Brookfield Peter F. Bronfman Scholarship Recipients 2026

Education: Bachelor of Commerce, Finance and Economics Specialist, Sustainability Certificate 

Future Plans: University of Oxford, Master of Science in Sustainability, Enterprise and the Environment (Fall 2026)

What moves Teya each day is the possibility of rethinking local and global systems, a drive to pursue challenging questions, and her love of community. These motivations have manifested into an impact on campus and beyond.

At the University of Toronto, she has led and grown multiple student organizations, bringing people from different backgrounds together around shared goals, questions, and joy. Through her roles as Co-President of the Sustainable Innovation Group, Vice-President of Rotman Commerce Sustainable Business, and Treasurer of Jane Goodall’s Roots & Shoots UofT, she encourages others to see their values as lenses that shape how they serve in any field. This work continues through her research role as a Rotman Sustainable Finance Fellow.

As Co-Chair of the Hart House Finance Committee, Teya organizes events and financial literacy workshops that make intimidating topics more approachable. She hopes to remove the walls and jargon around finance that keep people out. Finance is powerful, and to direct that power toward good, it must be accessible.

In little pockets of the day, Teya always makes time for illustrating and movement. She has published both professionally and independently as a children’s book author and illustrator, a practice she hopes to continue... forever! Her love of movement led her to found the university’s Pilates and Yoga Club, now serving over 700 members through free, accessible classes that foster connection and build strength.

As she writes her story, she is equally committed to helping others shape theirs. After navigating her blended studies without a clear roadmap, she created a student guide to sustainable business pathways, now published as a permanent resource on Rotman Commerce’s website.

Together, these experiences have strengthened Teya’s ability to move between the languages of finance and sustainability and to bridge gaps where recognition of commonality, rather than division, is needed. She plans to carry this work forward through graduate studies at Oxford and a career in impact investing.

Education: Double Major in Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences 

Future Plans: A career in health data analytics, with the long-term goal of attending medical school

Tuka Alghazawi is a final-year student and Dean’s List Scholar at the University of Toronto, double-majoring in Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences. Recognized for her academic excellence and leadership in research-driven initiatives, she is passionate about leveraging health data to improve population and clinical outcomes. She is deeply grateful for the Brookfield Peter F. Bronfman Scholarship, which has supported her pursuit of academic and research excellence. Through the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP) and her work in the Miliku Lab, Tuka has investigated the association between obesity and asthma in children, conducting quantitative analyses on the role of visceral fat in asthma development. 

She presented her findings at the Temerty Faculty of Medicine Research Showcase 2025 and is preparing her first manuscript. She was also selected for the Novo Nordisk Network for Healthy Populations Summer Research & Training Program, where she used Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to analyze local food environments in Mississauga, supporting public health interventions to enhance nutrition equity. As a work-study research assistant with the Feeding Kids Nourishing Minds (FKNM) initiative at the Joannah & Brian Lawson Centre for Child Nutrition, she contributes to the school food program evaluation by organizing and analyzing children’s food intake data.

Beyond research, Tuka is actively involved in youth-focused and community initiatives, including the Taric Islamic Centre, Qibla Foundation events, and educational programming with the Canadian Centre for Victims of Torture. Following graduation, she plans to pursue graduate studies in health informatics, with the long-term goal of attending medical school and integrating data-driven approaches into patient-centred care and population health.

Education: English and Drama Double Major, Creative Writing Minor 

Future plans: Masters in Contemporary British and American literatures 

Salma is completing a double major in English and Drama with a minor in creative writing. She is a U of T National Scholar, Dean’s List Scholar, and proud member of the Woodsworth community. 

Salma is a Woodsworth College work study student who contributed to the development of the Woodsworth Spirit Singers. In this role, she maintained a close connection to the Woodsworth community, and developed programming opportunities for students all across U of T. In 2025, she was one of Woodsworth’s Orientation Coordinators, where she welcomed a new cohort of first year students as they began their studies at the college. 

Beyond the College, Salma is the recipient of multiple Centre for Drama, Theatre & Performance Studies (CDTPS) scholarships for her academic and creative achievements in the dramatic arts. She is an avid member of UTSG’s campus theatre community, having worked with Victoria College, Trinity College and Hart House on a wide range of productions as a set and costume designer, as well as a stage manager. She is also a professional theatre practitioner, having acted as the stage manager for Theatre Passé Muraille’s 2025/26 season opener. Salma’s love for the theatre stems from her desire to create positive, proactive, and thriving artistic spaces for creatives from all backgrounds. 

Moving forward, Salma intends to achieve a master's degree in English and American literatures, using her unique perspective on location and space, cultivated by her time as a theatrical designer, to examine real estate fiction, and constructions of nationhood. 

