set their sights on much-needed change, who have traditionally been underrepresented in Canadian media and who are ready to do the work.

Students who have achieved a cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of 3.5 or better in their most recent year of study

Presented by Tim Doyle.

Peter Dickinson was the lead architect for what is today The Story Arts Centre, home of the School of Communications, Media, Arts and Design. The building was originally built as the Toronto Teachers’ College in the early 1950’s and received a Massey Medal for Architecture.

This award is given to a student who:

• Challenges convention;

• Is not afraid to challenge thinking, including the

thinking in his or her classes;

• Thinks out of the box; and is an “outlier” who is highly creative.

Presented by Steph & Drucilla Boachie, this award is given to students who have demonstrated not only academic excellence, but a commitment to perform and exceed expectations.

Presented by Lisa Thompson (Minister of Education).

This award is given to students who obtained an average of at least 80% in any six grade 12 university preparation courses.