TMU Alumni Reunion 2025: Celebrating 6 decades of grads and lasting ties

“Graduating from TMU was a life-changing experience,” said TMU alum Fernando Ozuna (MSA Spatial Analysis '05) at an alumni reunion held on campus this month to celebrate milestone anniversaries.

Ozuna graduated 20 years ago. His career path began with a university-funded scholarship he applied for when he was still living in Mexico in 2004. “As soon as I graduated, I was able to get a job,” he said.

He credits the co-founder of the Spatial Analysis graduate program, professor Ken Jones, and TMU’s former Dean of the School of Graduate Studies, Maurice Yeates, who also taught in the MSA program, with providing the necessary recommendations that landed him a job with Scotiabank as a developer right out of university. 

Ozuna had started packing to go back to Mexico but the job offer changed those plans – and the trajectory of his life. His family joined him soon after, and his daughter was later born in Toronto.

Today, he’s a senior manager with TD Bank working in distribution strategy and delivery for ATM network optimization.

Event celebrates grad from the class of 1960

Hugh Fulton (Electrical Technology '60) graduated when the university was still a polytechnic college. He was celebrating 65 years since his graduation and honoured on stage.

John Myers (Business Administration '65) also attended with a special item: A class photo from his graduation. “My dad told me he’d pay just once,” said Myers of his college tuition. His mom echoed the sentiment, advising that he finish what he started. Timeless advice!

“I feel young again,” said Peter McAteer (Civil Engineering '00) as he mingled with fellow alumni. “I haven’t seen a lot of these people since we were students, and being back together is bringing back many good memories.”

It was a day of reconnecting. Classmates he hadn’t seen in decades shared stories about careers, families and how far they’d come since their days at TMU. 

“My classmates are doing well, we all have kids now,” McAteer said cheerfully.

He also connected with a familiar mentor. TMU President Mohamed Lachemi was his fourth-year thesis supervisor and later an advisor during graduate studies at the University of Toronto.

Nathalie Noël (RTA '95) is an established communications and marketing professional who was eager to catch up with her former classmates. “Everyone is so excited,” she said.

One of those classmates was Paul Papadopoulos (RTA '95). 

“It’s a bit mind-blowing to be celebrating 30 years since graduation because I feel like I'm 20, but with 36 years of experience,” he joked. 

Papadopoulos was happy to see familiar faces, connect and “feel like we've gone back 30 years at the same time.” 

He was also impressed by the new facilities at the university, which he saw for the first time during the alumni campus tour.

Celebrating 25 years since graduating from TMU’s Fashion program, Kirby Chan (Fashion '00) reflected on how his career took an unexpected and rewarding turn.

“I started out designing lingerie for three years, which was a great experience,” he said. “But then I made a shift into real estate and joined my family’s business, working with my dad.”

While the industries may seem worlds apart, Chan credits his fashion training for his success as a realtor. “The technical mindset you develop for creating a garment is a lot like designing a real estate portfolio,” he said. 

 “Fashion gave me a foundation in design as well as marketing and sales for selling a fashion line, which I now use to sell a home,” he said. “25 years ago, I could never have imagined this path.” 

Back on campus, Chan enjoyed the chance to reconnect. “It’s fantastic to see my fashion classmates here again,” he said. “We haven’t been together like this in years.”

Sharon Folkes (Social Work '18) attended the reunion as a social work alum, who is also a current social work graduate student. For her, the reunion was like “sunshine lifting everyone’s spirits.”

“I’m a communal person,” said Folkes about being surrounded by alumni and former classmates. 

“I love community engagement and people coming together to share their experiences.”

For her, the event represents life in urban cities, reminding us of so many opportunities to connect with others and the way these moments can expand you.

“It’s so nice to see people from different professions and backgrounds connecting,” Folkes said. “TMU has a real communal spirit and I don’t think that you get that everywhere.”

For Folkes, it’s important to have a purpose. That’s one of the reasons she came back to do her Master’s in social work, a program she finds very rewarding.

“I was looking forward to seeing friends and seeing how the campus has changed – but also what’s the same,” said Alan Sipila (Hospitality & Tourism Management '85) about anticipating the event. “It's nice to be here and think about the good memories.”

His son is a current fourth-year marketing student at TMU. “I didn’t try to persuade him one way or the other, he decided on his own that this was the university for him,” said Sipila.

Inspiring keynote on vital role of the media

On Saturday, September 20, the SLC hosted a special event welcoming back alumni who were celebrating milestone graduation anniversaries from 1960 - 2005. 

The half-day event was an opportunity to reunite with classmates, reminisce about university experiences and mark milestones together.

The reception launched with a keynote address on “The Power of Media and Democracy”

by Martin Regg Cohn, Toronto Star columnist and founder of TMU Democracy Forum. Cohn’s talk explored the vital role of the media in empowering citizens, challenging misinformation and strengthening democratic values.

TMU grads celebrate

All alumni received a special pin to mark their graduation anniversary.

Here’s to memories made, milestones reached and all that’s still ahead!

To view the entire photo gallery from the TMU Alumni event, please visit the TMU Alumni website.