30 minute read
In School
“We wanted to streamline how transgender students can access help informing their teachers of their new pronouns or names or how to navigate sports teams or changing for gym, because it's really intimidating for them to have to ask,” says S6 (Grade 12) Laura, an executive on the UTS Gender Equity Committee (pictured right). Laura and their fellow executives, S6s Anasofia (pictured centre) and Kismet (left), as well as executives on the UTS Gender Sexuality Alliance (GSA), played an instrumental role in re-drafting the Policy and Procedures on Respecting and Accommodating Transgender Students, working in tandem with UTS administration and school lawyers Borden Ladner Gervais. “I appreciate seeing how UTS culture continues to evolve,” says Anasofia. Kismet says, “This policy is an accumulation of the efforts of the Committee, the GSA and UTS to build up trans-inclusivity over time and will be a legacy for future UTS students.”
Black History Month took on a new incarnation at UTS as Black Futures Month this February, symbolizing how we look to drive future progress. With two assemblies, dynamic events and workshops like a performance of Things My Foresisters Saw by Leslie McCurdy, a spoken word workshop with Desiree McKenzie, a student art exhibition and more, it was a month of learning and celebration of Black culture and achievement. The closing assembly included a question and answer session hosted by UTS Black Equity Committee Executive S6 (Grade 12) Leyat and M3 (Grade 9) Cici, with Dr. Carl James, author of Colour Matters, and UTSAA Director Dr . Jessica Ware ’95, Associate Curator of Invertebrate Zoology at the American Museum of Natural History. True learning is a collaboration. Math teacher Andrew Wilson was selected as a 2021 University of Chicago Outstanding Educator, thanks to a gracious nomination from Qi Zheng ’21, who is studying there. UTS teacher Isabella Liu won the 2022 Beaumier Award for High School/CÉGEP Chemistry Teachers from the Chemical Institute of Canada. “I use chemistry as a vehicle to provide my students with opportunities to think critically and reflect on what's presented to them,” she says. UTS Health and Physical Education Teacher Mike Didier was named Ontario University Athletics Coach of the Year for his other job: Head Coach of the University of Toronto Varsity Blues Baseball team.
Artwork entitled Exploring Africa’s Past, Present, Future by M4 (Grade 10) Grace.
The Robert Street Field at the University of Toronto is back and ready for play! Joyful shouts of UTS students rang out once again as students came out early in the morning to play Ultimate Frisbee in late November. Under this field are over 150 geothermal energy boreholes extending 850 feet underground to provide green energy to a new student residence and other university buildings. The revitalization project, which was supported by UTS, means that students at our renewed school at 371 Bloor Street West can once again enjoy access to an exciting outdoor athletics space just a few minutes away, expanding the opportunities for fresh air and exercise at our new school.
The Southern Ontario Model United Nations Assembly was the first in-person event at our revitalized home, taking place in a hybrid format with 500 students from across Canada, the Philippines, and Trinidad and Tobago. Nearly 200 in-person delegates convened in our new multipurpose room, and at U of T’s Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy. Over 300 delegates assembled online to explore issues like equitable access to vaccines, Indigenous rights and climate change. Six Munk School graduate students primed delegates on the issues, thanks to a new partnership forged by SecretaryGeneral S6 (Grade 12) Shelby, pictured centre with the Secretariat: S6s Ella (left) and Cooper (right). Danielle Goldfarb ’93, P ’26, Andrew Ng ’03, and Eric Walsh ’90, gave inspiring keynote speeches. Jonathan, a Grade 11 student from Milton, Ont., honed his power of speech at UTS Debate and Public Speaking Camp last summer through what UTS Principal Rosemary Evans calls “a powerful new partnership.” He was one of 120 Black youth who attended UTS virtual camps through the SummerUp initiative created by Trevor Massey and his organization, the Lifelong Leadership Institute, with funding from the Ontario Ministry of Education. Jonathan says, “It was important to me to exercise my mind and grow and develop a hunger and this thirst to learn more. That's definitely something that SummerUp and the Debate Camp at UTS taught me how to do.” The partnership continues this year with UTS camps Bright Lights in the Lab, I-Think and Maximum City.
The Class of 2022 in our new McIntyre Gymnasium, made possible by the support of UTS Founder Sandy McIntyre ’71 .
