Celebrating our Top 40 Connections

Avenue Magazine just released its Top 40 Under 40 recipients for 2010, and the list of outstanding young Calgarians have many ties to campus.

By Erin Mason

Whether they’re alumni, faculty and staff or current students, this year’s Top 40 Under 40 shows that members of the U of C community—23 in total, 16 of whom are alumni—are making a difference.

From left: Leslie Biles, Alyx Nanji, Dr. Mark Petovello, Lara Quarterman, Tyler Shandro

Leslie Biles, MFA’99, Tyler Shandro, BA’00, LLB’04, and Lara Quarterman, BA’03, are three alumni in the Top 40 and we asked them what this honour means to them.

Leslie recently took a position with the Epcor Centre for the Performing Arts after working with Calgary’s Lunchbox Theatre for three years. “It’s a real honour and privilege to be included with other recipients, past and present. It encourages me to continue to find a balance between work, personal life, and community involvement.

Tyler practices law at Walsh Wilkins Creighton and is a member of the Criminal Injuries Review Board, to which he was appointed at just 28. He also received a prestigious appointment to the National Parole Board this summer.  "It’s nice to receive the honour and I’m flattered to get it,” he says. Tyler first crossed our convocation stage 10 years ago, but he stays connected to campus as a University of Calgary senator because, “it's my school. I want parents and students to think of the U of C first when choosing a university. I'm proud to have two degrees from here and I want everyone who leaves the U of C to be just as proud as me.”

Lara's day job is as a regulatory analyst at Nexen Inc. She’s also the Calgary coordinator of Action Coalition on Human Trafficking (ACT) Alberta. At ACT, she puts on education events—about 15 in 2010—to create awareness about the global problem of human trafficking in the Calgary context. Lara recently helped ACT secure funding to examine Calgary’s human trafficking problem. At just 29, she says she’s been successful by “forging her own path and refusing to play by someone else’s rules,” and she’s honoured that she’s being recognized for what she loves to do.

Current social work and commerce student Alyx Nanji is the youngest 2010 recipient at just 21. He started Stop the Beef, an education-based movement in Calgary to stop teenage gang recruitment. Alyx and his team are also busy reworking the campaign’s message to anti-bullying. As for being part of the Top 40 Under 40, he says, “it feels amazing to be acknowledged with such a prestigious award. This award not only feels big, but it felt even better when U of C alumnus and our new mayor, Naheed Nenshi, said he won the same award in his campaign literature.” Alyx says he volunteers 15 hours every week because “we all have a moral obligation to give back to society. I don't think there is anything better than getting a smile from someone you just helped.”

Dr. Mark Petovello, BSc’98, PhD’03, is a two-time alumnus and lifetime Calgarian who’s made his career on campus. He’s a top researcher in navigation and GPS and part of the U of C’s globally-recognized Position, Location and Navigation group. As an educator and researcher on the campus where it all began, Mark holds his alma mater in high regard and is honoured to be recognized for his work. “I'm thankful and fortunate to be part of a department, faculty and university that has received recognition as a world leader. I think this further encourages students and faculty alike to strive for excellence. It's very rewarding to be recognized as a leader in your community and home city and I consider it encouragement to continue along the path I have already embarked upon,” Mark says.

Congratulations to all members of our U of C community who are part of this year’s Top 40 Under 40. Thank you for being fine ambassadors for U of C and being passionate about making our city a better place.

Here is a full list of U of C students, faculty, staff and alumni in the Top 40 Under 40:

Michael Bates	BA'98, LLB'02
Dr. Miriam Berchuk	Faculty of Medicine faculty member
Leslie Biles	MFA'99
Kristen Brown	BA'04
Dr. Paul Fedak	Faculty of Medicine faculty member
Dr. Reed Ferber	Faculty of Kinesiology faculty member, Running Injury Clinic director
Jocelyn Grozic	Schulich School of Engineering faculty member
Ayaz Gulamhussein	BSc'03
Sean Halliday	BComm'94
Lawna Hurl	MA'98
Dr. Nathalie Jette	Faculty of Medicine faculty member
John Lewis	MEDes'02
Karen MacNeill	BPE'94, MSc'02
Kevin McNichol	MSc'00
Alyx Nanji	current student in the Haskayne School of Business/ Faculty of Social Work
Dr. Mark Petovello	BSc'98, PhD'03, Schulich School of Engineering faculty member
Jeremy Podlog	BA'95
Lara Quarterman	BA'03, BA'03
Chad Saunders	BA'96, CJSW Radio station manager
Tyler Shandro	BA'00, LLB'04
Jeff St. John	BA'98
Salimah Walji-Shivji	BSW'99, MSW'00