Susan Watson is currently a Teacher/Supervisor at Erindale Nursery School in Mississauga, Ontario. She had the unique honour of being presented with the Prime Minister’s Award of Excellence in Early Childhood Care in a special ceremony held on October 5, 2009. Susan attended Vanier College from September 1977-December 1980 and graduated from the Early Childhood Education program. She also worked at Vanier College Daycare from September 1982-June 1984. Read more.

Jordan Waxman went on from his studies here at Vanier to get an undergraduate degree and a law degree at McGill before obtaining an MBA from the University of Chicago. Currently, not only is he a very successful investment banker in New York City, but he is also a renowned long-distance swimmer who has swum around the island of Manhattan (28.5 miles) on several occasions and was featured recently in a newspaper article detailing his attempt to swim the 34 KM wide English Channel in August 2009. Read more.

During the time he studied in the Music Program at Vanier in the late-nineties, Patrick met other Vanier Music alumni Mishka Stein and Robbie Kuster who, along with his longtime guitarist (and Vanier alumnus) Simon Angell, are now all band members. Apart from his 2007 Juno nomination and subsequent performance during the nationally telecast Juno Award ceremonies, he also won 3 major prizes at the 2007 Indie Awards for artist, songwriter and indie pop album of the year ("Close to Paradise"). His new CD Wooden Arms was just released. Read more.

Juliette Powell was a Commerce student at Vanier College when she entered and won the Miss Canada Pageant in 1989. When her reign was over, she returned to graduate from Vanier and then studied Finance and Business at McGill University and then later on Economics at the University of Toronto. In 1992 she started as a VJ at MuchMusic and went on to host and produce four shows for MuchMusic and CityTV. In 1999 she founded Powell International Entertainment, producing numerous programs featuring major personalities. She has recently written a best-selling book on how to run a business with social networking. Click for more.

As the former CEO and driving force behind the Just For Laughs comedy festival, Andy has worked with many of the world's top stars, including Tim Allen, Jerry Seinfeld, Ray Romano and Jim Carrey and helped launch literally dozens of performers to fame. A renowned public speaker, he has also produced over 150 television shows seen worldwide. He was named one of the "Top 40 Under 40" Business Leaders by the Financial Post and is currently President and CMO of Airborne Entertainment. Andy and his partner Garner Bornstein (also a Vanier alum) were featured on CBC's Fortune Hunters on January 24th, 2009. You can view the video clip on his page. Click for more.

Canadian Press photojournalist Tom Hanson attended Vanier College in 1985 and then spent two years at Concordia University. He then began freelancing for The Canadian Press in 1989 and went on to become one of the most respected photojournalists in all of Canada. Perhaps his most celebrated photo depicted a kilt-wearing bagpiper in a gas mask at a protest in Quebec City. It was named Picture of the Year in 2001 and nominated for a National Newspaper Award. Tragically, Tom died suddenly on March 10, 2009 after collapsing while playing hockey. Find out more about his life and his award-winning photos. Click for more.

Nilia Berkin studied classical piano at Vanier College and Concordia University. After getting involved in choral singing, Nilia went on to garner experience as a vocalist in some local rock bands. She later returned to piano study under noted Montreal jazz pianist Lorraine Desmarais. Her debut CD "Whirlwind" was recently released and Nilia is donating a portion of CD sales to a cause that is near and dear to her heart: the SPCA and helping animals in general. Read more.

Vanier Nursing graduate Joanne Asselin finished her CEGEP studies here in 1975 and then moved to the United States, working at Oconee Hospital in Clemson, South Carolina, where she eventually became Assistant Head Nurse of their very busy ER. After her unfortunate and early departure due to ovarian cancer at age 51, she had the Joanne Asselin Memorial Nursing Station named after her as part of a $100,000 donation made in her honour to the Oconee Hospital where she had worked for twenty years. Read more.