Education: Double Majors in Ethics, Society and Law & Industrial Relations and Human Resource Management & and a Business Certificate from Rotman

Future Plans: Building a career at the intersection of ethical leadership, People & Culture strategy, and agentic AI

Julia Baskin is completing an Honours B.A. at Woodsworth College with a double major in Ethics, Society & Law and Industrial Relations & Human Resources, plus a Business Certificate from the Rotman School of Management. She came to U of T in 2021 through the Millie Rotman Shime Academic Bridging Program as a mature student and has been on the Dean’s List throughout her degree. In 2025, Julia received the Brookfield Peter F. Bronfman Leadership Scholarship. She is sincerely thankful for this recognition and support, which makes it possible for her to graduate this spring. 

Julia was selected for the Community Research Partnerships in Ethics (CRPE) program and placed with The Prosperity Project, where she contributes to the Gender Diversity Data Tracking Initiative and research on leadership pipelines for women. The work has given her real responsibility, close collaboration with partners, and a clear sense of purpose. On campus, Julia mentors new Bridging students with practical toolkits and clear, actionable guidance.

After graduation, she is building a career at the intersection of ethical leadership and People & Culture strategy. She focuses on the frontier of agentic AI and human capital, pairing rigorous upskilling with a people-first mindset to design effective organizational systems that center transparency and accountability.

Education: Major, Rotman Commerce, and Minor, Economics

Future Plans: Start his own Film Production Company
 

Martin Shanahan is a fourth-year Rotman Commerce student specializing in Management with focuses in Finance and Strategy. He is the proud and grateful recipient of the University of Toronto Scholar Award, Lawrason Foundation Award, and, most recently, the Brookfield Peter F. Bronfman Leadership Scholarship. Martin is incredibly thankful for the support that the University of Toronto and Woodsworth College have provided him throughout his academic career. Martin strongly believes in academic excellence and the importance of learning and educational equity. 

As a UofT registered tutor (UT3) and Teaching Assistant in Operations Management, Martin supports student learning across disciplines. Previously, Martin held positions as a Research Assistant and then Lab Manager at Rotman Commerce’s MAPELab, in which he supported PhD researchers and professors to complete research projects in the field of organizational behaviour. Some projects that Martin is particularly proud to have supported centered on sympathy expressions and understanding the role of rapport in forensic interviewing. Beyond academics, Martin is an honoured member of the Rotman Commerce Non-Profit Network and Rotman Commerce Entertainment Club. 

In prior years, Martin was Finance Officer of the University of Toronto Autonomous Scale Racing Club (UTASR), where he used his financial acumen to help the newly-formed club raise seed funding. He also supported Woodsworth College as a Woodsworth Orientation Leader in an effort to give back to the Woodsworth community. Martin is passionate about creative writing and filmmaking. He previously served as head writer at the student-run publication Business Tomorrow, and he writes short stories and screenplays in his free time. Though his exact path forward is uncertain, he intends to leverage his internship experience at Aecon Group Inc. in Financial Planning & Analysis to further pursue a career in corporate finance, with the long-term goal of opening his own Film Production Company that can support small-time filmmakers.

Education: Physiology Specialist, Human Biology Major

Future plan: Rehabilitation Sciences

Genevieve is a Physiology Specialist and Human Biology major whose academic journey is shaped by a longstanding passion to integrate movement, creativity, and medicine. With an extensive background in competitive dance, she is motivated to explore human physiology in the context of performance and movement. Through the Physiology Specialist program, Genevieve is currently conducting research on the effects of exercise on skeletal muscle extracellular matrix and cell niche markers. Developing a nuanced understanding of neuroscience, biochemistry, anatomy, and various human physiology topics, her academic focus has solidified her interest in the rehabilitation sciences.

Aside from her academic pursuits, Genevieve continues her passion for movement as an active choreographer and member of the University of Toronto Dance Team, the most decorated varsity dance team in Canada. Alongside choreographing pieces for competitions, the team often participates in community outreach initiatives through organizations such as the Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation and Love on the Brain. She also spent her second and third years creating photography work for Anticancer.ca under the supervision of Dr. Kenneth Yip. Through this project, Genevieve used photography and social media to collaborate with dancers, students, and dietitians, bridging the gap in knowledge between cancer prevention and nutrition. These experiences allowed Genevieve to realize her passion for collective success and for using her creative endeavours to problem-solve and improve public engagement in health.

Approaching the end of her undergraduate years, Genevieve looks forward to maintaining her leadership roles within the dance team, TEDxUofT, and Toronto Rehab, among others. While deepening her knowledge of the rehabilitation sciences field, she hopes to let these experiences guide her collaborations, carrying forward a genuine and interdisciplinary approach to improving patient outcomes.