March 30, 2023
Congratulations to Vinnah Rahman
Recipient of 2022-23 UTM Student Leadership Award in Leadership Development and 2022-23 Principal's Award of Excellence in Student Leadership
“I have been able to…provide opportunities that empower students to be able to engage, participate, and contribute to their own community.” - Vinnah Rahman
For Vinnah Rahman, helping students to build connections and community at UTM has been a consistent theme throughout her undergraduate studies. Vinnah’s involvement in activities outside of the classroom has included roles with the UTM Anthropology Society (UTMAS), the Erindale Biology Society, the Centre for Student Engagement (CSE), Mending Minds Mental Health Club, UTM Global Brigades, and the UTM Student Union.
Vinnah is doing a double Major in Anthropology Science and Biology for Health Science. As current President (and former Vice-president and Administrative Coordinator) of UTMAS, she has coordinated many valuable academic and social events that allowed students to connect with their peers and network with anthropology professors and professionals, even when in-person events were not possible due to uniquely challenging times during the pandemic. She has also applied her creativity and communication skills to creating web and social media content through her work at the CSE. Additionally, she helped to organize Mending Minds seminars to increase student mental well-being and decrease the stigmatization of mental health issues across campus.
The UTM Anthropology community has benefitted tremendously from Vinnah's consistent dedication to UTMAS as well as to the broader campus, and we celebrate the recognition of her outstanding efforts!
Congratulations to Aditi Soin
Recipient of 2022-23 UTM Emerging Student Leader Award
“These roles…assisted in me realizing that many of our students are passionate about giving back to the students at UTM, their community and around the world. These are the same values I have implemented in myself.” -Aditi Soin
For Aditi Soin, giving back to the community is an important value to consider while pursuing her goals at UTM. Aditi is a first-year student who is planning on doing a major in Anthropology Science as well as studying Criminology, Law and Society. In her first year of studies she embraced leadership opportunities such as training to become a campus ambassador, allowing her to share her personal story and experiences with prospective students and families. Aditi is also a member of U of T’s Alpha Gamma Delta sorority, which challenges members to lead lives of significance that positively impact the community, inspire women, and impact the world. Other organizations and initiatives that Aditi has supported include Boss Women UTM, UTM Students for SickKids, donations for the Turkey/Syria earthquake, and Seva Food Bank.
Aditi's ability to seek out and take on leadership roles during her first year at UTM are indeed impressive. We are so pleased to see a new member of the UTM Anthropology community recognized for her valuable efforts!
View the list of award recipients on the UTM Student Leadership Awards page.