Vanier graduate Stephen Mendel attended Vanier College from 1970 (the year the College's doors opened) through 1973 . He was the second editor of the college newspaper, Vanier Visions, sat as student representative on the Board of Governors and acted in many of the first theatre productions. After Vanier he attended Bishop's University, graduating with a BA in Theatre. He went back to school in 1999, California State University, Long Beach and graduated with a Masters of Fine Arts in Theatre in 2001. He is an accomplished actor who has made his home in Los Angeles since 1981 with a five year interlude in Toronto when he had a starring role in the well-known TV series "Night Heat".   Read more.

After completing her studies at Vanier, Lila Hope-Simpson became a nationally-recognized innovator in the field of Early Childhood Education. She won a special award from Prime Minister Paul Martin in 2004 and also won an award in 2006 for her contributions to the field of children's literature. Lila writes regularly for the King's County Advertiser including a series entitled Positive Parenting. Besides being an author, Lila owns and operates a licensed child care centre in Wolfville, NS, renowned for its holistic child development program.  Read more.

Yolande James was on the front page of the Montreal Gazette of April 19, 2007 with her appointment as Minister of Immigration and Cultural Communities in the Charest government. This follows her convincing re-election in the riding of Nelligan. She was also the first black woman ever elected to the provincial legislature. After graduating from Vanier in Liberal Arts in 1997, Yolande received Bachelor's degrees in Civil Law from the Université de Montréal and in Common Law from Queen's University. She recently appeared to unveil a stamp for Rosemary Brown as part of the 2009 Black History Month. Read more.

Ric'key Pageot certainly went on to bigger and better things after studying here at Vanier. A noted recording artist and producer, Ric'key was previously the youngest person ever named as Musical Director for a Cirque du Soleil show. (In this case the show as "Delirium"). He's currently working as the principal keyboardist for Madonna's "Sweet and Sticky" world tour. View his page to find out more about this multi-talented alumnus.  Click for more.

When Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberté decided he wanted to create a show based on the music of the Beatles, Vanier grad Gavin Whiteley was picked to work on the project. After collaborating intensively with original Beatles sound engineer Sir George Martin and his son Giles, Gavin took on the responsibility of re-mixing live at each performance the original Beatles recordings that have been in the Apple Records vaults all these years.  Read more.

After finishing his studies at Vanier, Dr. Mark J. Cohen went on to complete his medical degree in ophthalmology at McGill University, winning the award for the highest academic standing upon completion of 4 years of medical school. He went on to be co-founder of Lasik MD and is one of only 14 surgeons in North America accredited to teach LASIK surgery techniques to other doctors. In 2007, Dr. Cohen won the BMO-Arista award from the Young Chamber of Commerce of Montreal as the leading Young Professional in Quebec. He was also featured in a Globe and Mail article on May 5, 2008.  Read more.

While studying at Vanier in 1983, Wah Keung Chan showed his initiative by being co-founder and president of the Vanier Math Club, for which he earned a Student Life Award. He went on to turn a passion for music into a full-time career by becoming Founding Editor/Publisher of Canada’s largest classical/jazz magazine, La Scena Musicale and its website scena.org. Wah Keung has written many articles for the magazine including one on Kent Nagano for which he received an honourable mention in the 2006 National Magazine Awards. He was the honouree at Vanier's 2008 Big Band Benefit Concert.  Read more.

After graduating from Vanier, Arthur Smith studied radio and television at Ryerson Polytechnic in Toronto. Following a stint as a producer at CBC Sports, he directed Hockey Night in Canada and then executive-produced CBC's coverage of several Olympic games, earning a couple of Gemini Awards. At 28, he was head of CBC Sports, the youngest division boss at the network at the time. Read more, including details on the successes of his hit series "Hell's Kitchen" and "The Swan".

Andrew Walker has been acting in major Hollywood films over the last six years. In his latest film "Steel Toes", he delivers a knockout performance which garnered him a "Best Actor" award at the Whistler Film Festival. Previous film credits include The Score where he appeared with Marlon Brando and Robert De Niro. Andrew also was a Vanier star running back from 1997-1999. He is the current holder of no less than 5 Vanier football records. Click for the full story.

