TMU Wrapped: Top stories of 2025
The year 2025 was one of unprecedented growth at TMU.
This year alone:
We opened the first medical school in the Greater Toronto Area in over 100 years.
We celebrated the groundbreaking of the new Nadir Mohamed Centre for Student Wellbeing.
We forged major partnerships. We won major awards. And put ourselves on the map – both literally and figuratively – with the announcement of TMU Station.
In countless ways, our students, faculty and staff made us shine.
As the year comes to a close, take a look back with us at some of the top and most read stories of 2025 – one of the university’s most transformative years yet.
Separated by 10 years and very different life paths, Sisters Sonia (left) and Shabnam (right) never expected they’d graduate together. But this year, they crossed the TMU stage side by side, marking a powerful family milestone.
Sisters, 10 years apart, cross convocation stage together
Earlier this year, two sisters, seen above in their graduation photos, journeyed to TMU on very different paths – but crossed the convocation stage together. Sonia Maryam Passacquale came back to honour a promise she made to her late father, and to complete the degree she paused a decade ago. Shabnam Sahi, restarting her own studies, joined her at TMU. This past spring, the sisters graduated together – empowered by the strength of family and their shared determination to never give up. This story captured the TMU community’s attention as one of our most read stories of the year. Read the full story (June 13, 2025)
First in class: Meet the School of Medicine’s inaugural students
The launch of TMU’s School of Medicine – focused on boosting the number of medical doctors in the province – marks a transformative moment in Canadian health-care education. This fall it was brought to life by an exceptional first-ever cohort of medical doctor (MD) students. The 94 students were selected among over 6,400 applicants – making TMU’s new MD program one of the most competitive in the province. Read the full story (June 27, 2025)
7 TMU content creators to follow today
Whether it’s going viral on TikTok, winning Emmys or sparking campus-wide chair debates, TMU students and grads are making their mark as today’s most innovative content creators. What began as casual campus projects has launched them into national newsrooms, NHL studios and booming online platforms. Their journeys prove that creativity at TMU doesn’t just stay on campus—it goes viral. Read the full story (August 8, 2025)
PHOTOS: TMU officially breaks ground on Student Wellbeing Centre
This past spring, TMU community members gathered to celebrate the official groundbreaking of TMU’s new Nadir Mohamed Centre for Student Wellbeing. Work on the new eight-storey addition to O’Keefe House is underway and, importantly – will centralize well-being services on campus. The driving force behind this project? Students, who voted in 2022 to support a special fee to help fund the project. Check out the photo gallery from the official groundbreaking event. Read the full story (May 6, 2025)
TMU alum wins World Press Photo award for Afghanistan coverage
TMU grad and Iranian Canadian photographer Kiana Hayeri has spent much of her career illuminating the lives of those whose stories are rarely told. Her latest work, No Woman’s Land, sheds light on Afghan women following the Taliban’s return to power in 2021. This year, the project earned her one of the world’s highest photojournalism honours: a 2024 World Press Photo Award (external link) , and two 2025 Pictures of the Year International (POY) award in the Issue Reporting Picture Story category. Read the full story (July 9, 2025)
TMU grad Anthony Lucchese grew up in a family of sports fans. He says his Italian “nonna” has no idea how baseball works – but she watches every Jays game. Today, Lucchese spends nearly every day with the team as a video analyst.
TMU grad in dream job with Toronto Blue Jays
Catch any of the Toronto Blue Jays games in the World Series this year? If so, you likely saw the calculated work of TMU grad Anthony Lucchese – though, he wasn’t on the field. As quality assurance analyst, advance scouting/video with Canada’s only MLB team – whenever there’s a close call on a play, Lucchese is the one who decides if the team will challenge it or not. Adding to the pressure? He only has 15 seconds to make the call. Read the full story (Oct. 28, 2025)
Failing forward: From university drop out to PhD
Aryan Safakish had always wanted to pursue sciences. But it wasn’t meant to be—not at first.