A community of connection creates space for a culture of inclusion
PHOTO CREDIT: Dewey Chang
The EpicNEW
ERA ofUTS
By Kimberley Fehr
S6 (Grade 12) Layla, the Lewis House Prefect, stands in front of shiny new blue lockers, helping students find their way on their first day.
UTS Co-Captains Caleb and Emily cut the ribbon for students, with Principal Rosemary Evans. I t was an epic day over 110 years in the making. A once impossible-seeming dream for decades of UTS students, staff, alumni, parents, and UTS Principal Rosemary Evans and Board of Directors Chair Jim Fleck C .C . ’49, P ’72.
Our dream of a modern, revitalized school building for UTS came true on April 5, 2022, as students crossed the threshold of our stunning, refurbished home at 371 Bloor Street West and stepped into the future.
“We came in from the foyer and the moment we raised our eyes and looked upwards toward the Fleck Atrium, we were all just in awe,” says UTS Co-Captain S6 (Grade 12) Caleb. “Honestly, I couldn’t talk for a minute, I was so blown away by the space,” says S6 (Grade 12) Layla, the Lewis House Prefect.
This is the story of our community: alumni dispersed around the country and the globe, who years and even several decades later still care enough for the transformative education they received at UTS and the friends they made to keep giving back to our school. This is a story of staff who love the school and parents who see the transformation manifest in their children, and students who take all that we give them and forge lives that make a difference. Most of all, this is the story of the future that now lies before us.
“The new building is a testament to the importance of the UTS institution to our community,” says Jim, the magnanimous leader who helped pave the way to this day. “Our collective effort to come together and raise over $60 million in the Building the Future campaign, and to keep the Affiliation Agreement with the University of Toronto, demonstrates the important role UTS plays in society.”
Having turned 91 this year, Jim celebrates nearly 80 years of history with our school. As a young man, he loved UTS so much that when his family moved to Oshawa in the 1940s, he commuted three hours a day in his last year of high school (before Highway 401) to continue at UTS because of the friends he made, and the unparalleled calibre of the teaching, which he felt was his best chance of securing a university scholarship (and he did!).
Jim knew many alumni shared his love for UTS, so he aimed high, setting the bar for UTS Founders at $1 million, and becoming one himself. He led the Project Steering Committee in navigating the construction process. Years of effort culminated in the moment when he and UTS Principal Rosemary Evans cut the ribbon in the Fleck Atrium before an audience of 100 staff on April 4, surrounded by blue and white balloons, as they graciously thanked our community, Diamond Schmitt Architects, Eastern Construction and JLL Project Management, and each other.
“Jim, you worked magic in creating this project. This is an amazing legacy and we are all in your debt,” said Rosemary. To which Jim countered: “This would never have happened without Rosemary. We are so incredibly lucky she became Principal of UTS when she did and her leadership has brought us here, to this wonderful day we’ve all been dreaming about, at last, in our renewed school.”
As the ribbon fell to the ground, applause resonated throughout the Fleck Atrium for the first time, filling the walls of our school with appreciation for the efforts of our community and this brilliant new beginning.
U of T is the bedrock ofour school
The day Rosemary arrived in 2011 as a new Principal, the UTS affiliation with the University of Toronto and the home of our school on the campus were both facing uncertainty. “There are always pressing issues and I seek resolution through collaboration and bringing people together,” she says. When the Affiliation was secured in 2015, the issue became the need to raise an unprecedented $60 million for our new building, and then came the COVID-19 pandemic.
Now for the first time, UTS faces the future in a position of strength, with an Affiliation Agreement and a home. “The University of Toronto is the bedrock of our school, a solid foundation for all of the values we live by,” says Rosemary. “Now we are working to ensure students’ access to the school is not restricted by finances, and re-dedicating our efforts to the Bursary Program.” The renewed building is just the beginning, symbolic of the deeper changes underway as we continue to evolve our progressive school culture, and uphold our Affiliation commitment to further U of T’s mission.
A space for inclusion totake root and grow
The renewed building gives UTS the space in which to do things better; it opens new possibilities, and brings us closer together. The iconic modern design by lead architect Don Schmitt C .M . ’70 and his firm Diamond Schmitt Architects, melds the old and the new into something completely different with 60,000 square feet of renovations including the preservation of the historic facade, plus 60,000 square feet of new space.