Mutsumi Takahashi graduated from Vanier College in 1976. Her interest in journalism was developed during her university studies at Concordia. After graduating in 1979, Mutsumi began working in various Montreal radio and TV stations. Her career advancement was nothing short of meteoric, culminating with her appointment as full-time co-anchor for CFCF News in 1986, a post that she has held for more than twenty years. Find out more about Mutsumi.

Manrico Tedeschi graduated from Vanier in 1978. His real name is Manrico Biscotti and he is an operatic tenor who alternated with Luciano Pavarotti at La Scala and who has sung all over the world for 20 years. This year he was the soloist at Carnegie Hall in the Verdi Requiem for the 50th anniversary of the death of Arturo Toscanini. Upcoming engagements include Ernani at Teatro Verdi in Trieste and Forza del Destino with Knoxville Opera. He is also artistic director of the Il Canto Opera Association and regularly organizes concerts on the West Island and produced the opera Cavalleria Rusticana in which he sang the lead role. Read more.

Chimwemwe Miller has been extremely busy since graduating from Vanier. While completing his BFA in Interdisciplinary Studies from Concordia University, as well as after, he worked extensively as an actor, writer and director in plays with the Black Theatre Workshop, as well as with the MAI and Centaur Theatre. His musical endeavours have been numerous and equally successful; notably with the group Freeform, recently re-christened as The National Parcs. They have just released an impressive video/music project entitled "Timbervision" which you can view from his page. Read more.

Russell Copeman graduated from Vanier College in 1980. He served as the Family and Child Welfare Critic within the Liberal Party and was the elected MNA for the N.D.G. riding for over 14 years. He was recently in the news again when he announced his retirement from politics on October 21, 2008.

See the full story from the CBC website.

Ryal Cosgrove attributes his initial interest in film to Vanier Cinema teacher, Chandra Prakash. This lead to a full-time career in the world of cinematic special effects and the founding of his company Cineffects in 1986, of which he is President, SFX Coordinator and Explosives Coordinator. Cineffects has an impressive number of Hollywood films in its list of credits. Read more.

Although his career was considered finished after a car accident nearly killed him in 1998, Otis Grant refused to quit. During his comeback, he provided us with another example of his legendary resiliency by being crowned as WBC Super Middleweight Champion. Although he had to announce his retirement in December 2006, Otis will no doubt pursue his previous inspirational activities in the education sector. Read more.

Over the past several years, Ralph Gilles has experienced a rise to fame that can be described as nothing less than meteoric. Originally an architecture student at Vanier, he received a Bachelors of Science Degree in 1992 from the Center of Creative Studies in Detroit, Michigan and an MBA from Michigan State University in 2002. Currently, he designs concept cars for Chrysler. His most recent accolade came from none other than Motor Trend magazine which named his Chrysler 300 as 2005 Car of the Year. Read more.

The daughter of legendary Montreal jazz singer Karen Young, Coral Egan has been making waves of her own in the field of music. She began her performing career at the age of 11, singing with her mother at the Montreal Jazz Festival. Her latest album, "My Favourite Distraction" has won accolades among reviewers and listeners alike. Also a noted athlete, Coral has played on the senior Quebec beach volleyball team for five years. She recently performed a guest spot here at Vanier at the 2006 Big Band Benefit concert that was hosted by jazz legend Oliver Jones. Read more.

Elias Koteas attended Vanier College between 1979-1980 before moving on to study in 1981 at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City, of which he is a graduate. Apart from major roles in "The Thin Red Line" and later in David Cronenberg's "Crash", Elias received a Genie for his work in Atom Agoyan's "Ararat". He recently had a high profile appearance when he played a major role in the season-ending episode of the smash TV medical drama "House". Read more.

After completing a DEC in Social Sciences at Vanier, John Moore went on to eventually become a well known media personality in both Montreal and Toronto, notably as Entertainment reporter for CJAD and Mix 96 and host of the popular "Escalator Movie Reviews" on Global TV. He's currently host of the daily 3-6 PM show on News Talk 1010 CFRB in Toronto. Read more.

