At the recent 2025 Ontario Tech Alumni Association Awards ceremony, Ontario Tech University honoured the remarkable achievements of four alumni whose innovation, leadership and community involvement are making a lasting impact. Selected from a record 31 nominations, this year’s recipients exemplify the university’s values and the power of education to drive meaningful change.
The awards gala took place at the Robert McLaughlin Gallery in Oshawa, Ontario. It featured keynote speaker Ben Earle, Master of Arts (Criminology), class of 2016, recipient of the 2017 Philanthropic Award.
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Michael Riseley: Alumni Achievement Award
The Alumni Achievement Award recognizes alumni who embody Ontario Tech’s values by championing transformative ideas. Michael Riseley, Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting), class of 2012, is a business leader and Peterborough Business Hall of Fame inductee. Riseley co-founded Holmes Riseley LLP, a leading accounting and advisory firm for small- and medium-sized enterprises in Ontario. A quarter of the firm’s team are Ontario Tech alumni, including four of its seven partners. The firm supports the Ontario Tech Accounting Association as a networking partner, while Riseley’s community impact includes raising funds for the Peterborough Regional Health Centre Foundation, SickKids and Big Brothers Big Sisters.
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Dr. Marco De Ciantis: Community Impact Award
The Community Impact Award celebrates alumni who improve society through service and charitable contributions. Since 2019, Dr. Marco De Ciantis, Master of Health Sciences (Kinesiology), class of 2017, has led missions to Uganda as a volunteer chiropractor with Bridge to Health (BTH), providing care and training to build sustainable health capacity. As Co-Musculoskeletal Lead with BTH, he partners with local clinicians and is developing a pilot study on concussion and mild traumatic brain injury diagnosis.
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Japnit Ahuja: Up and Coming Award
The Up and Coming Award honours alumni who make a meaningful impact early in their careers. At age 16, Japnit Ahuja, Bachelor of Science (Computer Science), class of 2024, launched the non-profit Go Girl Organization, which has delivered more than 500 free coding workshops to more than 2,000 students in India. For her undergraduate thesis, she created SnapCode, an app that enables kids with limited access to tech resources to learn programming without computers: they simply write code on paper, scan it with a mobile device, and interact with it. She serves as Chief Technology Officer of Making Auto Easy, a Techstars San Francisco 2025 cohort startup featured by CBC and Global News. She is also a global advocate for women in tech, speaking at TEDx; Canadian Celebration of Women in Computing (one of Canada’s largest women-in-tech conferences); and NASA Space Apps Challenge.
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Julie Harris: Ethical Tech Advocate Award
New for 2025, the Ethical Tech Advocate Award recognizes alumni who embody the university’s tech with a conscience ethos and advocate for responsible use of technology. Julie Harris, Bachelor of Science (Nursing), class of 2017, serves as Diabetes Navigator for the Health Secretariat at Anishinabek Nation, which represents 39 First Nations in Ontario. She works to address diabetes-related service gaps and has partnered with the Indigenous Diabetes Health Circle and Vision Loss Rehabilitation Canada to expand access to diabetic retinopathy eye screening using artificial intelligence and imaging systems.
The awards were presented by:
- Khashayar Farzam, Bachelor of Science (Biological Sciences), class of 2015 (2024 Achievement Award recipient)
- Osama Baig, Bachelor of Engineering (Nuclear Engineering), class of 2020 (2024 Up and Coming Award recipient)
- Chantelle Whidden, Bachelor of Commerce (Organizational Behaviour and Human Resources Management) class of 2013 (2018 Up and Coming Award recipient)
- Leslie Graham, RPN to BScN Co-ordinator, Faculty of Health Sciences
A portion of the ticket revenue supported the Ontario Tech Student Union Nutrition Access program.
Congratulations to all 2025 honourees:
- Mehreen Akhtar (nominated twice)
- Zainab Ali (nominated three times)
- Mansour Alqarni
- William Balfour
- Kim Bishop
- Lasandra Conliffe
- Matthew Dewar
- Haniyeh Fathi (nominated three times)
- Natalie Hale
- Soumayya Hassan
- Farwa Jawanshir
- Sarah Kirkpatrick (nominated twice)
- Abarna Krishnakumar
- Hayden MacIntyre (nominated three times)
- Kaytisha Mayers
- Utpal Patel
- Aarthika Ravichandran
- Brandon Ruck
- Kate Slaughter (nominated twice)
Ready for tomorrow’s careers.
We prepare our students for the fast-paced, ever-evolving world of technology.