“Now we have so many more community spaces in our school, we have to intentionally plan to make these spaces inclusive,” says Rosemary. “We are working to ensure communal space is seen as equitable space that brings people together.”
With that comes a renewed dedication to support the principles of equitable access to students from underrepresented racialized communities.
Over the last year, UTS turned to Dr. Avis Glaze, a renowned expert in education and inclusion, who through interviews with UTS community members created a report with 59 recommendations for the future, called Anti-Racism, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion: Our Shared Responsibility. The recommendations touch every facet of school life from admissions to curriculum to governance, from outreach to human resources to marketing. One of these recommendations was increasing diversity in leadership, and the school has appointed Dr . Kimberley Tavares as the new Vice Principal of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Access and Admissions.
It’s happening
“A culture of inclusion is an ongoing journey,” says Rosemary. There are signs of progress.
As Executive on the UTS Black Equity Committee, S5 (Grade 11) Leyat and M3 (Grade 9) Cici work towards two broad goals: improving the UTS experience for Black students and increasing their number. “The running joke was there could only be two Black students at UTS at the same time. When one graduated, another could come,” says Leyat. “Now we are way past two with about 10 Black students.”
Last fall, Leyat and Cici, along with several Black UTS alumni, welcomed prospective Black students at an event with the UTS Community of Support, established to provide connection and support to potential and current students and their families who are Black, Indigenous or members of other underrepresented groups.
PHOTO CREDIT: Dewey Chang M3 (Grade 9) Cici and S5 (Grade 11) Leyat are on the UTS Black Equity Committee Executive.
TOP: S5 (Grade 11) Shreya, a student leader on the UTS Indigenous Solidarity Committee, in front of the restored brick from the historic school building in the Fleck Atrium. BOTTOM: M4 (Grade 10) Mia (left) performs serial dilutions with her friends Akshita (centre) and Eesha (right) in the new and spacious Ewens Chemistry Lab, thanks to UTS Founder Peter Ewens ’79.
“There’s been a subtle culture shift in the school,” says Leyat. “People are a lot more comfortable with topics of inequality and inequity, and more sensitive to these issues. And teachers are doing a lot to incorporate anti-racism and more Black voices into their curriculum.”
Cici, who joined UTS this school year, says her experience already seems different to what she heard from her sister Daeja ’21. “I haven’t had any experience that made me feel like an outsider. I haven’t repeatedly had to have talks with people. Change is coming. It’s not anywhere near done, but it’s happening.”
Truth and Reconciliation
Other signs of progressive change can be seen in our school's efforts on Truth and Reconciliation. In 2015, UTS committed to honour the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action, particularly Actions 62 to 65 that focus on education.
“In the last five years, there’s been a huge shift,” says S5 (Grade 11) Shreya, a student leader on the UTS Indigenous Solidarity Committee. When she was an F1 (Grade 7) student, she says Orange Shirt Day involved wearing an orange shirt for a group photo. This school year, Orange Shirt Day became the inaugural National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in Canada and UTS dedicated an entire assembly to Truth and Reconciliation with a residential school Survivor sharing testimony, as well as lunchtime events, a documentary screening, discussion circles and class activities. “We’ve done so much more to make this day centered around Truth and Reconciliation. That’s the clearest evidence for me that we are going somewhere good with this.”
Looking forward, Shreya says, “The new spaces offer us an opportunity to do more, with additional environments where the work can take place.” She is hoping to establish an Indigenous space at the new school, but: “the broad goal for me is for every student to leave the school with a sense of care and a cultural competency around Indigenous peoples. So much of what Reconciliation entails is people who are able to build relationships and have those meaningful, thoughtful conversations. Canada has done this injustice and Indigenous communities are advocating for their rights, and we’re supporting them in that process. Even if students aren’t going to be activists, they care enough to recognize these are important issues and will do their part to help.”