After completing Vanier's renowned music program in 1997, Frédérique Vézina went on to get her Bachelor's degree at McGill University and then proceeded to garner an impressive amount of accolades including receiving first prize in three consecutive years at the National Association of Teachers of Singing Competition (NATS). Frédérique is starring in The Merry Widow at the Opera de Montreal at the end of May, 2004. Click for her full story.

Described by the L.A. Times as a "young Johnny Carson," Vanier's Jeff Rothpan was discovered by Jay Leno and went on to write for his monologues and make five appearances on THE TONIGHT SHOW. He has appeared on A & E, Comedy Central, MTV and Fox. In addition to opening for Jim Carrey, Dennis Miller and Howie Mandel, Rothpan also has extensive film and theatre credits. Click for the full story.

After completing her Cégep studies at Vanier, Rhonda Himes. went on to get her PhD. She is currently Chair of the Department of Philosophy at the International Meditation Institute in the Himalayas. She gives seminars in North America, Europe and Asia and will be here in Montreal on September 13th at the D.B. Clarke Theatre at Concordia's downtown campus to give a lecture on the subject of meditation. Click for more.

Gianna Corbisiero graced the stage of Place des Arts in the lead role of Violetta in the opera La Traviata which enjoyed an extremely successful run in February of 2002. Presented by l'Opera de Montreal, La Traviata provided Gianna with what was surely her most exciting opportunity to date. The opera was featured in two stories in the Montreal Gazette. Reviewer Arthur Kaptainis used the title "Traviata Triumphs" in his review. You can also see some of Gianna's previous and upcoming roles .

Music student, Mirella Dell'Aquila was picked form a slate of thousands of hopeful auditionees to be a member of an all-female pop vocal group. The selection process was chronicled on the TV show "Popstars" on Global TV. The episode which featured the final picks was watched by an amazing one million Canadians! Mirella then embarked on a rigorous program to prepare the group for recording sessions as well as an international concert tour. Their self-titled CD released in the summer of 2001 was certified platinum.

UPDATE: Mirella featured in Gazette of Feb. 9/03 Click for more.

Taras Kulish graduated from Vanier in Economics and went on to get his BA from Concordia. However, although his major was Economics, he also was taking a minor in Music at the same time. His love of music blossomed so much that in 1990 he entered the Bachelor of Music Program at McGill and graduated in 1995. He is now a well-established opera performer who has played lead roles for opera companies throughout North America as well as in Europe. Click for more.

Stuart Greer says he "had a great time" while studying at Vanier College. After graduating in Pure and Applied Science, he went on to a journalism career in radio (CJAD) and then on to television (with Global TV). Click for more.

After graduating from Vanier College, Mariateresa Magisano completed her music studies at McGill and then, after winning the 1998 Metropolitan National Council Auditions, went on to a highly successful international career in opera.

Read more on Mariateresa's accomplishments.

After graduating from Vanier in 1998, Aida Hakirevic received her engineering degree from McGill and then worked as a member of the Canadian Armed Forces Peacekeeping Mission. Click for more.

Micheline Barazin graduated from Vanier College in 1990. She received her Baccalaureate of Science in Nursing in 1994 (Magna cum Laude) from Ottawa University. She went on to be Head-Nurse of the Surgical Ward at the Guam Memorial Hospital and served as an Adjunct Faculty member at the University of Guam until December of 2000. She has been taking foundation classes for an MBA (Master's in Business Administration) for the past 2 years. For more, click here.

Rick Bronson had his classmates rolling in the aisles when he attended Vanier from 1984-86. Starting in comedy when he was 15, Rick has gone on to fame and fortune. He was twice awarded The Canadian Campus Comedian of the Year and has appeared in Montreal's Just For Laughs festival three times. He returned to Vanier to perform in February, 1999. Rick is also the creator, producer, writer and host of the award-winning series The Tourist, which is seen internationally in eight countries. For more, click here.