Farewell and Bon Voyage to Winston Sih

Journalism at The Creative School is saying goodbye to instructor Winston Sih (external link)  as he jets off to start a new adventure in the city that never sleeps, New York.

Teaching came naturally at a young age, having a whiteboard in his childhood bedroom, giving homework to stuffed animals. 

Then came his love for TV after watching the six o'clock news.

After getting into the Journalism program at The Creative School, Sih took time off to pursue an opportunity in the industry. He came back to finish his Bachelor of Journalism and earned his Masters in media production. 

Assistant professor of Sports Media, Dan Berlin, says teaching Sih in his sport journalism course six years ago was a true highlight.

“He stood out as a mature, confident and highly skilled multimedia journalist from day one,” he says. “I had no doubt even then he would go on to become an exceptional teacher.”

Sih realized he could bring his two dreams together by teaching at j-school.

Assistant professor Angela Misri says working with Sih has been a gift, “Not just because he matches my energy and excitement for a collaborative newsroom, but also because he never said no to any crazy idea I brought him.”

Sih says the move was a scary and difficult decision as he's spent so much of his life in Toronto, cultivating friend groups and support systems. 

But, seeing so many grads from j-school go off and take risks, he wanted to do the same and make a difference in the journalism community.

"I'm really excited to hopefully be one of those TMU alum who get to help put the university on the map through meaningful work."

Sih is thankful to the j-school's administration for taking a chance on him as a young instructor.

"I'm grateful to the students for giving me an opportunity to impart my perspectives and my thoughts," he says. "I hope being somebody who is practicing in the industry, who was a student not a long time ago, means something, to have someone relatable...as an instructor in the classroom."

Gabriela Silva Ponte, a fourth-year journalism student, has been a student of Sih’s for the past three years. She loves how he lets the class get very hands-on and how he brings his experiences as a journalist into the classroom.

She says, "Everything I've learned about broadcast comes from Winston."

Sih says he hopes that as he moves, he can branch out his work into different places and define himself as someone who studies journalism and practices the journalism world in multiple newsrooms.

Journalism at The Creative School chair Ravi Mohabeer says it’s always a double-edged sword when one of Journalism’s colleagues makes a major move like Sih.

“I am happy for his contributions to the lives of so many students and the School over the last several years, and I wish him well as he continues to make his mark in an even bigger media market,” Mohabeer says. “Still, we'll miss him when he's gone.”