PHOTO CREDIT: M4 (Grade 10) Saachi
A home for innovation
Beyond the social progress under way at our school, the renewed building fosters a bold culture of innovation. UTS students have always been innovators, and at last, innovation has an official home at UTS in the Lang Innovation Lab. Here students like M4s (Grade 10s) Nicole and Mia will take part in cocurriculars such as the Timeraiser Accelerator, the UTS afterschool program for aspiring tech and social entrepreneurs, where students develop business concepts and vie for the opportunity to receive mentorship and advice from alumni volunteers.
This year, Nicole and Mia won the program’s $1,000 entrepreneurial investment for their
non-profit, Future4U, a website that plans to address a significant gap they discovered in post-secondary planning tools, where students with developmental or intellectual delays and disabilities are underserved.
“We wanted to create this website where they can see what options are available to them and open up their future,” says Nicole.
The idea emerged from their involvement in the Best Buddies program, a national organization which aims to form lasting friendships between people with intellectual or developmental disability, and those without. UTS partners with Heydon Park, a Toronto school for girls. Through this program, both Mia and Nicole became really curious about the options available for their Best Buddies after high school.
“Before Best Buddies, I never had the chance to interact with people who have disabilities,” says Mia. “And now they’ve become just like any other friend we have,” says Nicole. “They’re the same as us.”
Issues of accessibility and equity weigh on their minds. They are thrilled that our new school building is designed to be fully accessible with elevators, the accessible Withrow Auditorium and the Wright Living Lane entrance ramp, and they plan to be workout buddies in the new Ridley Centre. Nicole says, “I look forward to coming to the building every single day. I wake up excited, thinking, ‘We’re in the new school!’ The building is so bright and open and a very creative space.”
The power ofconnection
There’s a buzz growing in the hallways of our renewed building. As M3 (Grade 9) Sterling explored the third floor for the first time with his friends, he looked out the windows at the city skyline with wonder – there were designs on the glass. “I said, ‘What is that? It looks like atoms!’ Ms . Pitt-Lainsbury was walking by and confirmed that they were a demonstration of VSEPR theory.”
The ceramic frit pattern, designed by Ellie Grushcow ’19, was baked onto the window to deter birds from colliding with the glass. One day soon, Sterling plans to return and identify the shapes in the molecules. It’s something he likes to think about as a science enthusiast.
Sterling has big plans for his future in our new school. Along with his partner, M3 (Grade 9) Ethan, he’s working on a science fair project aiming to create affordable clean drinking water for people around the world with a distillation circuit using lenses. He’s looking forward to using the Lang Innovation Lab as a “room where students can explore their ideas, giving students the space to innovate.” He’s also excited about woodworking – he recently helped design sets for SHOW – and fascinated by chemistry.
“Fundamentally we are all just chemical compounds and it’s just crazy to think about me as a polymer, you as a polymer and the table as a bunch of chemical compounds,” he says. “I’m just a bunch of molecules interacting with another bunch of molecules and there are somehow forces that keep me up and down and together.”
As Sterling says so eloquently, we are all just molecules, part of something larger than ourselves. We are all connected, and our new school is living proof of the power of that connection. We are a community and at last, we are home, the future ours to create. ■
PHOTO CREDIT: Dewey Chang
M4 (Grade 10) Nicole on the Wright Living Lane Ramp, which makes our new school accessible to people with disabilities, and was funded thanks to the generous support of UTS Founder David Wright ’89.
M3 (Grade 9) Sterling was amazed to see what looked like atoms in the glass.
PHOTO CREDIT: Dewey Chang
DIPLOMACY IN DIVIDED TIMES
UTS ALUMNAE WORK TOWARD A MORE PEACEFUL, PROSPEROUS AND INCLUSIVE WORLD AS CANADIAN AMBASSADORS
By Karen Sumner
It doesn’t have to begin with a love of languages . It may start with a keen interest in global development . Or a desire to support human rights or democratic movements . Or specialized training that can be put to use in advancing security or international law .
Four UTS alumnae currently serving as ambassadors representing Canada’s interests abroad share all of these traits . At the same time, it’s fair to say that each began their journey toward a diplomatic career with the study of languages while at UTS . Catherine Ivkoff ’84, Canada’s Ambassador to Mongolia, embraced French, Latin and German in high school and then Russian and Mandarin after graduation . Ambassador to Brazil Jennifer May ’86 chose French and German at UTS and university and added Mandarin and Portuguese later on . Canada’s Ambassador to Spain, Wendy Drukier ’86, picked up French, Spanish and German before graduating, and Jocelyn (Jodi) Kinnear ’93, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Canada to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), studied French, Spanish, Latin and German as a UTS student and then later learned Mandarin and Bulgarian .