During his undergraduate studies in Guelph, Ont., he struggled to keep his grades up, and failed out of his first year. After about a year working in the service industry, he began to realize that without a post-secondary education, his options were limited. So, he made the decision to go back to school. Thanks in part to TMU’s Chang School of Continuing Education, Safakish – now a PhD graduate – has more than proven he is capable. Read the full story (April 22, 2025)
Dundas Station to be renamed TMU Station with launch of new initiative
The TTC Board unanimously approved TMU’s proposal to rename Dundas Station to TMU Station and launch a research partnership that will drive transit innovation. The new Transit Innovation Yard will bring together TMU researchers, start-ups and the TTC to pilot new technologies and solutions aimed at improving service, from route optimization to real-time updates. Read the full story (May 15, 2025)
TMU students land cool summer jobs
It’s no secret – finding a job can be tough. But many TMU students have beaten the odds. In Part one of our two-part series, meet a concert photographer, a library ambassador and an engineering student working to ensure the landing gear on airplanes meets global environmental standards. Read the full story (August 25, 2025)
New student residence coming to TMU
TMU recently announced a new 21-storey residence that will significantly expand on-campus housing. With only about 1,100 residence beds currently available, the Bond Street Residence will add more than 1,370 beds, along with two large classrooms. This project will enhance student life and create more opportunities to live and learn on campus, strengthening the campus experience. Read the full story (Nov. 13, 2025)
Emilia Clarke (left) and director/filmmaker Jeremy Podeswa, a TMU alum, on the set of Game of Thrones. Podeswa’s donation to TMU includes scripts, storyboards, set design documents and more – “really showing how TV is made”, he said. (Photo courtesy of Jeremy Podeswa)
Game of Thrones director donates scripts, storyboards and more to TMU Library
TMU alumnus Jeremy Podeswa has spent decades directing widely acclaimed films and TV series. Along the way, he’s carefully preserved the scripts, notes and artwork that trace his creative journey. This year, Podeswa generously donated his collection to TMU Library, offering students and community members a rare and valuable look at the making of projects like Six Feet Under, True Blood, Queer as Folk, Carnivale, Boardwalk Empire and Game of Thrones. Read the full story (Feb. 18, 2025)
Federal government invests $25 million in TMU’s School of Medicine
TMU received a $25-million federal government investment for its new School of Medicine in Brampton, Ont. The funding builds on provincial support and underscores a shared commitment to addressing physician shortages, expanding medical education and increasing access to primary care across Ontario and Canada. Read the full story (Nov. 4, 2025)
Should you use ChatGPT for mental health?
University life can be stressful. Between exams, financial worries, relationships and more, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. To help them cope, some young people are turning to AI tools like ChatGPT for help. But is it safe? In this story, TMU professor Richard Lachman answers exactly that – and sheds light on why there are some real risks involved. Read the full story (Oct. 22, 2025)
TMU researchers awarded $5 million for revolutionary food production
A 1 a.m. phone call changed everything for TMU researchers Habiba Bougherara and Lesley Campbell. After years of hard work, the pair just secured a game-changing $5 million to scale their groundbreaking berry-pollination system. Their innovation – one of only four projects in Canada to reach the final phase of the Homegrown Innovation Challenge – could reshape sustainable farming nationwide. Here’s how two TMU researchers are rewriting the future of food. Read the full story (June 26, 2025)
TMU researcher awarded Polanyi prize for revolutionary cancer research
Farshad Moradi Kashkooli received Ontario’s most prestigious early-career research award – the 2024 Polanyi Prize in Physics. The TMU postdoctoral fellow received the honours for his innovative research in cancer treatment. His work focuses on non-invasive alternatives to traditional cancer treatments like surgery, radiation and chemotherapy using ultrasound waves to deliver nano-drugs within the human body. This is the first time therapeutic ultrasound and nanomedicine have been used to target tumours directly. Read the full story (June 10, 2025)