Meet more Top 40 Under 40: Disruptors, innovators, rebels and artists

Tonight at Calgary’s Jack Singer Concert Hall, Avenue Calgary magazine will toast this year’s class of Top 40 Under 40 award winners. Like their predecessors, many of the 2016 crop of young overachievers have UCalgary connections. Read on to meet some of this year’s inspiring alumni and UCalgary faculty who were chosen. 

• Fabiola MacIntyre, 36, BSc (Eng)’03. Current job? Manager of Green Line — the city’s largest infrastructure project that will see 40 kms of new LRT track added to the system. What do you miss most about student life? Rolling out of bed to sit in an 8 a.m. lecture, wearing my comfy U of C sweater, sipping my tea and listening to passionate professors about thermodynamics or concrete design. Life seemed simpler then, my whole existence was about learning and absorbing everything so I could survive the next exam. Of course I also miss eating Kobe beef in Mac Hall! Advice for new students? You will never stop learning even in your professional careers, however, you may never get the chance again to be fully dedicated to learning. Push your boundaries and learn something you never thought would be useful for your chosen career path, this is your chance to be as well-rounded as possible.
• Dr. Derek Roberts, 36, PhD’15. Current job? Senior general surgery resident at UCalgary, specializing in epidemiology and knowledge translation (KT). What do you hope to be doing 10 years from now? Pursuing a career as a KT-focused vascular surgeon-scientist who conducts research that improves the outcomes of surgical and injured patients in Canada and internationally. Surgeon-scientists are a rare type of surgeon who bridge the gap between questions asked at the patient’s bedside or in the operating theatre and the research done in clinical and laboratory settings. I think the impact one can potentially have upon the outcomes of patients is significant. A motto you live by? In order to succeed, expect to fail many times. Any advice for new students? Most of the successes I have achieved in my 17 years of post-high school training have occurred because I expressed interest, took initiative to contact suggested mentors, worked hard and expressed a positive attitude, and learned to effectively collaborate with others, both nationally and internationally.
• Kristen Lien, 33, BA’06, MEDes’08. Current job? Principal architect at FRANK Architecture. Part of a winning trio, Kristen and partners Kate Allen, 33, BFA’06, MEDes’09, and Kelly Morrison, 38, MEDes’09, shared a Top 40 award. All three alumnae and are most recognized for their funky restaurant designs — from Model Milk and Anju to Pigeonhole. Lien’s Dream job? What I do every day. Really. A significant memory from UCalgary? I did a geography field school and travelled to Hawaii, Fiji, New Zealand and Australia as a part of my undergrad degree. I lived in Barcelona for a semester as part of my master’s studies — both were remarkable experiences. Why they won an award? For not only their restaurant designs but for their focus on giving back through student mentorships and projects such as the Alex Community Food Centre. 
• Breanne Sich, BComm’15. Current job? Community leader for Mealshare Aid Society where Sich has helped Calgary restaurants bring more than 250,000 meals to youth in need. A motto you live by? "You don't get what you don't ask for." This was inspired by professor Craig Elias who taught me a course in entrepreneurship. He always said the worst thing people can say is "no." To what do you attribute your current success? I place a heavy emphasis on how I want to feel in my life, rather than what position I want to obtain. After I graduated, I started surrounding myself with individuals who were living the life that made them feel great. That’s when I decided that I wanted to make a name for myself in the hospitality industry, but most importantly, I wanted to feel like I was using my degree for something bigger than myself. Pardon me if that sounds cliche, but focusing on feelings rather than titles got me to where I am today. 
• Dirk Chisholm, 21, a fourth-year kinesiology student at UCalgary. Current job? Besides studying, Chisholm is the director of operations for the university’s medical response team and works as an EMT at Winsport and Canada Task Force 2 (a disaster-response team). Add up Chisholm’s volunteer work and you’ll see it amounts to about 800 hours a year — or 20, 40-hour weeks of unpaid work. Why are you passionate about volunteering? I've been lucky to have been able to find opportunities to volunteer that I truly enjoy. With SMR, it has been very rewarding to shape the direction of a program, which isn't an opportunity most undergrads get. What was your experience like working during the fires in Fort Mac? I think what struck me most about the Fort McMurray wildfires was the ability for the entire province to pull together. It was humbling to be able to support some of the local first responders after they had given so much to their own community during such a tragic time. Where would you like to be in 10 years? I have had great undergraduate research experiences within the Faculty of Kinesiology, so I hope to be in a role where I can combine clinical work with research. Any advice for new students? Make sure you find extracurricular activities that you're truly passionate about, enjoy doing, and have a strong social aspect to them. At the same time, make sure you manage your time well, and don't be afraid to say no to extra commitments.   
• Dr. Tony Truong, 37, BSc’96, MD’02. Current job? Pediatric oncologist with a specialization in blood and marrow transplantation, Alberta Children’s Hospital; assistant professor, departments of Oncology and Pediatrics. Biggest regret? Not travelling more, before I had kids. A motto you live by? I’m willing to try anything … even twice. Any advice for new students? If you think that something is impossible or too hard, just remember that someone just like you is doing that job right now. What do you attribute your current success to? I think it’s a combination of hard work, sleepless nights, and seizing opportunities when doors are open.
• Grant Gordon, BKin’01. Current job? Associate professor in the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology at UCalgary’s Cumming School of Medicine and a Canada Research Chair. His research focus is directed at investigating how the brain controls its blood supply which could further our understanding of neurological conditions like dementia, migraine and stroke. Dream job? Have it. But it would be nice to do basic biomedical research with a private unlimited source of money. Advice for students? Pursue what you are interested in.
• Catherine Lebel, 34. Current job? Assistant professor, Department of Radiology at UCalgary with a focus on using neuroimaging to study brain development in children. Her team is responsible for transforming the MRI experience for children into an innovative space journey, an approach so successful they now have one of the largest samples of preschooler MRI data in the world. What do you miss about student life? I miss the immersion — you study with, live with, eat with, and spend free time with your fellow students. It creates a wonderful, highly connected community. I also miss the wonderful feeling of finishing an exam or handing in a paper and being done. Advice for new students? Keep an open mind. You may have your heart set on a major, or a goal to get into a particular professional school — but if you pay attention, you’ll find there are many other opportunities that you’ve probably never considered.
• Jim Szautner, 38, MEd’14. Current job title: Associate dean, School of Manufacturing and Automation at SAIT. Dream job? What I am doing right now. My favourite memory from the past 12 months is a letter we received from an apprentice’s mother. Her son had been attending Keyano College in Fort McMurray when the fires broke out and the college closed. I remember calling apprentices from Keyano to offer them a seat at SAIT to continue their studies. In the letter, the mother explained the horrors that her family had experienced while evacuating. Within her message was a powerful point about community and how we help each other in times of need. Her message reminded me exactly why I love what I do. I love being part of not just helping individuals but making our communities better places.