TOP LEFT: Canada’s Ambassador to Mongolia, Catherine Ivkoff ’84, walks through Sukhbaatar Square before the Mongolian Honor Guard to enter the State Palace in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, where she presented her credentials to then-President Battulga on December 25, 2019. TOP RIGHT: Ambassador to Brazil Jennifer May ’86 meets with Indigenous leaders from the Wapichana nation to discuss Canadian assistance for Venezuelan refugees. BOTTOM LEFT: Jocelyn (Jodi) Kinnear ’93, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Canada to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), delivers a statement in March on behalf of 45 participating states to invoke the OSCE’s Moscow Mechanism that will commission a report into human rights violations in Ukraine during the war launched by Russia. BOTTOM RIGHT: Canada’s Ambassador to Spain, Wendy Drukier ’86, signs the official guest book of the City of Madrid after meeting with the Mayor.
LEFT TO RIGHT: Catherine Ivkoff ’84, Jennifer May ’86, Wendy Drukier ’86, Jocelyn (Jodi) Kinnear ’93.
Each of these diplomats would be quick to say that language study is about much more than becoming fluent in several tongues. Languages are a pathway toward greater understanding of history, culture, politics, arts, economics – in short, the breadth and depth of human experience across time and around the world. With that expansive quality, they are also a pathway toward a career in foreign service.
Catherine Ivkoff wasn’t certain of that path for some time. She studied French and political science at Western University, then spent a year and a half teaching English in Prague right after the Velvet Revolution, which ended more than 40 years of communist rule in Czechoslovakia. After returning to Canada, she attended law school and then worked in a private practice to gain professional experience.
“In addition to engaging in litigation and managing some very challenging files, I also honed my negotiation, communication and strategic thinking skills,” says Catherine. “I had participated in debate and public speaking while at Western – the debating union was run by a few UTS grads – and in some Model UN Assemblies. Combine all of that with a growing interest in foreign policy and Canada’s external relations, and I made a decision to leave the private sector and enter public service.”
Catherine joined the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade in 2003. With her Russian fluency, she became an officer on Ottawa’s Russia desk in the Eastern Europe Division and then a legal officer in the United Nations, Human Rights and Humanitarian Law Section. Overseas, she served in Russia as Second Secretary (Political) and in Kazakhstan as Political Counsellor. More recently, she was Deputy Director of the Economic Law Section. And then, in October 2019, she was appointed as Ambassador of Canada to Mongolia – arriving just ahead of the pandemic.
A theme of Catherine’s career has been her diplomatic postings in post-Soviet states or that region. While she promotes the diplomatic priorities established by Global Affairs Canada in all of her postings – human rights, democracy, international law, climate action, peace and security – she is particularly passionate about Canada’s feminist foreign policy.
“Women represent half of any country’s human resource wealth,” she says. “Equal opportunities for all people, regardless of gender, is the best way to ensure increased prosperity and security for all – in Canada, in Mongolia, and worldwide. In addition, the promotion and protection of human rights of LGBTQ2+ persons is a foreign policy priority for Canada, as is ending gender-based violence.”
Catherine also mentions the support for democracy as a critical priority, pointing out that threats to democracy are also threats to human rights, international law, media freedom and the fight against climate change.
Looking back, Catherine credits the “innovative environment” at UTS with broadening her awareness of global issues such as these and with cultivating an open mind, an ability to adapt and a lifelong interest in learning.
“One of the challenges of diplomatic work is trying to ‘master’ all there is to know about another country and its people,” she says. “What you can do is study, listen, communicate clearly,
– JENNIFER MAY ’86
– CATHERINE IVKOFF ’84
think creatively and strategically, and exercise good judgment. I would say that those skills of diplomacy are fostered at UTS.”
Jennifer May shares that view. Before her appointment as Canada’s Ambassador to Brazil, she had served as Deputy Head of Mission at the Embassy of Canada to Germany and, in Ottawa, on assignments focused on Europe and security issues, such as Executive Director of Defense and Relations and Director of Eastern Europe and Eurasia Relations. Like Catherine, she experienced UTS as a closely bonded community where she was encouraged to grow and try new things.
