Toronto, June 14, 2012 – Social activist Ratna Omidvar will receive an honorary degree from York University on Friday, June 15, at the 10:30am Convocation. Educator and activist Opiyo will be awarded an honorary degree at the 3:30pm Convocation. Omidvar and Opiyo will both address students graduating from the Faculty of Education.
Ratna Omidvar, Social activist, Doctor of Laws, Friday, June 15, 10:30am
Having arrived in Canada in 1981 as a refugee, Ratna Omidvar has first-hand knowledge of the difficulties immigrants face in establishing careers and financial security. Forced to reinvent herself after her teaching qualifications were not recognized in Canada, she became a settlement worker helping skilled immigrants find jobs, and eventually became a sought-after expert on immigration and integration issues.
Omidvar is currently the president of Maytree Foundation, a non-profit organization committed to reducing poverty and inequality in Canada. It helped to accelerate the integration of immigrants and refugees so they can contribute quickly and effectively to society. She also serves as a director of the Greater Toronto CivicAction Alliance and is the chair of the board of directors of the Toronto Region Immigrant Employment Council.
She has been appointed to a number of task forces, including the Transition Advisory Board to the premier of Ontario and to former prime minister Paul Martin’s External Advisory Committee on Cities and Communities. Omidvar was appointed to the Order of Ontario in 2006 and made a member of the Order of Canada in 2011.
Opiyo Oloya, Educator, activist, humanitarian, Doctor of Laws, Friday, June 15, 3:30pm
Currently the Superintendent of Education, Opiyo Oloya has been an educator with the York Region Catholic School Board for 23 years. He has worked to address important issues such as bullying and literacy, and has inspired student-led initiatives to reach out to students in Africa.
Born and raised in Uganda, Oloya became involved in national political activism for democratic reforms during the late 1970s. While president of the Makerere University Student Guild, he publicly condemned the 1980 national election as fraudulent, drawing the attention of Uganda’s president, Milton Obote. After he rejected the president’s request for a dialogue with students, Oloya was asked to surrender, but he chose exile in Kenya instead. Later that year, he was granted refugee status in Canada.
His activities – from founding the Karibuni African Music Program on CIUT in 1992 to his 2010 journey to Mogadishu, Somalia, with AMISOM troops – underscore his commitment to promoting peace and respect for all cultures and people. Oloya is also the founder of International Resources for the Education of African Deaf and Blind Children (I Read ABC).
Convocation ceremonies will take place at the Convocation Pavilion located at the Rexall Centre, 1 Shoreham Drive, at York University’s Keele campus (#8 on map).
Ceremonies will be webcast at the following link, which will become live when ceremonies begin: http://www.yorku.ca/mygrad/livewebcast.
York University is a leading interdisciplinary research and teaching university in Canada. York offers a modern, academic experience at the undergraduate and graduate level in Toronto – Canada’s most international city. The third largest university in the country, York is host to a dynamic academic community of 55,000 students and 7,000 faculty and staff, as well as 250,000 alumni worldwide. York’s 10 faculties and 28 research centres conduct ambitious, groundbreaking research that is interdisciplinary, cutting across traditional academic boundaries. This distinctive and collaborative approach is preparing students for the future and bringing fresh insights and solutions to real-world challenges. York University is an autonomous, not-for-profit corporation.
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Media Contacts:
Joanne Rider, Media Relations, York University, 416 736 5593, 416-333-3374 (cell) / jrider@yorku.ca
Janice Walls, Media Relations, York University, 416 736 2100 x22101, 416-455-4710 (cell) / wallsj@yorku.ca
Melissa Hughes, Media Relations, York University, 416 736 2100 x22097 / mehughes@yorku.ca
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