This year’s Top 40 Under 40 list released by the Guelph Mercury last week includes a large number of University of Guelph faculty, staff, students and alumni.
Published annually since 2008, the list highlights people making a difference in Guelph. This year, the Top 40 under 40 includes the following:
Nia King, a biomedical sciences student, volunteers at St. Joseph’s Health Centre in Guelph, has represented Ontario in ringette championships and has helped run U of G TED Talks.
Marketing graduate Vanessa Young works at Intrigue Media as a community development leader, helps lead the Young Professionals Network (YPN) in Guelph and volunteers on the board of the United Way of Guelph Wellington Dufferin.
An advocate for people with autism, psychology graduate Chantale Pomerleau wrote the song Speechless released in 2014, and served on campus as a peer helper.
Jacki Prince studied earth and atmospheric sciences and served in U of G student politics. Owner and founder of Sweet Temptations Cupcakery in Guelph, she supports a number of charities.
English graduate Amanda McAlpine is a teacher and the founder of the Marden Marathon, which supports the Groves Community Hospital Foundation.
Marc Sgrignoli, a sociology graduate and former baseball Gryphon, is a teacher and manager of the Guelph Royals Intercounty baseball team.
Kristen Drexler studied commerce and worked at U of G before starting her own business. She is now events and marketing manager for the Children’s Foundation of Guelph and Wellington.
Music grad Tyler Bridge teaches guitar, bass and bagpipes at Jam School in Guelph, and leads the Guelph Pipe Band.
Psychology professor Gloria Gonzales-Morales studies positive organizational psychology and is establishing the Centre for Worker Health and Well-Being on campus.
Jocelyn Wessels completed her undergraduate and master’s degrees in biomedical sciences at U of G. She studies reproductive health as a PhD candidate at McMaster University, and serves as a hospital volunteer.
Carly O’Brien is a fundraiser for U of G’s Ontario Veterinary College (OVC). A founding member of the Guelph YPN and a board member of the Foundation of Guelph General Hospital, she is the incoming chair of the Guelph Chamber of Commerce.
Tim Martin, a water resources engineering student, volunteers with several charities. He has drilled wells in Zambia with Christian Missions in Many Lands, and helped Alberta flood victims in 2014 as an intern with Samaritan’s Purse.
U of G commerce graduate Lianne Foti studies consumer behaviour and consumption and promotes sustainable marketing solutions as a professor in the Department of Marketing and Consumer Studies.
Computer science students Lee-Jay Cluskey-Belanger, Corey Alexander and Oliver Cook designed a website called Farm to Fork to improve food sourcing and distribution by food banks.
Clinical studies professor Adronie Verbrugghe studies pet diets and disease and potential applications for human health.
Hugues Beaufrere runs OVC’s Avian and Exotic Medicine Service, the only Ontario clinic specializing in birds and exotic pets. He also conducts clinical research.