This April, Lea launched Speaking ALS: An Anthology. The book is a collection of memoirs, personal essays and non-fiction poems from people living with ALS, as well as those working with and caring for people with ALS. Twenty writers from across North America shared their experiences with the big and little moments stemming from life with this progressive and fatal neurodegenerative disease. Speaking ALS is also a fundraiser, with proceeds going to ALS Canada.

After a 14-year career at Queen’s University doing media relations and alumni communications, I started a new job in February 2024 as communication specialist with University Hospitals Kingston Foundation. I am writing stories and fundraising letters and emails to support health care in the Kingston, Ont., area.

My 33-year career in real estate and construction with financial institutions (TD, CIBC, Bank of Montreal and Scotiabank), including my current position as consulting manager of national rebranding for Scotiabank, was made possible with the skills I honed in the classrooms and studio workshops of TMU. During my time at TMU, I created a word game, which finally came to fruition with the launch of Words of HABIT on the App Store in February 2012.

Studio director and partner at Loci Architecture, Edward was recently selected as a winner of Glen-Gery’s inaugural Architect Collaboration Program, an initiative that invited architects, designers and students to submit original designs for custom brick shapes. Along with the other winning designers, Edward was invited to collaborate with Glen-Gery’s research and development team to bring his innovative brick concept, “Curve,” to life. These unique bricks can now be used as the centrepiece of conceptual building projects.

Raymond is the owner of an architecture firm, JAL Consultants, in Turks and Caicos Islands. Married to Shenequa and father of Ade, Raymond is an elder at Harvest Bible Chapel, past president and current director of Rotary Club of Providenciales and corporate secretary of non-profit Feed Five Hundred.

After 20 years working for the federal government in Calgary, Trevor moved home to Nova Scotia in 2024 where he set up a book publishing company. Trevor’s first novel (written under the name T.C. Scott) was published in September 2024. White Rabbit: An American Satire is “a political satire that skewers the absurdity of conservative politics.” Trevor also published a middle grade mystery book called The Boy in Mitchell Bay in May 2025. 

Louise is the co-author of a new children’s picture book, Walking Together, which was written with Mi’kmaw Elder Albert Marshall and illustrated by Emily Kewageshig of Saugeen First Nation. Published by Annick Press, the story is a “poetic, joyful celebration of the lands and waters as spring unfolds. We watch for Robin’s return, listen for Frog’s croaking, and wonder at Maple tree’s gift of sap.” The story braids together the strengths of Indigenous and non-Indigenous ways of knowing, showing how these two perspectives can co-exist peacefully.

Shelly’s fifth novel, The Night Sparrow (HarperCollins), was published in Canada, the U.S., the U.K., Australia and New Zealand. The novel is a portrait of friendship, resilience and courage, inspired by real female snipers and interpreters in the Red Army during World War II. Shelly’s previous novel, Daughters of the Occupation, was a Canadian bestseller.

Jane published her second book, The Metabolic Balance Kitchen, in December 2024, which subsequently landed on bestseller lists for USA Today and Amazon. The book is based on Jane’s Metabolic Balance program, which creates customized nutrition plans that look to reduce inflammation, balance insulin and promote sustainable weight management. Jane has over 25 years of private practice in nutrition, having worked with more than 1,400 clients throughout her career. 

Following a 30-year career in media, including roles as editor-in-chief of the Toronto Star, associate editor of The Globe and Mail and publisher of the Waterloo Region Record, Fred spent a decade in corporate communications, mostly in the energy sector. He also served on governance boards in health care and post-secondary education. Today, Fred continues to consult in communications, while serving as chair of the Board of Southampton Arts Centre, a not-for-profit operating an art school and gallery in Southampton, Ont. In his spare time, he enjoys landscape painting.

After graduating from RTA with the Best Production Award, I couldn’t find work during the recession of 1982. So, I pivoted and worked as a video tech in an ad agency. Before I knew it, I was a creative director, writing ads and managing creative teams. One of my most famous creations is the long-running, ‘It was a rainy day in Pizzaville’ radio campaign.

“I’ve since left advertising to pursue film and television projects. I started with a comedy short that premiered at TIFF and a feature film, Eating Buccaneers. But with the industry in such flux, I pivoted again and took one of my unproduced TV projects and turned it into a fictional podcast called Dying On Tuesday. Set in the late 1980s, this dark comedy is about an unscrupulous waterbed salesman who tries to cheat his fate when a beautiful psychic tells him he’s going to die in seven days.

On October 5, 2024, the graduating class of RTA ’84 marked their 40th anniversary. We talked ourselves hoarse, taking the time to tell stories, reminisce and share the love.