The entire class of 2016 Top 40 Under 40 winners with UCalgary connections, includes:

• Lindsey Kindrat, 39, BSc’01
• Adam Jones, 33, BSc’07
• Adam Melynk, 36, BA’04
• Dr. Derek Roberts, 36, PhD?
• Dr. Gabriel Fabreau, 36, BSc’03, MD’08
• Jim Szautner, 38, Med’14
• Catherine Lebel, 34, asst. professor, Department of Radiology at UCalgary
• Melanee Thomas, 35, MA’06
• Rahim Sajan, 39, BSc’01, BEd’03
• Fabiola MacIntyre, 36, BSc (Eng)’03
• Kurt Kinnear, 35, director, UCalgary’s Active Living & Outdoor Centre
• Dr. Tony Truong, 37, BSc’96, MD’02
• Jessie Li, 29, BComm’09
• Kara Chomistek, 29, BSc (Eng)’10
• Kristen Lien, 33, BA’06, MEDes’08
• Kate Allen, 33, BFA’06, MEDes’09
• Kelly Morrison, 38, MEDes’09
• Breanne Sich, 25, BComm’15
• Grant Gordon, 38, BKin’01
• Dirk Chisholm, 21, a fourth-year kinesiology student at UCalgary
• Nuvyn Peters, 37, vice-president of Development and Alumni Engagement at UCalgary
• Megan Kerluke, 36, BFA’02
• Connor Gottfried, 39, BSc(Eng)'04