“The sense of community at UTS made me feel like I belonged to something bigger than myself,” she says. “The message I heard was that the world was not a scary place – it was a place to explore and experience. Students were asked to engage with national and international issues, to adopt different viewpoints. History was my favourite subject for that, especially the debates.”
It was in Grade 11 history class that Jennifer experienced a lightbulb moment. Former teacher Michael Gendron mentioned one day that it was possible to join the foreign service and represent Canada abroad. She was immediately intrigued.
“It had never occurred to me that you could get paid to travel the world with your Canadian identity as part of your career,” she says. “I wanted to see the world and I loved my country. The idea was planted.”
After studying history, political science and German at Laval University, Jennifer had gained fluency in three languages. She then attended the University of Vienna, received training in Mandarin, and learned Portuguese. That combination has allowed her to serve her country in Bonn, Hong Kong, Beijing, Vienna, Bangkok, Berlin and, now, Brazil.
In all of her postings, Jennifer has been particularly passionate about issues related to the rise of authoritarianism, women’s leadership and climate change. A committed environmentalist, her family has never owned a car, which has impacted how and where they live. Sometimes referred to as “that crazy Ambassador,” she cycles everywhere, as do her husband and children.
One aspect of her work that Jennifer most appreciates is being immersed in other cultures. Her immediate points of contact are the local nationals who make up the majority of staff in a Canadian embassy.
“The first level of diplomacy is convincing your staff of your positions,” she says. “Depending on the topic, that can be easier or harder. It’s important to understand why people hold the positions they do – inside and outside the embassy – with the goal of them moving toward your position. It’s a challenge that requires continual learning.”
TOP: Catherine Ivkoff ’84, Canada’s Ambassador to Mongolia, at the Eagle Festival in the Bayan-Ulgii province in western Mongolia. BOTTOM: Jennifer May ’86 at her first meeting as Canada's Ambassador to Brazil with the country's President Jair Bolsonaro, pictured on the left, with an interpreter in the middle.
TOP: Ambassador to Spain Wendy Drukier ’86 presents her credentials to Felipe VI, King of Spain. BOTTOM: Jocelyn (Jodi) Kinnear ’93 (third from right), Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Canada to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), and her colleagues at OSCE displayed solidarity with Ukraine on May 19 for Vyshyvanka Day, which celebrates the country’s national tradition of embroidered clothing.
Because Canada is the most chosen country for Brazilians to study abroad, Jennifer finds that everyone knows someone who has been to Canada. Another point of connection between the two countries is their tapestry of diversity and multiculturalism, including the rich contributions of Indigenous peoples and newcomers. With recent events in Canada, Jennifer has been committed to further exploring the history of residential schools. She invited an Indigenous speaker from Canada to better educate herself and her staff.
“So much of what we do in diplomatic roles is about building understanding,” she says. “Mutual respect and a willingness to learn are key attitudes – just as negotiation and debate are key skills. I think all of those approaches are embedded in a UTS education. It’s up to each of us to decide how to use them.”
Classmate Wendy Drukier uses them to advance Canada’s positions in Spain. A strong math, social science and language student while at UTS, Wendy studied politics and economics at Queen’s University before earning a master’s degree in international affairs at Carleton University. “I found geopolitics interesting and wanted to develop a broader perspective,” she says.
With her fluency in Spanish, Wendy gravitated toward Latin America as a region. She was also in the development stream at Carleton, which led to work at a non-governmental organization think tank on Latin America. She then transitioned to rotational work with Global Affairs, serving in Buenos Aires, Bogotá and Washington, maintaining close ties to Canada by cycling in and out of foreign and domestic positions. From 2012 to 2015, she served as Ambassador to Costa Rica, Honduras and Nicaragua. Afterwards, she held various positions in Canada at headquarters, most recently serving as the Director General for Economic Development.
While she sometimes feels the weight of representing Canada in her international postings, Wendy describes working as an ambassador as one of the greatest jobs in the world.
“You have access to the most interesting and informed people and have amazing conversations,” she says. “Your role is to transmit a Canadian perspective and Canadian interests while learning everything you can about another country. You have to understand politics, economics, trade, culture, history… and sometimes deal with sudden crises, like the kidnapping of a Canadian national or the eruption of a conflict. It’s challenging and engaging work.”
Like Catherine and Jennifer, Wendy is particularly concerned about the global rise of populism and the erosion of democracy. She is also passionate about development programs and human rights – particularly, the rights of women and minority groups.
“I am only the second woman to hold this role, and the majority of my colleagues are men,” she says. “At the same time, our Prime Minister has made gender representation in diplomacy a priority, and almost half of Canada’s top diplomats are now women. It’s great to see that progress.”
With Spain a member of the European Union and of NATO, recent events in Ukraine feel fairly close to home. Part of Wendy’s work is to collaborate with Spanish colleagues to assess the impact of the war on Spain, such as inflation, access to energy and food prices. And, like the
rest of the world, Spain continues to deal with the impact of the pandemic. Last year, her embassy was quite involved in filling and shipping vaccine orders from Spain to Canada, which required permission from the European Union.
“There are always new lessons in how interconnected the world has become,” says Wendy. “I think it’s essential for students to explore cultural, political and economic realities in other parts of the world, including human rights. I became more interested in global issues while at UTS. Above all else, I would say it’s a school that fosters curiosity. If students are curious, they will want to learn as much as they can about their world. And if they have a global mindset, they may want to explore it personally and even seek an international career.”
Jodi Kinnear believes that throughout life, alumni continue to realize the value of what they learned at UTS. Sometimes, clarity of vision comes through the passage of time.
“I don’t mean just subject matter content,” she says. “I’m referring to the culture of learning and also of enjoying learning. That has stayed with me. I’m much more aware now than when I was a teenager of how important that kind of culture is. This kind of work requires that you relish the ongoing pursuit of knowledge and understanding.”
In her role as Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Canada to the OSCE, Jodi works with 56 other participating states in what is the world’s largest security-oriented intergovernmental organization. The OSCE’s mandate includes issues such as arms control, promotion of human rights, freedom of the press and fair elections with the aim of preventing conflict, managing crises and supporting post-conflict rehabilitation. The invasion of Ukraine by Russia represents a massive challenge to the European and world order.
“The structure of international rules and agreements allow Canada and most other countries to co-exist in peace,” says Jodi. “Russia is challenging that. It’s important for Canada to stand up for Ukraine and for the principles of the United Nations Charter, especially regarding security and peace among countries.”
Before occupying her current position at the OSCE, Jodi’s other roles included Second Secretary (Political) and Vice-Consul at the Canadian Embassy to Ethiopia, Senior Policy Advisor for Russia and Central Asia Security, Deputy Director of the Office of the Deputy Minister of International Trade, and Director of Export Controls Policy. After earning a bachelor’s in linguistics from the University of Toronto and a master of arts in German literature from Queen’s University, Jodi lived in China for a few years before acquiring a master of public administration from Carleton University. It was at that time she decided she wanted to pursue public service.
“Languages can open doors to many career options,” she says. “I didn’t know what I wanted to do when I was in high school – or for most of my time at university. So I followed up on the amazing language studies offered at UTS and also studied literature and history to contextualize my understanding. Basically, language was my entry point into culture, geopolitics and social issues.”
In common with her fellow ambassadors, Jodi is passionate about promoting the role of women and championing diversity. The more varied the voices and perspectives engaged in any problem solving, the better the dialogue and the deeper the understanding gained across peoples and places. She is naturally concerned about the widespread use of disinformation to narrow discourse, obscure facts and foster divisiveness.
“I think our diversity makes Canada a stronger country,” she says. “I believe that diverse perspectives lead to better approaches when it comes to tackling the issues we face as a country and a world, like challenges to human rights or effective climate action. That diversity was a strength when I was at UTS as well. Our community was made up of students from different backgrounds and different parts of the city, which enriched all our studies, including languages.”
At UTS, Jodi, Wendy, Jennifer and Catherine learned to speak the languages of the world. They also learned the vital language of diplomacy: how to speak and how to listen, how to build bridges and close divides. In these divided times, one can travel far with that, and even as these four alumnae have shown, become an ambassador to the world. ■
– WENDY DRUKIER ’86
